St Elizabeth's Catholic Primary School, Foleshill

Inspection Report St Elizabeth's Catholic Primary School, Foleshill

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103710 Unique Reference Number Coventry LEA 276980 Inspection number 6 December 2005 to 7 December 2005 Inspection dates Helen Barter RISP Reporting inspector

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

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St Elizabeth's Road School address Primary Type of school Foleshill Voluntary aided School category Coventry, West Midlands CV6 5BX 3 to 11 Age range of pupils

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024 76687527 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 024 76683628 Fax number 234 Number on roll Miss Ann Harkin Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Elizabeth Travers Headteacher 9 October 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 276980 6 December 2005 - 3 to 11 7 December 2005 Inspection Report: St Elizabeth's Catholic Primary School, Foleshill, 6 December 2005 to 7 December 2005

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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

The school is situated in an area of social and economic disadvantage. The proportion of pupils receiving free school meals is more than double the national average. About a half of the pupils are of White British heritage. Approximately one-fifth are of Indian heritage and one fifth of Pakistani heritage. There are also smaller groups from a range of minority ethnic backgrounds. Fourteen different home languages are spoken by pupils. One third of pupils are identified as learning English as a new language. The school has a small group of pupils who are at various stages of asylum or refugee status. The school is over-subscribed.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: St Elizabeth's Catholic Primary School, Foleshill, 6 December 2005 to 7 December 2005

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Grade: 2

This is a good school with some outstanding features. The inspection agrees with the school’s view that it is effective and provides good value for money. Parents say they are ‘delighted’ with the school and the progress their children make. Pupils like their school very much and describe it as ‘great fun’. Provision in the Nursery and Reception classes is satisfactory. Children enter the school with limited experiences and make good progress in their personal and social skills but have significant communication and language difficulties. Pupils make good progress in Years 1 and 2 although they do not do as well as they might in writing, particularly the more capable pupils. However, from Year 3, progress starts to accelerate and by the time pupils leave the school in Year 6, standards are above average. Given their low levels on entry to the school, this is an outstanding achievement. It is a testimony

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Grade: 2

to the excellent support and guidance given. The school’s commitment to inclusion is outstanding. Pupils of all abilities and backgrounds are valued and cared for exceptionally well. The good quality of teaching and highly effective teaching and bilingual assistants contribute significantly to pupils’ learning. The good curriculum supports pupils’ personal, social and emotional development very well and encourages pupils to enjoy learning. Good leadership and management by the headteacher ensure an excellent school ethos. She is supported well by her new deputy headteacher, staff and governors. The school’s self-evaluation is accurate. Good progress has been made since the last inspection but the school knows where standards still need to be improved. It has correctly identified the need to develop its monitoring of teaching to ensure that it is of consistent quality and continues to raise standards, particularly amongst the younger pupils and in all pupils’

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Grade: 2

writing. The school has good capacity to improve further.

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What the school should do to improve further

•Raise pupils’ standards in writing, particularly for the more capable pupils. •Develop the monitoring and evaluation skills of phase and subject leaders in order to support the drive to raise standards in the Foundation Stage and Years 1 and 2.

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Grade: 1

By the time pupils leave the school, their achievement is outstanding. In the last three years, it has risen to be in the top five per cent compared to other schools. Achievement in English is particularly notable, given that many children enter the Nursery with significant communication and language difficulties. Pupils who learn English as an additional language, those from different ethnic groups and pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities achieve as well as others because of the excellent support they receive in groups and as individuals. 2 Inspection Report: St Elizabeth's Catholic Primary School, Foleshill, 6 December 2005 to 7 December 2005 From very low entry levels, children make good progress in the Nursery and Reception classes in their personal, social, creative and physical development. However, they enter Year 1 with standards which are still below those expected for children of their

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Grade: 1

age because they have particular difficulties in phonics and writing. They continue to make good progress and enter Year 3 with standards which are broadly average. Standards in writing, however, are lower than in reading and mathematics, with no pupils achieving the higher Level 3. By the time pupils leave the school, standards are above average with more pupils reaching the higher Level 5 in English and science compared to the national average. From their lower attainment levels at Year 2, boys achieve exceptionally well because of specially planned support programmes for them. Overall, pupils meet or exceed their challenging targets because they all receive excellent support. From a very low starting point, this represents exceptional achievement by the time they leave school.

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Grade: 2

Pupils’ personal development is good and supported well by the school’s strong Catholic ethos. All aspects of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are good and they are becoming responsible, well-rounded citizens. Pupils are positive about school and love learning. They are attentive and well behaved in lessons. Pupils say that children are kind to each other and that rare bullying and racist incidents are dealt with well by staff. Pupils greatly appreciate each others’ cultural and religious differences and work and play together harmoniously. Attendance has improved and is now satisfactory. In spite of the school’s best efforts, a few pupils are regularly late in the mornings. Pupils are conscious of the need to develop a healthy lifestyle and enjoy healthy playtime snacks. Pupils increasingly take on responsibilities. Members of the School Council, for example, contribute to calm playtimes through their peer

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Grade: 2

mediation work. These older pupils are successfully developing skills that will help them in their working lives. Pupils also make good contributions to the local community through participation in local events, links with the parish church and fundraising for charity at home and abroad.

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Grade: 2

Learners’ achievement is outstanding, as a direct consequence of focused support which the school knows makes a difference. High quality additional teachers and support assistants make a huge contribution to pupils’ progress because they ensure that all pupils are challenged and supported. Class teaching is good overall but it varies. Teaching is often outstanding in Year 6, at least good in most classes and satisfactory in the Foundation Stage. Strengths in the teaching include very good relationships between pupils and staff which help pupils to tackle their work confidently. Very good 3 Inspection Report: St Elizabeth's Catholic Primary School, Foleshill, 6 December 2005 to 7 December 2005 planning to meet the needs of all learners means that pupils move forward quickly in developing their literacy and numeracy skills. The diagnosis and provision for pupils learning English as an additional language is particularly strong and means that these

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Grade: 2

learners are never disadvantaged. Pupils’ progress is checked carefully in order to identify the support that is needed. Teachers help pupils to know what to do to improve, through regular discussions with them. However, the marking of their work is not always as helpful as it could be because it focuses on praise rather than on the next steps for pupils to work towards.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good because it is matched very effectively to the needs of individual learners. Pupils enjoy their work because teachers work hard to interest them in all subjects. Teachers make very good use of the interactive whiteboards and computer suite to bring learning alive. There is scope to develop more links between subjects to help pupils understand how they can use their skills in different ways. Good provision for the development of literacy, numeracy and ICT skills prepares pupils well for their future economic well-being, although opportunities to work independently or in teams are not consistently planned throughout the school. Work in lessons is enriched by a range of out-of-school clubs, visits and visitors. Specialist teaching in performing arts workshops enhances pupils’ enjoyment of music. The Year 6 residential visit is especially popular with the pupils and contributes well to their personal development. There is

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Grade: 2

a good programme to help pupils to understand how to keep healthy and safe.

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Grade: 1

Outstanding care, guidance and support for individual learners underpin all pupils’ progress. Staff strive to meet pupils’ all-round needs by providing very focused group and individual support. This is particularly the case for pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities and for those learning English as an additional language who are given clear information about what they need to do to move on in their learning. Very good attention is paid to ensuring that pupils are safe at school. Child protection procedures are embedded in the school’s work and risk assessments are undertaken regularly. The school works very well with outside agencies to meet individual pupils’ particular needs. ‘Sparkle groups’ very effectively nurture pupils’ emotional and social understanding. Pupils with significant emotional difficulties are very well supported by the ‘R-Time’ counsellor. The appointment of a learning mentor to extend its links with parents

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Grade: 1

indicates the school’s commitment to further improve its care and guidance.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. The headteacher is dedicated to meeting pupils’ significant needs and has high aspirations for their achievement. This ethos is embraced 4 Inspection Report: St Elizabeth's Catholic Primary School, Foleshill, 6 December 2005 to 7 December 2005 by teachers, staff and governors who work together effectively to care for and support pupils academically and personally. Following recent changes, the headteacher is rebuilding a committed and competent staff team. The new deputy headteacher and an experienced Key Stage 2 phase leader support her very well. The quality of their teaching sets a good role model for others to follow. The leadership of the provision for pupils with English as an additional language is a significant strength and results in them making outstanding progress. Governors play an active part in school life, have a good understanding of its effectiveness and support the headteacher well.

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Grade: 2

Pupils’ needs are at the heart of the school; the promotion and support of equality of opportunity is outstanding. The school has exceeded its targets because it uses data very effectively to track pupils’ progress and to identify where additional support is needed so that all achieve equally. The school’s self-evaluation of its current effectiveness is accurate and includes the views of parents. The school is not complacent and never uses the difficult context it is working in as an excuse for any underachievement. It recognises that standards reached by the younger pupils could be improved, particularly in writing. The new programme of monitoring teaching and learning in the classroom is not yet sufficiently well developed to ensure that teaching is consistently good across the school. Nevertheless, the school’s considerable strengths and successes indicate that it has good capacity to improve further.

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Grade: 2

5 Inspection Report: St Elizabeth's Catholic Primary School, Foleshill, 6 December 2005 to 7 December 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 Elizabeth's Catholic Primary School, Foleshill, 6 December 2005 to 7 December 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 3 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 1 How well do learners achieve? NA 2 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 1 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 1 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 2 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 2 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 1 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 1 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

St Elizabeth’s Catholic Primary School St Elizabeth’s Road Foleshill Coventry West Midlands CV6 5BX 9 December 2005 Dear Pupils Thank you for making us welcome when we came to visit your school this week. You were very polite and we liked the friendly way that you invited us to sit with you at lunchtime. Thank you for talking to us and telling us all about your school. Yours is a good school and these are some of the things we liked the most: •You enjoy learning and try very hard with your work. We are very impressed with how well you do. •You know how to behave well and you make the school a happy place. •Your teachers care very much about you and help you all to overcome any problems you might have. •You enjoy all the extra activities that adults organise for you during and after school, especially when Father Moses helps you with your football. We know that Mrs Travers and all the other teachers know how to improve your school even

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

more. We have especially asked them to work on these things: •Help all of you to improve your writing even more so that all of you do as well as you can. Perhaps you can ask your parents to help you with your writing at home too. •Help your teachers to understand even better how well the youngest children are learning in the nursery and reception classes and Years 1 and 2 so that they can do even better. You can also help to improve your school by making sure that all of you come to school on time every day so that you can get on with your learning. We wish you all the very best for the future. Yours sincerely Helen Barter Lead Inspector

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