St Laurence's Catholic Primary School

Inspection Report St Laurence's Catholic Primary School

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104461 Unique Reference Number Knowsley LEA 277164 Inspection number 30 November 2005 to 1 December 2005 Inspection dates Mr Ian Hocking CfBT Lead Inspector Reporting inspector

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

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Leeside Avenue School address Primary Type of school Southdene Voluntary aided School category Kirkby, Liverpool L32 9QX 3 to 11 Age range of pupils 0151 5464733 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 0151 5474218 Fax number 404 Number on roll Fr Nick Wilde Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr P Cronin Headteacher 2 October 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 277164 30 November 2005 - 3 to 11 1 December 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.

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Description of the school

St Laurence's Catholic Primary is situated in Kirkby. It has many more pupils than other primary schools nationally and serves an area of very high deprivation. The school has a Nursery that is oversubscribed. When children start in the Nursery their skills are very much lower than expected for their age. At the time of the inspection 404 pupils attend the school of which 52 attend the Nursery. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is above average as is the proportion that has statements for their learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Almost all pupils are from white British backgrounds.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: St Laurence's Catholic Primary School, 30 November 2005 to 1 December 2005

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Grade: 1

This is an outstanding and very popular school that successfully lives out its mission statement. Parents are highly appreciative of the school and greatly commend its work. Children begin in the Nursery with very low standards. However, as a result of excellent provision, they make great strides in learning in the Foundation Stage (Nursery and Reception classes). Excellent teaching results in outstanding progress being made throughout the school so that the vast majority of pupils leave Year 6 with standards that are in line with those nationally. Nevertheless, fewer than is the case nationally reach the highest standards in English. The school values each pupil and gives them excellent quality of support, care and guidance. Pupils' personal development is outstanding; they very much enjoy school and all that it offers. They say lessons are 'fun and exciting'. Pupils' behaviour and courtesy are exemplary. The school provides an enriched curriculum and a vast amount

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Grade: 1

of extra-curricular activities. Leadership, management and governance are outstanding. Through his example of dedication and hard work, the headteacher inspires staff to give total commitment to the pupils. The senior management team and governors have ensured that good progress has been made since the last inspection. The school gives excellent value for money. The school knows itself well, though inspectors judge that in some aspects it does not give itself sufficient credit. It is well aware of the actions it should take to improve further and is determined that each pupil shall achieve as highly as possible. The school's leadership remains ambitious for success, and, as a result, the school has a good capacity to improve further.

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What the school should do to improve further

The school should continue to seek to improve the number of pupils reaching the highest levels in English.

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Grade: 1

Children start school with exceptionally low standards. By the time they leave at the end of Year 6, standards in English, mathematics and science are broadly in line with those expected nationally. This represents outstanding progress and outstanding achievement. Most children have poor communication and social skills when they begin in the Nursery. As a result of outstanding provision, they make excellent progress in the Foundation Stage, particularly in speaking and listening and in their personal, social and emotional development. Because of the ground they need to make up, very few pupils enter Year 1 with standards that are in line with those expected nationally for 2 Inspection Report: St Laurence's Catholic Primary School, 30 November 2005 to 1 December 2005 their age. Nevertheless, because of excellent teaching across the school, pupils make rapid progress to reach average standards overall at the end of Year 6. However, the

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Grade: 1

school is striving to increase the number of pupils who attain the highest standards in English. Achievement is similar for all groups of pupils in school and reflects an excellent level of inclusive practice. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities also make outstanding progress over time. This is because of the very effective and well planned support provided by the school.

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Grade: 1

Pupils' personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is excellent. The children are, understandably, extremely proud of their school. Their enjoyment of school is exceptional and they are very keen to learn, consequently their behaviour is exemplary. Attendance is average and punctuality is good. Pupils work and play well together, for example when playing football in the playground and/or when sharing their thoughts in a mathematics lesson. Older pupils clearly understand and readily accept their responsibility as role models for others and show a mature attitude when they take on responsibilities, such as, helping younger children in the Nursery. The School Council successfully develops pupils' understanding of democracy and gives them a voice in the school. Assemblies successfully promote Catholic values, as for example when pupils compose and share their thoughtful prayers with their classmates. Pupils' self-esteem is

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Grade: 1

developed effectively and they show respect, care and consideration for others, for example, by contributing to local and international charities. The school promotes the safety, health and well-being of its pupils most successfully, especially through extensive opportunities for physical exercise. Pupils are aware of the dangers of drugs and why it is important to keep fit and healthy. They are well informed about relationships education, healthy eating and drinking.

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Grade: 1

The school judges the teaching and learning to be good, but inspectors judge it to be outstanding, on the basis of the outstanding progress pupils make during their time at the school. The headteacher has created an atmosphere of excellent relationships throughout the school. Teachers expect pupils to work hard and behave sensibly. Teachers plan lessons thoroughly. Excellent teamwork between teachers and support staff ensures that the individual needs of all groups are successfully met. Lessons are delivered by highly skilled teachers, whose positive and often good humoured approach 3 Inspection Report: St Laurence's Catholic Primary School, 30 November 2005 to 1 December 2005 captures pupils' total interest enabling excellent learning to take place. For example, in a Year 5 literacy lesson pupils were inspired to write a piece of narrative prose in the role of a 'reporting police officer'. Teachers use a wide range of methods to

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Grade: 1

encourage pupils. Reception pupils were enthralled when they had to find out what was in the 'magic parcel', for example. Teaching is guided by comprehensive assessment of pupils' work. Specialist support teachers, in partnership with class teachers, quickly identify and effectively support pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. The provision of information and communication technology has been greatly improved since the last inspection, enhancing learning across the curriculum. The developments of the Early Years play area and playground enables young children to also learn outdoors. The school works very successfully with parents, for example, by offering learning opportunities in literacy, numeracy and computer workshops.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum matches the needs of the pupils very well. It is broad and balanced, and all statutory requirements are met. Work in the classrooms is greatly enriched by many opportunities to take part in educational visits. These have included visits to local museums and places of educational interest. Workshops that involve visitors to the school include Multicultural weeks involving drama and dance, creative curriculum projects and many health and exercise days are held. There is an exceptionally wide range of extra-curricular activities available to all pupils, including creative arts, music, and sporting activities many of which develop pupils' fitness and help combat obesity. Pupils are encouraged to adopt healthy life styles and are made aware of any safety risks, for example, in physical education lessons. There are very good links with many local organisations and pupils take part in community activities, such as singing

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Grade: 2

Christmas carols to the senior citizens. Provision for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is very good.

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Grade: 1

The school takes excellent care of all its pupils. Pupils trust staff and know who to turn to if they need help. There is very good support for them when they are upset or troubled. The learning mentor provides an extremely valuable service by working closely with pupils and their families. The pupils say they feel safe in school. Parents and pupils say that the very rare instances of bullying are dealt with swiftly and effectively. Pupils are aware of the targets set for them within lessons and know what they need to do to improve their work. They say the school prepares them well for their transfer to secondary school. Child protection and health and safety procedures are very well established and there are very good links with outside agencies, which give a range 4 Inspection Report: St Laurence's Catholic Primary School, 30 November 2005 to 1 December 2005 of help to the pupils. The school has very clear strategies in place for the early

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Grade: 1

identification of children who may be in need of additional support.

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Grade: 1

The leadership and management of the school are outstanding, ensuring a good capacity for the school to improve further. The school's Mission Statement is at the centre of all its work and the headteacher successfully ensures that the school is at the heart of the community. The headteacher's very thorough oversight of the school has given him an accurate view of the school's strengths and weaknesses. Checking of teaching is thorough and purposeful, contributing very well to performance management and school improvement. The school's detailed analysis of pupils' standards and progress contributes well to target setting and the sharpening of teaching. The headteacher has successfully established a very effective system for identifying what the school needs to do next. This fully involves staff and governors drawing on their knowledge and experiences. As a result, there is an exceptionally strong feeling

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Grade: 1

of teamwork amongst all involved in recognising ways to continue to improve the school. The highly detailed School Development Plan focuses sharply on what needs to be done, to improve standards. Subject leaders are extremely enthusiastic and contribute to improvement through their development plans; their aim within the school is 'to make teachers passionate about their job'. Governors provide outstanding challenge and support. Through regular visits to the school and involvement in its work, they have a very good understanding of the school's strengths and weaknesses. They share the staff's commitment to the school's continued improvement. 5 Inspection Report: St Laurence's Catholic Primary School, 30 November 2005 to 1 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 Laurence's Catholic Primary School, 30 November 2005 to 1 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 1 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 1 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 1 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 3 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 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 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 1 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 1 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 1 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 1 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 1 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 us very welcome at your school. It was a pleasure to talk to you because you are very friendly and well mannered. Following our visit we would like to tell you what we have found out about your school. The best things are that: - your headteacher knows you all very well and takes very good care of you - you listen to your teachers and behave sensibly, which means that everyone can get on with their work and learn new things - you enjoy your learning in school and appreciate the many club activities on offer - there are lots of grown ups that you know in school and trust, which means you can talk to them if you have a problem - you are pleased with your school and the teachers are rightly proud of you - the teachers help you to learn and make the school a pleasant and happy place to be in. For those of you who are very good at English we have asked the headteacher and teachers to carefully check that:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

- you are helped to learn even more in your English lessons. We know that your headteacher and teachers and all the adults in school do their best for you; you can help them by always trying your best.

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