St Finian's Catholic Primary School

Inspection Report St Finian's Catholic Primary School

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110037 Unique Reference Number West Berkshire LEA LEA 278353 Inspection number 28 November 2005 to 29 November 2005 Inspection dates Judith Dawson AI Reporting inspector

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

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The Ridge School address Primary Type of school Cold Ash Voluntary aided School category Thatcham RG18 9HU 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01635 865925 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01635 874892 Fax number 178 Number on roll Mrs F Thomson Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Elizabeth Housden Headteacher 26 June 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 278353 28 November 2005 - 4 to 11 29 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. Finian's is a smaller than average Roman Catholic primary school. Only 1.1% of the pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is very low. The number of pupils with special educational needs, including statements, is below average. Fewer pupils than average join or leave the school outside the normal entry times. The population is from a predominantly advantaged white British or Irish background with 10% from other ethnic groups. Four pupils do not have English as a first language. Pupils' attainment on entry is above average. There have been significant changes in staffing over the last three years including a new headteacher. The school belongs to the Greater Reading Catholic School's Cluster, the Kennett and Theale Small Schools Federation and the Local Education Authority link group. Achievements include the Silver Artmark, a Chartermark for football, and it has had Beacon School status.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: St Finian's Catholic Primary School, 28 November 2005 to 29 November 2005

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Grade: 2

The senior management and the vast majority of parents see St. Finian's as a good school and inspectors agree. It gives good value for money. Pupils' personal development, attitudes and behaviour are outstanding and attendance is high. The school is based on strong Christian values generating mature, thoughtful and hard-working pupils who enjoy learning. Standards are well above average in English and science and pupils achieve well throughout the school. Standards in mathematics are above average but some more able pupils do not achieve as well as they should because they often are not challenged sufficiently. The school is led and managed well. The accurate evaluation of the school's strengths and weakness by the new headteacher and the action already taken to raise standards in English, show that the capacity for improvement is now good. Improvement since the last inspection has been satisfactory. Teaching and learning are good overall and sometimes outstanding. Pupils

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Grade: 2

of all abilities generally make good progress except in mathematics, where the progress of brighter pupils is inadequate. There is very good provision for children in the Foundation Stage enabling them to build rapidly on their already good knowledge, understanding and skills through very effective independent learning. There is a good curriculum for all pupils supported by a wide range of extra-curricular activities, school visits and visitors, all much appreciated by the pupils.Almost all parents are happy with the school management and pleased with the progress their children are making. The school has appropriate systems to ensure pupils are well-cared-for, but occasionally parents have not been informed of accidents.

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What the school should do to improve further

* Improve the teaching and learning of mathematics, especially for more able pupils. * Ensure that procedures for pupils' health and safety are implemented rigorously.

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Grade: 2

Pupils make good progress throughout the school from above average standards on entry to the Reception Class. Pupils achieve well in the Foundation Stage and Years 1 and 2 and in the 2005 tests for seven-year-olds all pupils attained the expected Level 2. Fewer than average attained the higher Level 3 in mathematics although standards in reading were very high and well above average in writing. By the end of Year 6 standards in English and science are well above average with a higher than average number of pupils attaining Level 5. Pupils achieve well in these subjects, meeting their challenging targets. Although standards in mathematics are above average, pupils' progress overall is only satisfactory, and some more able pupils' progress is inadequate, because much of their work lacks sufficient challenge and opportunities to select and apply their skills. The school has identified this and is introducing measures to improve

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Grade: 2

pupils' achievements including more challenge for higher attaining pupils. Pupils with special educational needs achieve at least as well as their peers in all subjects. 2 Inspection Report: St Finian's Catholic Primary School, 28 November 2005 to 29 November 2005

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Grade: 1

The personal development and well-being of pupils are outstanding. Pupils express high levels of enjoyment of school and parents agree. The shared values and beliefs create a strong community with very good relationships and mutual respect. This is reflected in the excellent behaviour and attitudes of pupils across the school. They enjoy learning and realise its importance to their future well-being. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is also excellent. As a pupil said, 'We love and care for each other and all our school rules are easy because of this'. A strong feature is the way older pupils support younger pupils and take on responsibilities. Attendance rates are very high including attendance at the wide range of clubs and activities.Pupils know how to keep safe and healthy and understand the importance of healthy eating. They enjoy and participate in a wide range of physical activities. They learn about the

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Grade: 1

responsibilities of citizenship and exercise them through the School Council.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good overall and occasionally outstanding. Pupils enjoy their learning, are very motivated and behave very well in lessons. Teaching assistants give valuable support particularly for pupils with learning difficulties. Strengths of teaching and learning are relationships between pupils and teachers and the use of a wide range of learning strategies, including very effective use of interactive whiteboards. So pupils are well-motivated and learn in the ways that suit them best. In an outstanding lesson, the teacher's very good knowledge of what her pupils are capable of enabled her to challenge and extend the literacy skills of pupils of all abilities. Learning was rapid and fun. Homework supports learning well. In most subjects the more able pupils are challenged well. However, there is insufficient challenge for them in mathematics. All pupils have too few opportunities to select and apply their

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Grade: 2

mathematical skills within mathematics and in other subjects. Pupils are set personal learning targets in English, mathematics and personal development but there is a lack of consistency in their use across the school, particularly in mathematics. Teachers' marking is often very helpful in English and other subjects, but in mathematics it rarely identifies how work can be improved.

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Grade: 2

The school provides a rich, well-balanced curriculum. In the Foundation Stage this meets the needs of children very well, enabling them to build on their skills and develop independent learning through well-planned activities. Older pupils say how much they enjoy all aspects of the curriculum especially art, religious education and the range of physical activities. The very good provision for enrichment, including the two residential 3 Inspection Report: St Finian's Catholic Primary School, 28 November 2005 to 29 November 2005 trips, generates good opportunities for personal and social development, learning in arts and humanities and challenging adventure activities. There is good provision and support for bi-lingual pupils and those with learning difficulties.Over the last two years the school has improved its provision for writing. There are good links across the curriculum particularly for information and communication technology and writing.

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Grade: 2

However in mathematics there are too few opportunities for pupils to apply their learning to solve problems. The school is conscientious in ensuring that the whole curriculum is linked to the aspects of learning identified in the government guidance 'Every Child Matters'.

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Grade: 2

The quality of care, guidance and support is good overall with some significant strengths. Pupils feel very strongly that the school is a welcoming and safe place and there are many systems to ensure that this is so. For example, older pupils support Reception children very effectively through the buddy system. The school's strong sense of community ensures that this is a very inclusive school, where every individual is known and respected. Guidance and support systems reflect this, based on the staff's very good knowledge of individual pupils. However, the setting of pupils' individual targets, especially for mathematics has, quite rightly, been identified as needing improvement. The school also needs to make sure that its accident procedures are strictly followed and ensure that parents are informed of incidents.

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Grade: 2

The school is led and managed well. The new headteacher has put in place efficient systems for evaluating the effectiveness of the school's work. She and the senior management team have a clear understanding of what needs to be improved and have, for example, been successful in raising the achievements of more able pupils in English. This contributes strongly to the school's capacity to improve. The school is developing an effective and purposeful team of managers. Accurate tracking of pupils' progress enables the school to identify strengths and weaknesses in learning and provide additional support where necessary. Information from the monitoring of lessons is used effectively to improve aspects of teaching. Resources to support learning are managed well and careful management of the very tight budget is reducing the deficit of recent years. Leaders' commitment to the strong Christian ethos of the school and

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Grade: 2

the promotion of pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development permeates through all aspects of school life, resulting in a caring, mature and orderly community where all are valued. The school is successful in making sure that all pupils have equal opportunities and has identified the weaknesses in the teaching of mathematics that result in some lack of challenge. The school makes good use of external agencies to support school improvement and individual pupils.The governing body fulfils its statutory responsibilities and is becoming increasingly involved in school development. Governors support the senior management team well and are beginning to evaluate 4 Inspection Report: St Finian's Catholic Primary School, 28 November 2005 to 29 November 2005 and challenge school initiatives. Parents are kept well informed about school activities and their children's progress. The headteacher has recognised the need to ensure that

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Grade: 2

procedures for informing parents of accidents are carried out rigorously and has planned training for all staff. The vast majority of parents feel the school is led and managed well. 5 Inspection Report: St Finian's Catholic Primary School, 28 November 2005 to 29 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 Finian's Catholic Primary School, 28 November 2005 to 29 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 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 1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 1 The behaviour of learners NA 1 The attendance of learners NA 1 How well learners enjoy their education NA 2 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 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 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

Thank you very much indeed for your friendliness and help during our visit to your school. You showed us how proud you are of the school, your teachers and each other and how much you enjoy being at school. You told us that St. Finian's is a good school and we agree with you. Many thanks to the School Council members, who provided us with such comprehensive minutes of the meeting with Mr. Scola. I should like to tell you some of the things that are so good about your school. * your behaviour, care for each other and willingness to take responsibility are excellent and you hardly ever miss school * your school is a happy place because you are taught interesting things well, you work hard and understand how learning helps you to make the most of your lives* the headteacher and other leaders run the school well, helping your teachers to provide you with the skills you need. There are one or two things your school could do to make it even better, with your help.* some

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

of you do not have enough challenge in mathematics and are not sure how to become even better mathematicians by choosing and using your skills to investigate and solve problems* your teachers need to make sure that, if you have an accident in school, they remember to tell your parents.

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