St Luke's RC Primary School

Inspection Report St Luke's RC Primary School

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105966 Unique Reference Number Salford LEA 277455 Inspection number 3 May 2006 to 4 May 2006 Inspection dates Mrs Sarah Drake 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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Swinton Park Road School address Primary Type of school Salford Voluntary aided School category Lancashire M6 7WR 3 to 11 Age range of pupils 0161 736 6874 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 0161 921 1995 Fax number 318 Number on roll Fr John Williams Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Paul Jameson Headteacher 8 November 1999 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 277455 3 May 2006 - 3 to 11 4 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 three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

St Luke's is a slightly larger than average primary school, serving an area to the north west of Salford. The proportions of pupils who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities, are eligible for a free school meal or who belong to minority ethnic groups are all smaller than average. A very small minority is at an early stage of learning English. Since 2002 the school has had two headteachers and an acting headteacher. The current headteacher took up his post in 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 Luke's RC Primary School, 3 May 2006 to 4 May 2006

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Grade: 2

St Luke's is a good school. It ensures that its pupils enjoy their education and enables them to achieve well. Pupils' personal development, especially their behaviour and the quality of relationships throughout the school, is excellent. Good quality provision and standards in the Foundation Stage ensure that pupils develop an enthusiasm for learning from an early age. Good quality teaching for all age groups, including some outstanding practice, ensures that pupils find lessons interesting, try hard with their work and make good progress. Teaching assistants provide high quality support for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. However, they are too few in number to provide classroom support for Reception pupils and those of different abilities throughout the school. The curriculum is good, with strong sports provision. Outstanding care and guidance ensure that all pupils thrive within this highly supportive community. Strong partnerships with parents and

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Grade: 2

outside agencies enhance the overall quality of provision. Standards are above average in English, mathematics and science but in information and communication technology (ICT) they are average. As with other aspects of school life, there has been good improvement in this subject since the last inspection, but there is still room for further progress in the development of skills. The school has an accurate view of its own strengths and areas for development, although it does not define sufficiently clearly the desired impact of its actions on raising pupils' levels of achievement. Strong leadership, management and teamwork have brought the school successfully through an unsettled and financially taxing period. The school provides good value for money and there is good capacity for it to improve further.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve the provision for, and effective use of, ICT to enrich the quality of pupils' learning and raise standards in this subject. • Increase the number of teaching assistants to provide more support in the classroom. • Sharpen the focus of the success criteria for all aspects of planning to highlight the desired impact of actions on raising pupils' achievement.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' achievement is good and standards are above average. Children enter the Nursery with broadly average skills for their age. They make good progress in the Foundation Stage and by the end of the Reception year the great majority reach the expected levels in all areas of learning, with some exceeding these. In 2005, the school's results in the national tests for pupils in Year 2 and Year 6 were above average in all tested subjects. More than half of the pupils in Year 6 achieved the higher level in mathematics and science, and above average numbers did so in 2 Inspection Report: St Luke's RC Primary School, 3 May 2006 to 4 May 2006 English. The school reached or exceeded its targets, except for the proportion gaining the expected level or above in mathematics. Standards have been above average overall and rising over the past five years, with particularly good improvement in mathematics from below average standards prior to 2003.

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Grade: 2

All pupils make good progress. Due to good support, those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and the very few pupils who are at an early stage of learning English achieve particularly well. Pupils in Year 6 are on track to reach their targets in the statutory tests in 2006. Pupils' writing and communication skills are a particular strength. Standards in ICT are at the expected level for the pupils' age, an improvement since the time of the last inspection.

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Grade: 1

Personal development and well-being are outstanding. St Luke's is highly successful in putting into practice its mission statement to help pupils appreciate that each individual and every day is special. Excellent relationships abound. Pupils and adults treat everyone with respect and this underpins the happy atmosphere that pervades the school. Pupils' writing frequently demonstrates their willingness to reflect on life beyond the mundane, whether the magic of sunrise and sunset or the motivation of different characters. Pupils have a strong sense of the importance of acting fairly. For example, the school council has instigated changes at break times so that football does not dominate the playground. Pupils' cultural awareness, including their appreciation of the richness of others' ways of life, is satisfactory, although their spiritual, moral and social development is very strong. Pupils greatly enjoy being at school and their behaviour is excellent. The youngest

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Grade: 1

pupils quickly show good levels of independence. Attendance levels are average. Pupils act safely and are very aware of how to live healthily. Extra sporting activities are very popular. Pupils generously contribute to the community; for example, older pupils help in the Nursery, and they collaborate very well both in and out of lessons. They leave the school as mature, personable young people, ready and well equipped to enjoy the next stage of their learning.

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching and learning is good. On occasion, where particularly interesting, relevant activities captivate pupils' attention, it is outstanding. Cramped accommodation throughout the school limits the variety of strategies that teachers can adopt but despite this, the great majority of teaching successfully promotes good learning. Lesson preparation is very detailed but not always sharply focused on the desired impact on pupils' learning. Secure subject knowledge and high quality questioning extend pupils' 3 Inspection Report: St Luke's RC Primary School, 3 May 2006 to 4 May 2006 thinking skills, and most teachers make very good use of time. From the youngest upwards, pupils are productively busy throughout the day, actively engaged in increasing their knowledge and understanding. They have very positive attitudes towards learning, even on the few occasions when lack of variety and pace make for

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Grade: 2

a pedestrian lesson. Good procedures for assessment and close monitoring of pupils' progress ensure that, for instance, those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are identified at an early stage and good support is provided. Teaching assistants' contribution is of high quality. However, their limited number means that in-class support for pupils of all abilities is seldom available. This has an impact on, for example, Reception pupils' independent work, or the extra challenge for the higher ability pupils. Teachers' detailed marking of pupils' work clearly sets the agenda for their future learning.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is of good quality and caters well for pupils' different needs. Particularly strong provision for literacy, numeracy and science enables pupils of all abilities to make good progress. Imaginative and popular extra tuition for Year 6 pupils successfully prepares them for the national tests. Small group support for younger pupils helps them develop the basic skills that will underpin their future learning. Although it is improving, provision for ICT is only satisfactory because of limited resources and teacher expertise. The school is beginning to implement its plans to tackle this. Personal development and health education, including relationships and drugs education, has a high priority. Physical education is taught by a specialist, with strong extra-curricular sport despite the lack of a school field. Good liaison with the high school ensures pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education and provides the

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Grade: 2

opportunity for them to learn a foreign language prior to transfer. Pupils enjoy participating in musical productions and educational visits, including the residential experience for Year 6.

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Grade: 1

The care, guidance and support that the school offers its pupils are outstanding. Parents are full of praise for the way in which their children are, as one wrote, 'nurtured and encouraged to flourish'. Pupils are fully confident to approach any member of staff if they have problems, secure in the knowledge that they will receive help. Those who are injured or feel unwell are very well looked after and all staff know what to do if they have concerns about child protection. The required health and safety arrangements are in place. Staff devote much patience and purposeful care to those pupils who find self- discipline hard to achieve, with very good results. Effective teamwork, with outside agencies when necessary, ensures that those who have particular needs are very well supported. Detailed marking, particularly in English, provides pupils with very helpful guidance on how to improve their work. 4 Inspection Report: St Luke's RC Primary School, 3 May 2006 to 4 May 2006

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are of good quality and directed successfully to ensure that pupils make good progress. The recently appointed headteacher, who is ably supported by other senior managers, provides a very good role model, a clear vision for the way forward, and is continuing to build on the good teamwork that has helped the school through a difficult period. Good management means that the school runs smoothly day to day and provides pupils with a secure and welcoming environment in which to work. The self-evaluation process is thorough and collaborative. With this secure foundation, the school development plan accurately identifies the most important priorities for improvement. However, the plan's success criteria are not yet focused sharply enough on the desired impact of initiatives on pupils' achievement. Leaders of subjects and of the Foundation Stage carry out their responsibilities conscientiously and make sure

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Grade: 2

that the inclusion of all learners is central to the school's work. The quality of teaching and learning is monitored regularly, but opportunities for the sharing of good classroom practice are only just being established. The few support staff are managed well and are used very effectively to support pupils' progress. Governance is satisfactory and improving. Secure processes for financial control are now firmly in place and governors are now involved in budget decision-making; for example, the commitment of finances to improving ICT provision. The governing body meets regularly and is very supportive: it is beginning to use the improved quality of information it receives, both to identify the school's strengths and to probe the areas which need improvement. 5 Inspection Report: St Luke's RC Primary School, 3 May 2006 to 4 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: St Luke's RC Primary School, 3 May 2006 to 4 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 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 2 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 2 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 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 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 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

We thoroughly enjoyed our two days in your school and would like to thank you for your friendliness and willingness to talk with us. You are the experts on what your school is like so it was very important for us to hear your views. We agree with you that St Luke's is a good school, and would like to share with you the things about it that particularly impressed us. - You enjoy learning, work hard, and reach above average standards in English, mathematics and science. - You get on very well with each other and treat other people with respect. - You are thoughtful and express yourselves well when writing and speaking. - Your teachers prepare interesting lessons and explain clearly what they expect you to do. - Their marking helps you to improve your work. - All staff take very good care of you so that you feel comfortable in school and can concentrate on learning. - Your senior teachers organise the school well so it runs smoothly and they have a clear idea

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

of what needs to be improved. Here is a list of what we have asked your teachers to do next to make your school even better. - Improve the resources and teachers' ICT skills to help you reach higher standards in this subject. - Provide more teaching assistants so that you can have more support in lessons. - Make sure that when teachers plan actions they concentrate on how this will help you to achieve more highly. Your job is to continue to work hard and enjoy learning.

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