St Luke's Catholic Primary School

Inspection Report St Luke's Catholic Primary School

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111379 Unique Reference Number Cheshire LEA 278674 Inspection number 22 March 2006 to 23 March 2006 Inspection dates Mr Paul Bamber 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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The Willows School address Primary Type of school Frodsham Voluntary aided School category Cheshire WA6 7QP 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01928 731721 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01928 731721 Fax number 196 Number on roll Mr C Droogan Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs M Coleman Headteacher 3 July 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 278674 22 March 2006 - 4 to 11 23 March 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

This average sized school attracts children from a wide catchment area. The majority come from relatively advantaged, predominantly white British backgrounds. There is a lower than average proportion of children who have learning difficulties or use English as an additional language. Attainment on entry is broadly average. Before and after school and holiday care facilities are available on site. The school is very popular and has many more children on roll than at the time of the last inspection.

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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 Catholic Primary School, 22 March 2006 to 23 March 2006

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Grade: 2

This is a good school with outstanding features and provides good value for money. The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage are good, enabling children to make good progress in the Reception class. Achievement is good throughout the school, with children in Year 6 reaching significantly higher standards than found nationally over the last five years. The school very successfully promotes children's basic skills in reading, writing, number and information and communication technology (ICT). It includes all children fully in its provision. Personal development and well-being are outstanding. Behaviour is excellent. Attendance and punctuality are very good. Children enjoy lessons, responding very well to good quality teaching and an enriched curriculum. There is some outstanding teaching. However, throughout the school, teachers do not provide children with enough opportunities to be more actively involved

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Grade: 2

in their learning. Not all teachers are fully competent or confident in using ICT to its full potential in lessons. The care and support provided for the children are outstanding. This contributes significantly to children's good achievements and their secure sense of well-being, including their ability to stay safe and pursue a healthy lifestyle. The school is very well led by a strong and purposeful headteacher, ably supported by effective senior staff and a challenging governing body. The school has improved well since the last inspection and demonstrates a good capacity to improve.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Provide more opportunities for children to discuss, reflect upon and review their learning and to give them more opportunities to make choices about how they will tackle the tasks set for them. • Enable all teachers to be competent and confident using interactive whiteboards and computers to their full potential to enhance children's learning further.

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Grade: 2

Overall, children achieve well and attain above or well above average standards throughout the school. Children enter the Reception class with broadly average skills. They make good progress because of effective teaching and support and most enter Year 1 having reached or exceeded the targets set for them. Their achievements are best in language, literacy and number skills and least good in their creative development. The Key Stage 1 assessments in 2005 revealed an improvement in children's achievements compared with the last two years, when standards slipped below their customary above average levels. The current Year 2 is doing even better because of very effective teaching and they are on track to achieve very well in the 2006 assessments. Results in the Year 6 national tests show that children have consistently attained standards significantly above the national average over the last five years. They achieve well in all subjects, maintaining the high standards achieved

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Grade: 2

in Year 2. The school sets very challenging targets for children's performance and 2 Inspection Report: St Luke's Catholic Primary School, 22 March 2006 to 23 March 2006 consistently meets these. Children who are gifted or talented, who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities, or use English as an additional language all make good progress and achieve as well as other children.

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Grade: 1

Children's personal development and well-being are outstanding. They are very enthusiastic, work hard and thoroughly enjoy lessons. Behaviour in lessons and around the school is exemplary. Children very willingly accept responsibility and are cheerful, very polite and helpful. The school council has been very influential in bringing many enhancements to school life. For example, the provision of play boxes for use at lunchtime, a 'buddy' bench and the refurbishment of the children's toilets. Children habitually update the school's website, demonstrating very good basic skills in writing and in ICT. Children make a very positive contribution to the wider community through supporting charities and their involvement in many local events, including carol singing, dance festivals and art work displayed locally. Children understand very well how to keep safe and healthy. In the very well attended cookery club, they learn how to cook

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Grade: 1

healthy food. Children are economically aware through their involvement in managing enterprising events, such as organising and running stalls at the summer fair and entering competitions. Children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. They develop self-esteem and confidence because their different achievements are valued and rewarded. The school has very close links with the church. This promotes the children's sense of spirituality well. The children gain good knowledge and understanding of world religions in religious education lessons. They have a good understanding of other cultures because of the visits out of school and visitors who talk to them. Attendance is very good and children are punctual.

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching and learning is good. At its best, it is very challenging and engaging, promoting high standards and considerable enjoyment for children in their learning. Adults and children get on very well together. This results in a positive and purposeful atmosphere in lessons, contributing well to children's achievements and very positive attitudes. Basic skills are taught consistently well and, as a result, children's command of language, their reading, writing and knowledge of number are all of a high standard. Teachers' specialisms are used well to enhance children's achievements in the humanities, music and in ICT. A relative weakness, in otherwise strong and sometimes outstanding teaching, is not providing children with sufficient opportunities to discuss, reflect upon or review their work or to make choices about their learning. Some teachers also lack enough confidence or competence to fully exploit the potential

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Grade: 2

of interactive whiteboards or other technology to enhance learning. The teaching and support provided for gifted and talented children and for those with learning difficulties 3 Inspection Report: St Luke's Catholic Primary School, 22 March 2006 to 23 March 2006 and/or disabilities is good, enabling them to achieve well. Children are confident learners, articulate and very capable when given the opportunities to take responsibility for their own learning.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum matches the needs of the children well and is particularly effective in promoting their basic skills and personal development. All statutory requirements are met, including in the Foundation Stage. Work in classrooms is enriched by many opportunities to take part in educational visits. These include visits to local museums and places of educational interest. Effective links with a group of local schools enhance children's achievements in the performing arts. For example, during the inspection children were preparing for a cluster group musical concert. There is a wide range of extra curricular activities available to all children. These include sporting activities, creative arts, and cookery. There are good links with many local organisations and children take part in community activities. Provision for children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is very good. Children are encouraged to adopt healthy

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Grade: 2

lifestyles through eating healthy snacks and lunches and the availability of water in classrooms. The school council has worked very well with the kitchen staff to provide healthy option lunches.

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Grade: 1

Care, guidance and support are outstanding. This is a very caring school where children are highly valued. The involvement of parents and children is very good. Parents appreciate that their children feel secure in school. The arrangements for child protection, risk assessment, health and safety are all in place. The school has very strong links with the pre-school to ensure that children make a smooth transfer to the Reception class. Very effective assessment systems to track children's progress are in place and are used to set challenging targets for them to achieve. Teachers know at what stage each child is and this enables them to plan work that fully matches their needs. Because of the very clear strategies to identify those children who need additional support, these children are very well provided for.

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Grade: 2

The quality of leadership, management and governance is good. The calm, authoritative leadership of the headteacher, complemented very well by the able deputy headteacher, ensures that staff and children are positively encouraged and enabled to strive successfully for improvements. For instance, the recent changes in the deployment of staff have resulted in higher standards and enhanced provision in Reception and in Year 2. Accurate self-evaluation, rigorous monitoring of performance and the determination to include all children fully in the school's provision, are at the heart of 4 Inspection Report: St Luke's Catholic Primary School, 22 March 2006 to 23 March 2006 the good quality of this effective school. In its self-review, the school has modestly underestimated the outstanding quality of children's personal development and of the excellent care, guidance and support it provides. Provision for children with learning

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Grade: 2

difficulties and/or disabilities is managed very well. Subject coordinators contribute well to children's high standards, work effectively as a team and provide positive role models for children in their Christian commitment and concern for others. Governors are keenly aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. This places them in a strong position to hold the school to account for its provision. The school responds positively to the views of parents and children; for example, by introducing healthier eating options. Effective and tough action has been taken to reverse the recent dip in standards in Year 2. The school has demonstrated a good capacity to improve by successfully enhancing standards and provision in ICT and in the Foundation Stage since the last inspection. 5 Inspection Report: St Luke's Catholic Primary School, 22 March 2006 to 23 March 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 Catholic Primary School, 22 March 2006 to 23 March 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 3 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 2 The attendance of learners NA 2 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 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 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

Thank you for making us so welcome during the day we spent in your school. We really appreciated the open and frank way in which you chatted to us and let us know so many interesting things about your school. We would like to share with you those things we thought were really good about your school and those things we felt it could do a little bit better. What we liked most about your school: - your very friendly welcome, how confidently you speak and how well you express your ideas - you have teachers who are friendly and help you to learn well - you do so well in your lessons - your excellent behaviour, good attendance and positive attitudes - your headteacher knows so well what you need to do even better. Although we think your school is a good school, there are a couple of things that we feel would make it even better: - you should be more actively involved in your own learning - make sure all your teachers are confident in using the whiteboards and computers really well

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

to help you even more with your work. Thank you for helping us with the inspection of your school. We hope that you continue to really enjoy school, do very well with your work and carry on trying really hard.

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