St Bernadette Catholic Primary School

Inspection Report St Bernadette RC Primary School

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102423 Unique Reference Number Hillingdon LEA LEA 276715 Inspection number 11 October 2005 to 12 October 2005 Inspection dates Keith Sadler AI Reporting inspector

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

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160 Long Lane School address Primary Type of school Hillingdon Voluntary aided School category Uxbridge, Middlesex UB10 0EH 3 to 11 Age range of pupils

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01895232298 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01895230086 Fax number 429 Number on roll Mr M F J Simpson Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Catherine Moss Headteacher 16 January 2001 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 276715 11 October 2005 - 3 to 11 12 October 2005 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. There was a Section 48 (Denominational Inspection) running concurrently with this inspection.

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Description of the school

St Bernadette is a large primary school in Hillingdon with 429 pupils on roll including 49 part-time children in the nursery. The proportion of pupils eligible for free schools meals is below the national average. An increasing number of pupils are from minority ethnic backgrounds though the large majority are White British pupils. 10 per cent of the pupils have learning difficulties or disabilities.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: St Bernadette RC Primary School, 11 October 2005 to 12 October 2005

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Grade: 2

This is an effective school. Pupils make good progress, attain standards that are significantly above average and love their school. There is an outstandingly caring and supportive atmosphere, stemming from the school's Christian values, in which the pupils thrive.Children get off to a good start in the nursery class and this is built on very successfully in the reception class. Provision in the Foundation stage is good with children learning and achieving well. The quality of teaching and learning is good overall. By the time that they leave the school, standards are high in English, mathematics and science. However, there is a need to extend the arrangements for providing pupils with clear targets for improvement in science.Parents are overwhelmingly supportive of the school. In particular they say that their children enjoy school, are well cared for and that the school is well led and managed. Inspectors

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Grade: 2

agree with these views. Leadership and management are good. There has been good improvement since the last inspection and there is significant capacity to improve further. The head teacher's leadership is very good and she is supported well by the deputy head and senior management team and staff. Governors, too, play a positive role in the school's success.Inspectors agree with the school's evaluations of its provision and performance. The school checks its work well through thoroughly monitoring and evaluating teaching and learning and its impact on pupils' progress. The school offers good value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

The school is aware that it needs to:* Develop more effective ways to assess and record pupils' progress in subjects other than English, mathematics and science; * Extend the good arrangements for providing each pupil with clear targets for improvement in English and mathematics to include science throughout the school.

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Grade: 2

The school has gone through a sustained period of rising standards.National data and inspection evidence shows that standards are high. When children enter the school they have the skills and knowledge typical of three-year-olds. Due to the good provision, the children in the Foundation Stage have settled very quickly. They already feel safe and happy and are achieving well.Pupils get off to a good start in Year 1 and this is maintained through Year 2. In the national tests for seven-year-olds, results have been well above average for the past four years. Pupils make good progress because the quality of teaching and learning is good. Good progress is maintained throughout the junior years. By the end of Year 6, standards attained in national tests have been consistently high in English and mathematics for many years. In science standards have been above the national average through to 2004. The 2005 results

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Grade: 2

indicate that standards have improved from those of previous years. The school has been successful in meeting its priority of increasing the proportion of pupils that gain 2 Inspection Report: St Bernadette RC Primary School, 11 October 2005 to 12 October 2005 higher levels. The school is deeply committed to ensuring that all its pupils achieve well. The needs of all groups of pupils are well catered for and each group makes good progress.

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Grade: 1

The school judges the pupils' personal development and well-being to be good, however the inspection team found a harmonious and hard working community where the quality of relationships, behaviour and the pupils' all round development are outstanding. Pupils' excellent spiritual, moral and social development is very well supported by the Catholic values promoted in the school. Pupils are rightly very proud of their school and they show great consideration for one another. They feel safe and are confident that they can approach friends and teachers for help and support. The pupils' behaviour and their attitude to learning are excellent. This is evident from their enjoyment of school and also the continuing improvement in attendance. The last validated figures for attendance were in line with national average though there has been a significant improvement in the last school year. The pupils are excited by

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Expectations are high and the children work hard to meet the challenges they are set. Teachers question pupils well and they successfully inculcate an enthusiasm and enjoyment for learning. Work is well-matched to the learning needs of all groups of pupils. In addition, staff manage pupils outstandingly well which results in very good purposeful relationships and excellent behaviour. This was particularly evident in an outstanding Year 6 English lesson, where the children's interest and engagement in the study of the book, 'Tom's Midnight Garden' resulted in a thorough understanding of the text and written work of an exceptionally high standard. Teachers have a clear understanding of what the pupils need to learn next in order for them to make progress. Class-based and year group assessments inform future planning well in English mathematics and science. There is

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Grade: 2

a need to ensure that teachers' assessments of pupils' progress in all other subjects are recorded and used to inform future teaching and learning. Teaching and learning in the Foundation stage is good. The work is planned thoroughly and is interesting and challenging. Here too, staff have high expectations of the children.

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Grade: 2

The quality of the curriculum is good. There is a good coverage of all required subjects and care has been taken to ensure the development of skills. The school is imaginative 3 Inspection Report: St Bernadette RC Primary School, 11 October 2005 to 12 October 2005 and creative in the way lessons are timetabled. Good consideration is given to making sure that all pupils take part in the full range of curricular activities.The school's curricular programme is supplemented well by school visits which helps to enhance learning. It also heightens the pupils' understanding of particular subjects and increases their enjoyment of school life. There is a good range of extra-curricular sporting activities available mainly to the Y5 and Y6 children. These are well-attended, though the pupils would like there to be more on offer, particularly for younger year groups. Provision for musical instrument tuition is good. A wide range of instruments are

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Grade: 2

available and the children are given frequent opportunities to perform.

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Grade: 2

The school ensures that learners feel safe and secure and are valued. Health and safety and child protection procedures are good. Pupils have great confidence in the staff and they enjoy all aspects of school life. The arrangements for pupils with special educational needs and those learning English as an additional language are good. The school is rightly planning to make more use of the data gained from assessments of achievements in order to provide cohesive and challenging targets for improvement. Whilst older pupils are clear about their progress and attainment, particularly in English and mathematics, this is not the case with other pupils in the rest of the school.Pupils are taught well how to take care of themselves and how to make healthy and safe choices. The cooked school meals are nutritious and attractively presented. An excellent range of sports and games is arranged for lunchtime.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. The headteacher leads the school very well and she has steered the school successfully through a period of improvement since the last inspection. The headteacher is focussed and determined to ensure that the school provides well for all pupils both in terms of their academic achievement and personal development. She creates a positive and vibrant atmosphere in which the staff work closely as a team to support both each other and the pupils. The headteacher is ably supported by the deputy head and the senior management team. This group is pivotal to the school's leadership and is very effective. They constantly review curricular and management structures to seek further improvements. Monitoring and evaluation processes are good and provide a useful picture of the full school's provision and standards. Information is used well to pin-point future priorities. However, these

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Grade: 2

processes would be enhanced by developing a more systematic approach to monitoring and also by involving governors more directly in the evaluation of development priorities. Governance is good. The governors are an active body who support and challenge the school well and ensure that the school meets all legal requirements. 4 Inspection Report: St Bernadette RC Primary School, 11 October 2005 to 12 October 2005 .

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

website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 5 Inspection Report: St Bernadette RC Primary School, 11 October 2005 to 12 October 2005

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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 2 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 2 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 1 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 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 1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 1 The behaviour of learners NA 3 The attendance of learners NA 1 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 1 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 2 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 2 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 2 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 2 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’ 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

We really enjoyed visiting your school. We can understand why you like it so much. We all enjoyed talking with you and your teachers and watching you learn. We checked out many things about your school and this is what we found: * Yours is a good school.* Your head teacher is very good and she makes sure that you learn well. She also ensures that everyone is safe and the staff work really well together. * You enjoy going to school because your lessons are good and challenging.* Your behaviour is excellent and you work together very well. You support each other very well and you are very caring.* We think that all the adults in the school do an excellent job. Your teachers are talented and throughout the school, lessons are good and some are outstanding. * There is a good range of interesting activities for you to do in school, and we think you have lots of really good games and equipment to use at lunchtime. We know you appreciate this and it helps to make school

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

life more interesting for you. We have two things that we think that the school needs to work on in particular. First, the teachers need to make sure that you all know what your targets are for English, mathematics and science. Second, the staff need to make sure that they check and keep a record of your work in all the other subjects.

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