Maryvale Catholic Primary School

Inspection Report Maryvale Catholic Primary School

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103426 Unique Reference Number Birmingham LEA 276917 Inspection number 9 May 2006 to 10 May 2006 Inspection dates Mark Mumby HMI Reporting inspector

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

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Old Oscott Hill School address Primary Type of school Kingstanding Voluntary aided School category Birmingham, West Midlands B44 9AG 3 to 11 Age range of pupils

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01216 751434 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01216 756581 Fax number 232 Number on roll Father David Oakley Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Barry Desmond Headteacher 13 November 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 276917 9 May 2006 - 3 to 11 10 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 one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors and one Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

Maryvale is an average sized primary school with a Nursery. It serves the parish of Our Lady of Assumption in Birmingham and takes pupils from a wide area. Virtually all of the pupils are from White British backgrounds and speak English as their first language. The number of pupils eligible for free school meals is above the national average. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is below the national average but the proportion with a statement of special educational need is similar to that found nationally. The large majority of pupils stay at the school from Years 1 to 6 and this is much better than the national picture.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Maryvale Catholic Primary School, 9 May 2006 to 10 May 2006

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Grade: 4

The school assessed its overall effectiveness to be good but the inspection found it to be inadequate. Although the good quality provision in the Foundation Stage enables children to get a good start, this is not built on consistently enough throughout Key Stages 1 and 2. In a significant proportion of lessons, work is not carefully matched to pupils’ individual abilities and pupils are not given sufficient guidance about how to improve their work. This limits the progress made by some pupils. Pupils’ personal development and well-being are strengths of the school. Pupils behave well and enjoy school, where they feel secure and valued. The school is an important part of the community and benefits from strong links with the church and the local specialist technology college. Leadership and management are unsatisfactory overall because the school is not making sufficient use of the extensive information it has about itself and the expertise

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Grade: 4

of its own staff to ensure that teaching and learning are consistently good enough. Nevertheless, the school has raised standards in mathematics and improved attendance since the last inspection. It has implemented a number of strategies to improve teaching and learning and has detailed arrangements in place to check on progress. These improvements and strategies indicate that the school has a sound capacity to improve further. However, the school provides unsatisfactory value for money. In accordance with section 13 (3) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires significant improvement, because it is performing significantly less well than in all the circumstances it could reasonably be expected to perform. The school is therefore given a Notice to Improve. Significant improvement is required in Key Stages 1 and 2 in relation to the progress pupils make

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Grade: 4

as a result of the teaching and guidance they receive.

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What the school should do to improve further

•Use monitoring data more effectively to identify and disseminate elements of good teaching more consistently across the school. •Plan learning activities more precisely to meet the needs of individual pupils in all lessons. •Make marking and the setting of curriculum targets more effective in helping pupils improve.

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Grade: 4

Achievement is unsatisfactory because pupils do not make sufficient progress in every subject in Key Stages 1 and 2. When children start in the Foundation Stage, their skills and knowledge are below those of children found nationally. They get a good start in the Nursery and Reception classes and make good progress. As a result, standards are in line with those expected nationally by the time they enter Year 1. 2 Inspection Report: Maryvale Catholic Primary School, 9 May 2006 to 10 May 2006 Pupils do not make enough progress in Years 1 and 2. Results for Year 2 in 2005 showed standards in writing to be significantly below the national average and standards in reading and mathematics to be just below national averages. Boys achieved significantly less well than girls. Over the past three years, the progress pupils made in English, mathematics and science in Key Stage 2 fluctuated significantly. In 2005, national assessment results in all three

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Grade: 4

subjects were in line with national averages, but the progress made by pupils in English and science was not sufficient. This was mainly as a result of the limited progress made by boys. The pupils’ work since September 2005, especially in their writing in English and science, continues to show underachievement. The school is aware of these differences and has already put in place actions to address the weaknesses. The school’s own assessments show that the gap between what pupils are capable of and what they are achieving in writing is beginning to close. However, this is not happening quickly enough for all pupils. The school has set appropriately challenging targets for the pupils in Year 6. The target for those pupils of average ability in mathematics should be exceeded, but the school’s current predictions indicate that it is unlikely that the target for the more able pupils will be met in English.

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Grade: 2

Pupils’ personal development and well-being are good. Positive relationships with the church community contribute to the pupils’ good spiritual, moral and social development. Pupils’ enjoyment of school is reflected in their regular attendance. They know what is right and wrong and are clearly sensitive and understanding towards others. Pupils have a positive attitude to their work and behave well in lessons. They cooperate well and older pupils are very willing to help the younger ones. This is one example of where pupils take on responsibilities readily and develop appropriate skills for later life. The school council members are enthusiastic about the opportunities they have to contribute to changes, such as improving the toilets and playtime facilities. Pupils report little bullying and if they have problems, they are confident that staff will help them. Pupils know they should adopt healthy lifestyles. They can explain

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Grade: 2

what constitutes a healthy diet and recognise the importance of physical exercise. Pupils particularly enjoy the regular opportunities for exercise provided by the school. Through raising funds for charities, including one for children in villages in Rwanda, pupils make a positive contribution to the wider community and develop an awareness of different cultures. 3 Inspection Report: Maryvale Catholic Primary School, 9 May 2006 to 10 May 2006

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Grade: 4

The quality of teaching is inadequate overall, even though some good teaching was seen during the inspection. This is because there are too many lessons where not all pupils learn as much as they should. In the less effective lessons, assessment is not used well enough to match the pupils’ work to their different starting points and capabilities, expectations are low and consequently many pupils underachieve. In too many lessons, there is insufficient opportunity for pupils to be creative or work independently. The marking of pupils’ work does not always help pupils to see how they might do better. Where teaching is most effective, pupils are engaged in interesting and exciting activities which encourage them to do their best. These activities are well matched to the pupils’ needs, providing motivation and just enough challenge to push their learning on. For example, in a Year 1 literacy lesson, pupils were motivated by role play and

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Grade: 4

subsequently read their work out confidently to the rest of the class. Teaching assistants are used effectively to support pupils who find the work hard. In nearly all lessons, the quality of relationships is good.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum is satisfactory overall and good in the Foundation Stage. Since the last inspection, the use of information and communication technology (ICT) has improved and standards are now satisfactory. Provision for pupils with learning difficulties is consistently good and individual education plans have appropriate targets. Relevant visits and visitors add interest and enjoyment to pupils’ learning. For example, the pupils enjoyed the talk from the Chinese teachers, extending their understanding of life in other countries. Pupils also spoke enthusiastically about the themed weeks and the visit from the Roman soldier. Many pupils attend the reasonable range of clubs and after school activities. These help them to learn how to get on with each other and assist in promoting healthy lifestyles.

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Grade: 3

The friendly atmosphere and the good relationships throughout the school reflect the effective pastoral care and support given to the pupils. This is especially noticeable in the successful integration of pupils with learning difficulties and the attitudes and caring approach of all staff towards all pupils. Appropriate attention is given to the pupils’ health, safety and well-being and the promotion of healthy lifestyles. 4 Inspection Report: Maryvale Catholic Primary School, 9 May 2006 to 10 May 2006 Marking does not always give pupils helpful comments to assist them in understanding how they might improve their learning. Although the school has begun to introduce target-setting, this is not yet giving all pupils the precise guidance they need to enable them to make the progress of which they are capable.

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Grade: 4

Leadership and management are unsatisfactory overall. This is because the school is not making enough use of its data and the expertise within the staff team to bring about the improvements needed in teaching and learning. As a result, too many pupils are still not making as much progress as they should. Some changes have been made and there is evidence of improvement, for example in mathematics, but much of the school’s work to improve pupils’ progress has not had enough time to make sufficient difference. The mathematics coordinator has taken effective steps to improve performance in this subject and pupils are now making satisfactory progress. Coordination of English and science are less effective and weaknesses have not been tackled rigorously enough. The school has recently begun a detailed analysis to track the progress of every pupil. The school’s data are already beginning to show that pupils are making better progress

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Grade: 4

in English and science as a result of the steps taken to make improvements. Along with the better picture in mathematics, this gives a clear indication that the school is capable of bringing about further improvement. The governing body has a clear understanding of its role and asks appropriately challenging questions of the school’s leadership. However, the large number of targets and the lack of a precise timetable for improvement and monitoring activities in the school improvement plan are likely to make it difficult for the governing body to evaluate the school’s work effectively. 5 Inspection Report: Maryvale Catholic Primary School, 9 May 2006 to 10 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: Maryvale Catholic Primary School, 9 May 2006 to 10 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 3 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 4 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 4 How well do learners achieve? NA 3 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 4 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 3 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

NA 2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 2 The behaviour of learners NA 3 The attendance of learners NA 2 How well learners enjoy their education NA 3 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 3 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 3 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 4 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 4 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 4 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’ 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

Thank you for making Mrs White and me so welcome when we visited your school. We enjoyed talking with you and looking at your work. You are all polite and helpful and we were pleased to see how much you enjoy the different activities you take part in. You get on very well with each other and the new school council is obviously doing a good job. We were very pleased to see how well those of you in Nursery and Reception are working. For those of you in Key Stages 1 and 2, we do not think that all of you are learning as much as you could in every lesson. We have asked your teachers to make sure that the work they ask you to do is not too easy or too hard. When they mark your work, we have asked them to give you more ideas about how to improve it. We think this will help all of you to learn more. We have also asked your teachers to use your targets more to help you to know what you need to do to make your work even better.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

The school governors and the adults who look after you in school are working hard to make your school better. They have got plans to continue this work and we have asked them to make sure that they always check to see if the changes have helped you to learn more.

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