Ss Peter and Paul RC Primary School

Inspection Report St Peter and St Paul RC VA Primary School

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109245 Unique Reference Number Bristol, City of LEA 278162 Inspection number 29 June 2006 to 30 June 2006 Inspection dates Martin Cole AI Reporting inspector

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

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Aberdeen Road School address Primary Type of school Redland Voluntary aided School category Bristol BS6 6HY 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 0117 9030070 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 0117 9030071 Fax number 204 Number on roll Mr Andrew Farrell Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Joan Sutcliffe Headteacher 3 July 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 278162 29 June 2006 - 4 to 11 30 June 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 two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

The school is a little smaller than average. The school serves an area with advantageous social and economic circumstances and pupils start with attainment better than is often found. Pupils come from a range of backgrounds. There is a small group of pupils who are at an early stage of learning English. The proportions of minority ethnic pupils, about 40%, and of those speaking English as an additional language have risen significantly over recent years and are above the national average. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is a little below average.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: St Peter and St Paul RC VA Primary School, 29 June 2006 to 30 June 2006

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Grade: 1

This is an outstanding school. It provides exceptional value for money. The school’s evaluation of its overall effectiveness as good is a little modest. Determined leadership of a committed staff team, highly effective teaching and an excellent ethos help pupils to make exceptional progress in both their personal and academic development. The quality of education and the standards pupils achieve are high. The progress pupils had made between the tests they had taken in Year 2 and the Year 6 tests put the school in the top 1% of schools nationally in 2004 and in the top 4% in 2005. The very high standards and quality are evident right from the start. The provision in the Reception Year is first class. By the time children start Year 1, standards are already well above those usually found. The school has a very strong sense of a community united around, and acting upon, firmly held and shared aims and values. The commitment to providing equal

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Grade: 1

opportunities and promoting respect for others is total. Pupils develop huge self-confidence, initiative and very responsible attitudes to their own learning. The excellent teaching is both challenging and very supportive for all pupils and it also makes learning interesting and enjoyable. However, checks on the teaching have not been regular enough to fully identify some minor inconsistencies in teaching strategies, some of which are new. The curriculum is good, with some very good features, but inadequate outdoor accommodation places some restrictions on provision for physical exercise and for outdoor activity in the Reception class. Overall, the leadership and management are excellent and have ensured that what was already a good school at its previous inspection has made good improvement. The capacity for further improvement is good.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Make more regular checks on teaching to ensure the best practices are consistent across the school. • Take all possible steps to improve the outdoor accommodation.

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Grade: 1

Pupils’ achievement is outstanding. Pupils start at the school with attainment which is somewhat above average and they leave it with attainment which is exceptionally high by national standards. This reflects the very good progress pupils of all abilities and needs make throughout the school. In 2004 and 2005, pupils’ overall results in national tests were significantly above average for Year 2 pupils and exceptionally high for Year 6 pupils. The range of pupils’ backgrounds and attainment on entry to the school has changed considerably in recent years. As a result, standards have begun to fluctuate more than previously from year to year. The children currently in the Reception class started with above average attainment. They have made very good 2 Inspection Report: St Peter and St Paul RC VA Primary School, 29 June 2006 to 30 June 2006 progress and are approaching the end of their Reception Year with high standards. In

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Grade: 1

contrast, the present Year 2 and Year 6 pupils are not attaining such high standards as seen in 2004 and 2005. This is entirely due to their lower attainment on entry, to higher proportions of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities within the year groups and to the proportions of pupils at an early stage of learning English. In some cases, it is due to the fact that some pupils are quite new to the country and school. Nonetheless, the achievement of pupils remains outstanding because pupils, including those with learning difficulties and disabilities make exceptional progress against their attainment on starting at the school. Pupils learning English as an additional language also make very good, and sometimes, outstanding progress, developing a good basic competence in the language often after a relatively short time in the school. Virtually all pupils are meeting, and a significant number are exceeding, the challenging targets

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Grade: 1

The personal development and well-being of pupils are outstanding. Pupils’ attitudes and behaviour, and the care and respect they show to one another, are exemplary. Pupils are eager to learn, work hard and find much enjoyment in their lessons. Older pupils look after and work with younger pupils kindly. Attendance is good. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural education is very strong. The school has welcomed and celebrated the greater cultural diversity pupils have brought to the school recently. Pupils value, respect and support those who differ from themselves; for example, they greet a new pupil in her own language or learn sign language to communicate with a classmate with a disability. Pupils respond wholeheartedly to very good opportunities to contribute to the community, as when they share celebrations and events with the elderly in the adjacent nursing home. Pupils are enterprising, for example, producing and selling healthy

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Grade: 1

snacks at break times. High levels of independence and self-confidence combined with excellent progress in literacy and numeracy skills prepare pupils extremely well for future economic well-being. Pupils act on the very good guidance they receive on leading a safe and healthy lifestyle, making sensible choices about eating and taking exercise where the school is able to provide opportunities.

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Grade: 1

Outstanding teaching and learning are key ingredients in the school’s success. Teachers set very high expectations of what pupils should learn and provide much encouragement and support as pupils work to attain their targets. Lessons are imaginative, interesting and fun. Pupils respond with determination and enjoyment. For example, an outstanding Year 5 lesson exploited pupils’ topical interest in the soccer World Cup. The popular 3 Inspection Report: St Peter and St Paul RC VA Primary School, 29 June 2006 to 30 June 2006 theme was used well to raise deep ethical issues and effectively drew out sophisticated thinking and vocabulary in a very lively debate. Teachers assess pupils’ progress rigorously and plan lessons very well matched to pupils’ needs and capabilities. Very well planned strategies of support are applied where pupils have learning difficulties and disabilities. Pupils at an early stage of learning English are given intensive help to extend their

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Grade: 1

use of the language and to be fully included in lessons. Teachers provide well for the varied ways in which pupils may learn, using modern technology to give visual representations of ideas and engaging pupils in activity rather than listening when possible. Pupils are given a clear understanding of what they should achieve and this helps them to develop the very responsible attitudes they have to their own learning. Some recent changes in approaches to the process of setting targets and marking, coupled with staff changes, have resulted in some minor inconsistencies in the use and effectiveness of these practices.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good with some outstanding features. Programmes of work are well suited to the range of pupils’ capabilities, needs and interests. Some very good links between subjects add impact to the teaching and relevance to the learning. Carefully planned and comprehensive encouragement of pupils’ thinking skills is a strength. Personal, social and health education, which includes a weekly personal development target for pupils in each class, is strong. There are carefully devised programmes of work for pupils who have learning difficulties and disabilities. The enrichment of the curriculum through a range of optional lunchtime and after school activities and by educational visits and visitors is excellent; particularly good use is made of parents as ‘guest speakers’. The school’s cramped, sloping and oddly shaped urban site means that the outdoor accommodation limits the scope for physical exercise by all pupils and for outdoor

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Grade: 1

The care, guidance and support of pupils are outstanding. All formal procedures for ensuring health, safety and well-being are rigorous. Pupils feel safe in school. They are comfortable approaching members of staff on the rare occasions they are upset and they say their concerns are soon resolved. One older pupil’s description of the care was ‘like being part of a family that includes all our teachers’ reflects how well all staff understand individual needs. This derives both from the strong sense of teamwork, the strong links with parents and outside agencies, and from very thorough checks on how well each pupil prospers. Individual needs are quickly identified and full guidance and support are provided. The exemplary support given to all pupils ensures they reach their fullest potential in both personal and academic terms. 4 Inspection Report: St Peter and St Paul RC VA Primary School, 29 June 2006 to 30 June 2006

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Grade: 1

The leadership and management of the school are outstanding. The absolute commitment of the headteacher and her senior colleagues to the school’s aims and values is fully shared by a very close-knit team of staff. There is a strong collective determination to provide high quality education and help all pupils achieve their very best. Very good partnerships with parents, governors and external organisations support the school’s efforts. The school’s many strengths combine powerfully together. The excellent ethos resulting from first rate provisions for personal development provides the ideal basis for the challenging teaching and lively curriculum to be effective. Senior managers keep a very thorough watch over pupils’ personal and academic progress and adjust provisions according to pupils’ needs. The school keeps a good check on its performance as a basis for planning improvement. However, direct observations of teaching have not been regular enough to identify some current

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Grade: 1

inconsistencies in the implementation of some new approaches within the teaching. Governors contribute very well to how the school develops and account is taken of parents’ and pupils’ views. The overall strength of leadership and management and the record of good improvement since the previous inspection point to a good capacity for further school improvement. 5 Inspection Report: St Peter and St Paul RC VA Primary School, 29 June 2006 to 30 June 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 Peter and St Paul RC VA Primary School, 29 June 2006 to 30 June 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 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 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 1 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 2 The attendance of learners NA 1 How well learners enjoy their education NA 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 1 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 1 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 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 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

The inspectors who visited your school recently would like to thank all of you for making our visit a very enjoyable one. You were very friendly and interesting to talk to. We were very impressed with the way you all behave so well and enjoy learning. It was particularly good to see how friendly and helpful you are to each other. You also get on well with the adults. Everyone at the school helps to make it a happy school which feels like a great big family. Your teachers teach you extremely well. They make lessons interesting and fun and give you lots of help. You play your part by trying hard with your work and, as a result, you make excellent progress. We also noticed that all the school staff look after you extremely well. This is why you told us that you feel safe and happy at school. Because of all this, we have said that we think your school is giving you an excellent education. The adults in charge of the school are doing a really good job. However, we have suggested

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

two improvements that could be made: We found that when teachers set targets for you or mark your work, some of you understand better than others what you need to do to improve your work. We have therefore asked the school to check that all of you get the same amount of help of this sort. Many of you told us you would like better opportunities for sport or for exercise at playtime and lunchtime. As you know, the school has very little outdoor space for this or for the Reception children to do outdoor activities. However, we have asked the school to do everything it can to find more space for these things to happen. We wish you the very best for the future.

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