St Edmund's Catholic Primary School

Inspection Report St Edmund's Catholic Primary School

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103440 Unique Reference Number Birmingham LEA 276921 Inspection number 7 November 2005 to 8 November 2005 Inspection dates David Cox RISP Reporting inspector

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

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Rosebery Street School address Primary Type of school Springhill Voluntary aided School category Birmingham, West Midlands B18 7PA 4 to 11 Age range of pupils

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0121 5237274 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 0121 5152521 Fax number 222 Number on roll Rev Fr Petroc Howell Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs K Weber Headteacher 18 September 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 276921 7 November 2005 - 4 to 11 8 November 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 two additional inspectors.

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Description of the school

St Edmund’s is a slightly smaller than average primary and nursery school situated in Springhill, Birmingham. The majority of pupils are from minority ethnic groups with a high percentage of pupils from Caribbean backgrounds. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is much higher than normal. When children start school many do not have the skills and knowledge typical of 4 year-olds. The proportion of pupils who have learning needs and disabilities is above average. An acting headteacher has been in post since September 2005.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: St Edmund's Catholic Primary School, 7 November 2005 to 8 November 2005

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Grade: 4

In accordance with section 13 (3) of the Education Act 2005, HMCI is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. The school judges itself to be effective but inspectors judge that it is failing to provide a satisfactory education for its pupils. Standards have fallen considerably in the last five years. Children in the Foundation Stage make satisfactory progress and join Year 1 with below average standards. Pupils in Years 1 to 6 do not make enough progress in their academic studies because the teaching is not good enough. Pupils attain standards in English and mathematics that are much lower than those expected for their age. Pupils are well cared for and safe in the school, although there is currently

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Grade: 4

no teacher trained in child protection procedures. Pupils’ personal development and behaviour are satisfactory. The school has failed to address the main issues revealed at its last inspection. The actions taken by the school’s managers, including governors, have been too little to prevent pupils from underachieving. Neither have the managers taken a rigorous enough approach in bringing about other necessary improvements. There are few signs that the school’s managers have the right expertise to move the school forward. The school does not give value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

•raise standards in Years 1 to 6 and remedy the weaknesses in English and mathematics •improve the quality of teaching in Years 1 to 6 •take a more rigorous approach to addressing areas of weakness •ensure there is a teacher in the school who is trained in child protection procedures.

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Grade: 3

Pupils’ personal development and well-being are satisfactory. There is a high degree of racial harmony and relationships are good. Most pupils enjoy their learning and say that they feel valued and secure. They are encouraged to eat healthily and to take regular exercise in sport and outdoor activities. The pupils’ behaviour is satisfactory and evidence indicates that this has improved recently. However, when the teaching is less effective some pupils lose interest, become restless, and mark time in their 2 Inspection Report: St Edmund's Catholic Primary School, 7 November 2005 to 8 November 2005 learning. There are clear procedures for monitoring attendance and current attendance rates are similar to most other schools. The school makes good provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Spiritual and moral development are well promoted in assemblies and in the pupils’ work across the curriculum, reflecting the school’s Catholic ethos. Pupils

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Grade: 3

learn that life is special and they have a clear understanding of right and wrong. They work well together in shared tasks and co-operate amicably and constructively with their classmates. Pupils willingly take on responsibilities, such as acting as playground ‘mediators’ or as house captains. The school council provides valuable opportunities to develop skills that will help the pupils make a positive contribution to the community. Cultural development is particularly strong and school based initiatives, which enable pupils to appreciate the richness and diversity of their own community, are enhanced through visits, for example, to theatres, museums and Birmingham Symphony Hall.

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Grade: 4

Teaching and learning in the Foundation Stage are satisfactory because the teachers are knowledgeable about the early year’s curriculum and the needs of young children. The quality of teaching and learning throughout the rest of the school is inadequate and there is little that is either good or inspirational. Tasks are usually far too easy because teachers do not take enough notice of the data available to them on what pupils are capable of achieving. Consequently, the pupils do not make enough progress. The teachers’ marking uses praise but does not always identify the next steps in learning, therefore pupils do not always know what they need to do to improve. Teachers have good relationships with their classes and pupils enjoy lessons when they are given interesting tasks to do. However, they find it difficult to sustain concentration and this sometimes goes unchecked, which results in them becoming

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Grade: 4

bored. The pace of lessons is often too slow. For example, in one science lesson, pupils took longer to copy the learning objective down than they spent on the task itself. Scrutiny of pupils’ work indicates an over-reliance on worksheets and the quantity of work is too little. Teachers do not challenge pupils enough.

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Grade: 3

Curricular provision is satisfactory and statutory requirements are met. Children in the Foundation Stage are provided with a sound range of learning experiences, based on national guidance, and these extend their knowledge, skills and understanding. However, insufficient use is made of the outside areas to promote pupils’ physical development and their communication and language skills. In Years 1 to 6, the curriculum is planned to reflect national and local requirements, and an acceptable emphasis is given to literacy and numeracy. However, there are 3 Inspection Report: St Edmund's Catholic Primary School, 7 November 2005 to 8 November 2005 weaknesses in the school’s provision for developing key skills, especially for writing, and these have an adverse effect on pupils’ progress and the standards they reach. Pupils benefit from attending a good range of clubs, and the sports teams have been successful in local hockey, football and basketball tournaments. Pupils’ learning is also

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Grade: 3

enriched by visitors to the school and a good range of educational visits, including valuable residential experiences for pupils in Years 5 and 6.

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Grade: 2

St Edmund’s provides good care, guidance and support for its pupils. All staff have a good understanding of the pupils’ pastoral needs and they work well with parents and external agencies to overcome a range of social challenges. A welcoming ‘Breakfast Club’ provides a good start to the day for some pupils and the popular ’After School Club’ is enjoyed by those who attend. There is a commitment to making every pupil feel valued and staff consistently encourage the pupils’ efforts and promote their self-esteem. Instances of bullying are rare, and are dealt with promptly and effectively. The pupils say that it is easy to talk to the staff if they have any problems. Arrangements for the safeguarding of pupils are robust, including health and safety checks and pupils are made aware of dangers, such as drug misuse. Despite these strengths, staff illness has left the school without a teacher trained in child protection

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Grade: 2

procedures. This situation is unsatisfactory, although there are well advanced plans to rectify it.

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Grade: 4

Leadership and management are inadequate because the actions taken to improve the weaknesses in the school’s performance have not been rigorous enough. The pupils’ standards in speaking, listening and handwriting were weaknesses identified in the last report and efforts to improve these areas have failed. Pupils are underachieving, standards are low and teaching is inadequate. Systems for monitoring and evaluating the work of the school have lapsed and as a result, teachers and pupils are not being challenged enough. Self-evaluation is very weak and it includes little involvement of parents and the community. Most parents are supportive of the school. The plan for improving the school correctly identifies areas of weakness but little has been done to implement strategies to rectify them. With the recent arrival of the acting headteacher, staff morale has lifted. Staff comment on how much the pupils’ behaviour has improved since her arrival and on the calmer

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Grade: 4

working environment. The staff are hard working but know they are not providing a good enough education for their pupils. They have not been given the support and guidance necessary to bring about improvements. 4 Inspection Report: St Edmund's Catholic Primary School, 7 November 2005 to 8 November 2005 Senior managers, including the governors, have not been sufficiently critical of the school’s performance. Governors are not challenging the headteacher enough, nor are they monitoring the work of the school with sufficient rigour. The school has not demonstrated the capacity to improve. 5 Inspection Report: St Edmund's Catholic Primary School, 7 November 2005 to 8 November 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. 6 Inspection Report: St Edmund's Catholic Primary School, 7 November 2005 to 8 November 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 3 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 4 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation NA No The capacity to make any necessary improvements NA No 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 4 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 4 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 3 The behaviour of learners NA 3 The attendance of learners NA 3 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 3 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 4 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 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 4 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

No 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

St Edmund’s Catholic Primary School Rosebery Street Springhill Birmingham B18 7PA 8 November 2005 Dear Children As you know, we visited your school recently to find out how well you are doing. Thank you for looking after us and making us feel welcome. Thank you also for talking to us about your school, the work you have done and how well you enjoy coming to school. What we liked about your school: •Your school is a healthy and safe place to be. •Teachers and other staff in the school look after you well. •Your teachers help you to learn how to live with others, so you will be responsible adults when you grow up. •The headteacher is making sure that you have lots of extra activities to do at lunchtime and after school and you are encouraged to make full use of these opportunities. What we have asked your school to do now: •help pupils in Years 1 to 6 to reach higher standards •look at how well your teachers are doing

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

and help them to improve •ensure that the people who are in charge of the school know how to make it better. Yours sincerely David Cox and the inspection team

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