St Vincent's Catholic Primary School

Inspection Report Saint Vincent Roman Catholic Primary School

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101926 Unique Reference Number Ealing LEA LEA 276616 Inspection number 10 May 2006 to 11 May 2006 Inspection dates Andrew Howe AI Reporting inspector

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This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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1 Pierrepoint Road School address Primary Type of school Acton Voluntary aided School category London W3 9JR 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 02089926625 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 02088960623 Fax number 414 Number on roll Mrs Ann Blyth Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Christina Cleugh Headteacher 15 November 1999 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 276616 10 May 2006 - 4 to 11 11 May 2006 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This is a larger-than-average school, situated in Acton serving three parishes. The socio-economic circumstances of the pupils are broadly average. Around a fifth of pupils have learning difficulties or disabilities, which is average. Just over half the pupils come from various ethnic groups other than White British. About a third of pupils come from homes where English is not the first language although only a small proportion are at the early stages of learning English. There have been several changes of leadership over the last two years and the current headteacher has been in post for one term.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Saint Vincent Roman Catholic Primary School, 10 May 2006 to 11 May 2006

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Grade: 3

Inspectors agree with the school's view, that it provides a satisfactory standard of education. The school enables pupils to achieve well by the end of Year 6 because of consistently good teaching in Years 5 and 6. The school provides good value for money. The school successfully develops pupils' awareness of how to live a safe and healthy life. Pupils' attitudes are positive and they enjoy school, which is evident in their good attendance. They play a full part in church and school life. The school cares well for pupils. Through some well-organised interventions and the purposeful deployment of support staff, pupils with learning difficulties and those whose first language is not English make good progress. Provision and standards in the Foundation Stage are satisfactory. Despite good teaching in classes for older pupils, teaching and learning are satisfactory. Teachers do not always manage pupils' behaviour well, match activities to the needs

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Grade: 3

of individuals or use time effectively. The curriculum is satisfactory, but does not encourage pupils to develop independence and creativity, particularly in the Foundation Stage. The use of information and communication technology (ICT) in other subjects is underdeveloped. Although leadership overall is satisfactory, the headteacher has not yet fully convinced all staff of the way ahead or developed a detailed plan to improve the quality of provision. The school has made satisfactory improvement since the last inspection. It has been through a turbulent period during which several changes of headteacher have hampered the rate of improvement. The new headteacher has an accurate view of what needs to be done and has made a good start in reorganising management, and is taking steps to improve assessment, child protection and ICT. Therefore the school has the capacity to improve.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve the quality of teaching in the younger classes by ensuring that teachers manage behaviour better, match work more closely to pupils' individual needs and make better use of time. • Improve the quality of the curriculum, particularly for the youngest children and make better use of ICT in other subjects. • Ensure all those with leadership responsibility agree a clear vision for the future of the school and develop plans to make it happen.

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Grade: 2

The school rates pupils' achievement and standards as satisfactory, but inspection evidence indicates that they are good because of the very good progress made in Years 5 and 6. When children start school their attainment is in line with expectations. They make satisfactory progress, and standards at the end of the Foundation Stage are 2 Inspection Report: Saint Vincent Roman Catholic Primary School, 10 May 2006 to 11 May 2006 average. Children make good progress in their personal, social and emotional development, but their creative development is limited. Pupils make satisfactory progress in Years 1 and 2 and by the end of Year 2 attain average standards in reading, writing and mathematics. Results in the 2005 national tests at the end of Year 6 were well above average and pupils exceeded the challenging targets which the school had set. The school's records and the standard of pupils' work indicate that in Years 5 and 6 standards are currently above average and pupils make

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Grade: 2

good progress, due to effective teaching. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities make good progress through well-organised intervention programmes and the effective work of support staff. Pupils whose first language is not English also make good progress because they are inducted and supported well, for example through the input of a Polish volunteer.

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Grade: 3

Pupils' personal development and well-being are satisfactory with some good features. Attendance is good. There are rigorous systems which have reduced absenteeism. Pupils enjoy school and feel secure. One parent commented 'My child settled in very quickly and feels safe at school'. Most pupils co-operate well with each other and are polite and friendly. Behaviour is only satisfactory overall because the actions of a few pupils interrupt learning in some classes and are not always well managed. Strategies are being developed to improve behaviour management and as a result there have been no exclusions this year. Pupils' social, moral and cultural development is satisfactory. Their spiritual development is weak because of the lack of time for reflection in assemblies, and the absence of opportunities for creativity in lessons. Pupils develop a satisfactory understanding of their own and others' cultural heritage

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Grade: 3

through a range of activities. Pupils have a good understanding of the need for a healthy diet and life-style. They participate successfully in a variety of sports through clubs and sporting competitions. The school council enables them to participate effectively in decision making. Pupils make a positive contribution to the community and develop skills that contribute to their future economic well-being, for example, by raising monies to support a local senior citizens' trip to Lourdes.

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Grade: 3

Teaching is satisfactory overall, and consistently good in Years 5 and 6, where pupils' progress accelerates significantly because lessons are brisk, very well planned and teachers have high expectations. In the Foundation Stage, teachers' interaction with children fails to challenge their thinking sufficiently. In other parts of the school, in a few lessons, the lack of a consistent approach to behaviour management results in 3 Inspection Report: Saint Vincent Roman Catholic Primary School, 10 May 2006 to 11 May 2006 inattentive and restless behaviour. Teachers plan lessons well but do not always match tasks to pupils' abilities, particularly the more able. As a result, some pupils do not make the progress they should. In some lessons, time is not used effectively so that parts of lessons are missed and learning is limited. Teachers make good use of interactive whiteboards in presenting their lessons, which helps to engage pupils'

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Grade: 3

attention. Marking is up to date and usually helps pupils to improve their work. Teachers provide good opportunities for pupils to write at length in English in Years 5 and 6, which contributes to their good progress. By contrast, the overuse of worksheets in some other classes restricts pupils' thinking and writing skills.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum is broad and balanced and of satisfactory quality. Provision in English is good and that for personal, social and health education satisfactory. In the Foundation Stage, there is a lack of imaginative activities to develop children's independence and creativity. The school has not planned links between subjects thoroughly enough. The use of ICT in other subjects is at an early stage of development. However, in one excellent lesson, pupils in Year 5 were able to practise their persuasive writing skills using the computer to design a pamphlet to market property. The range of extra-curricular activities is satisfactory. Visits and visitors are used well to enhance learning experiences. Pupils do not have enough opportunities for independent thinking, such as planning activities in teams.

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Grade: 2

The care, guidance and support pupils receive are good. Pupils feel safe in school and parents unanimously agree that their children are well looked after. Health and safety procedures are good and child protection measures have been improved so that they now meet requirements. Pupils' learning is carefully monitored. They show good awareness of the targets which teachers set for them, although systems for tracking and target setting are not yet fully embedded. Parents feel that they are fully informed about what their child needs to do to improve, although the quality of progress reports is only just adequate. Learning difficulties and disabilities are identified early and these pupils' education plans contain targets that are both appropriate and achievable. The school makes good use of help from outside agencies, including support for pupils with English as an additional language.

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Grade: 3

The school rates its leadership and management as satisfactory and inspectors agree. There have been a number of changes of headteacher in the past two years which have disrupted the continuity of leadership and resulted in some important areas for development being neglected. The new headteacher has a clear vision of the 4 Inspection Report: Saint Vincent Roman Catholic Primary School, 10 May 2006 to 11 May 2006 improvements she wishes to make, but this is not shared fully by staff, so that development has been limited so far. The headteacher has taken important steps to reorganise the management structure and, working with the local authority, diagnosed and started to remedy the school's weaknesses. She has improved child protection procedures and made some significant improvements to assessment procedures and ICT provision. The school's self evaluation is satisfactory. The leadership is developing useful methods

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Grade: 3

for evaluating performance, including consultation with parents, but these are at an early stage. There are good procedures for monitoring pupils' progress and work. Working with the local authority, the headteacher has started monitoring teaching, but this process is not fully shared by other staff. The headteacher has a largely accurate view of the school's strengths and weaknesses which is enabling her to plan ahead. The current improvement plan lacks a coherent approach to raising standards, but the school is aware of this and intends to develop a new one. The governing body is well-informed, supportive of the new headteacher and fulfils its statutory obligations. However, it is not yet fully involved in monitoring and challenging the school's work or planning the school's strategic development. The school has made satisfactory improvement since the last inspection. In particular, standards have risen and attendance is above average. The determined steps the

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Grade: 3

headteacher has taken to review and improve provision and reform leadership mean that the school is well-placed to improve. 5 Inspection Report: Saint Vincent Roman Catholic Primary School, 10 May 2006 to 11 May 2006 .

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set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s

website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Saint Vincent Roman Catholic Primary School, 10 May 2006 to 11 May 2006

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Overall

Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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learners?

NA 2 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 3 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 3 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation NA Yes The capacity to make any necessary improvements NA Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well do learners achieve? NA 2 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 3 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

NA 3 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 3 The behaviour of learners NA 2 The attendance of learners NA 2 How well learners enjoy their education NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 2 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 3 How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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needs and interests of learners?

NA 2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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needs and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low.

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and supporting all learners?

NA 3 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 3 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 3 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 2 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 3 The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities NA Yes The adequacy and suitability of staff to ensure that learners are protected

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The extent to which schools enable learners to be healthy

Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to eat and drink healthily Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to take regular exercise Yes Learners are discouraged from smoking and substance abuse Yes Learners are educated about sexual health

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The extent to which providers ensure that learners stay safe

Yes Procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements Yes Risk assessment procedures and related staff training are in place Yes Action is taken to reduce anti-social behaviour, such as bullying and racism Yes Learners are taught about key risks and how to deal with them

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The extent to which learners make a positive contribution

Yes Learners are helped to develop stable, positive relationships Yes Learners, individually and collectively, participate in making decisions that affect them Yes Learners are encouraged to initiate, participate in and manage activities in school and the wider community

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The extent to which schools enable learners to achieve economic well-being

Yes There is provision to promote learners µ basic skills Yes Learners have opportunities to develop enterprise skills and work in teams NA Careers education and guidance is provided to all learners in key stage 3 and 4 and the sixth form NA Education for all learners aged 14–19 provides an understanding of employment and the economy

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Pupils Thank you for sharing your views of the school with us when we visited a little while ago. We enjoyed our time with you, and we promised to let you know what we decided after our visit. You told us what a caring place your school is, and how there is always someone you can go to if you have a problem. Teachers and helpers take good care of you, and do a lot to help you learn and stay safe. Your school council means you can have a say in how the school runs. Older pupils make good progress in their learning. Younger pupils make satisfactory progress and reach average standards. Your behaviour is mostly satisfactory, although sometimes pupils do not concentrate well in lessons. Children who find learning hard, or who speak a language other than English, get good extra help. Many of the lessons we saw were satisfactory and some were good. You clearly enjoyed them. You work hard, because teachers try to make

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

learning fun. Your attendance is good and your parents support your learning well. There are some interesting activities you can do at school outside class, such as clubs and trips. There are some things that could be better, though:* In a few lessons your behaviour is not as good as it should be and teachers do not always plan for every pupil µs needs or make the best use of time.* Although there is a satisfactory range of subjects, the activities planned for the youngest children could be more interesting and you could use computers more in different subjects.* The headteacher and the other teachers need to agree a plan to improve the school for the future. Saint Vincent Roman Catholic Primary School is a satisfactory school with some good features. If you continue to work as hard as you do now it could become even better. Good wishes for the future, Andrew Howe Lead Inspector

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