St Theresa's Catholic Primary School

Inspection Report St Theresa's Catholic Primary School

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111388 Unique Reference Number Cheshire LEA 278677 Inspection number 3 April 2006 to 4 April 2006 Inspection dates Mr Mark Madeley 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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Kipling Road School address Primary Type of school Blacon Voluntary aided School category Chester, Cheshire CH1 5UU 3 to 11 Age range of pupils 01244 390758 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01244 370718 Fax number 224 Number on roll Mr B Larkin Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr M Forber Headteacher 28 September 1998 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 278677 3 April 2006 - 3 to 11 4 April 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 a team of two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This is an average sized school which serves an area of high social-economic deprivation. Virtually all children are of white British heritage. About one in four children have free school meals and this is above average. More than 25% of children have learning difficulties and/or disabilities, which is above average. There is a greater concentration of these children in some year groups, for instance, in Year 6.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: St Theresa's Catholic Primary School, 3 April 2006 to 4 April 2006

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Grade: 3

St Theresa's provides a satisfactory standard of education for its pupils. This represents good improvement since the last inspection. One parent wrote, 'My daughter just loves to go to school every day,' which reflects this picture. Children's achievement is satisfactory and standards are average. They are better than they were in 2003 because teaching is more effective. Rigorous monitoring has improved the quality of teaching significantly. However, too little focus has been given to children's learning in lessons and sometimes they do not make as much progress as they could, particularly in writing. Leadership and management are satisfactory overall. The school has a satisfactory knowledge of its strengths and weaknesses but judges itself to be good which is too optimistic at this stage. Systems to measure children's progress are in place but there remain weaknesses in assessment. However, the good leadership of the headteacher

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Grade: 3

and strong teamwork have moved the school forward. It therefore has good capacity to improve further. The school gives satisfactory value for money. The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage are satisfactory. From a very low starting point children make good progress, but few reach the standards for their age by the end of Reception class. The information on children's standards in the Foundation Stage in 2005 was inaccurate and gave management a false picture of children's progress. The school makes good provision for children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and as a result, they achieve well. Children's personal development is good. They enjoy school, though the attendance of a minority is unsatisfactory. Behaviour is good and they know simple ways of staying safe, fit and healthy. The school works very effectively with the local high school, support agencies and other local schools to the benefit of all children.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Ensure that children's standards in the Foundation Stage are accurately assessed. • Improve children's attendance by continuing to analyse data to identify and work with the minority who do not attend well. • Evaluate the impact of teaching on children's learning more closely so as to improve children's progress, particularly in writing.

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Grade: 3

Children make satisfactory progress, overall. Most of them join the school with low standards. Effective teaching in Foundation Stage helps children gain confidence, particularly with letter sounds. Despite this good progress, they do not meet the standards expected in most areas of learning and their writing skills, in particular, are very weak. Children make steady progress in Key Stage 1. In the 2005 national tests, standards rose in relation to previous years and were broadly average. Despite the school's efforts to improve it, writing remains a weakness. 2 Inspection Report: St Theresa's Catholic Primary School, 3 April 2006 to 4 April 2006 In 2003, Year 6 test results had dipped to below average. In 2005, Year 6 pupils made outstanding progress in relation to their performance in Year 2, thanks to a concerted effort by all staff. They had good continuity of teaching through Years 5 and 6 and this helped them exceeded their challenging targets. Their results in the national tests

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Grade: 3

were broadly average and halted the downward trend in the school's standards since 2001. The current Year 6 pupils are hampered by gaps in their learning caused by staff absence when they were in Year 5. For many writing skills are particularly weak. However, they are now making steady progress and are likely to meet the challenging targets set for them. The school knows that boys achieve less well than girls and has put in place sound measures to improve boys' achievement. Children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make good progress because their needs are effectively analysed and they receive good support from classroom assistants.

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Grade: 2

The inspection team agrees with the school that children's personal development is good. Children are friendly, co-operate well and are keen to take on responsibility, such as the 'playground and lunchtime buddies'. Children behave and relate to each other well. They like school and are generally keen to learn. They know how to stay safe, for instance when using the Internet or crossing the road. They also know a great deal about how to stay fit and healthy. They are adequately prepared well for the next stage in their schooling because they have a positive attitude to learning. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Children learn to talk about their feelings and about the wonders of God's world. They support the school community by being sensible and those on the school council take their responsibilities very seriously. They also support those less well off than themselves, for example, by

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Grade: 2

choosing to raise funds for people in Kenya. The majority of children attend well and are punctual. However, attendance is unsatisfactory because a minority of parents persist in keeping their children out of school for unauthorised reasons. The school is working hard to address this issue and is beginning to have some success. Pupils develop sound basic skills which provide an adequate basis for their future learning.

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Grade: 3

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory with some good features. Effective management has improved teaching technique since the last inspection, but more emphasis now needs to be placed on checking children's learning to help them make quicker progress. In the Foundation Stage good teaching enables children to make rapid progress in their personal and physical development and enjoy their learning. Children have also made good progress in learning letter sounds since a new teaching 3 Inspection Report: St Theresa's Catholic Primary School, 3 April 2006 to 4 April 2006 method has been introduced. In Key Stages 1 and 2 teaching has improved and is often good, because it is well planned and tasks meet children's learning needs. Occasionally, children do not understand how to complete the task and so learn little in the lesson. Some children, particularly older ones, have gaps in their learning and lack confidence

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Grade: 3

in their literacy skills because staffing difficulties in the past have affected their learning. Teachers are now working hard to overcome these barriers to children's progress. Assessment information is used adequately to set challenging targets. However, teacher assessments for 2005 in the Foundation Stage are inaccurate and do not give an accurate picture of children's progress. Children are becoming confident in assessing their learning. Teachers' marking is good quality and helps children know what to do to improve their work. Support assistants provide a high level of effective support for children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum meets the requirements of the National Curriculum and the needs of the learners. The school uses the national guidance for teaching literacy and numeracy well and this has improved children's standards in these subjects. The Foundation Stage curriculum is adequate, but planning does not make sufficient use of areas outside the classroom for children to develop their creative and independence skills. The school has concentrated on the basic skills in English, mathematics and science so has not yet tackled how they might be practised fully in other subjects. The good personal, social and health education and citizenship programme is having a positive impact on children's behaviour and attitudes. The school offers a good range of clubs and visits to stimulate children's imaginations. The recent visit of a university representative showed children that higher education is attainable if they continue to

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Grade: 3

The school places a very high priority on keeping children safe. Procedures for safeguarding and protecting children are in place and they help children understand how to keep themselves safe. The school successfully promotes children's understanding of a healthy lifestyle. Good induction procedures ensure that they are well prepared for starting school and make a smooth transfer into the secondary school. The school has successfully involved children in assessing their own learning and this is beginning to have a marked impact on their ability to improve their work. Children's progress is assessed satisfactorily and suitable learning targets are set. These measures are improving children's progress, but children are not yet making consistently good progress through the school because they have gaps in their learning and monitoring systems are relatively new. 4 Inspection Report: St Theresa's Catholic Primary School, 3 April 2006 to 4 April 2006

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Grade: 3

The school supports the needs of the most vulnerable children well. Staff work well with agencies and with parents to enable children with leaning difficulties and/or disabilities to make good progress in relation to their capabilities.

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Grade: 3

The school has come a long way since the last inspection because the staff and governors have worked exceptionally well as a team to improve all aspects of school life. 'The headteacher's management has been very dynamic,' wrote one parent, confirming the views of them all. Leadership at all levels has improved the quality of teaching, which has improved children's rate of progress from inadequate to satisfactory. This has raised standards from their very low levels in 2003. Other issues from the previous inspection have also been successfully tackled and on this evidence, the school has a good capacity to improve further. The school has an adequate understanding of its strengths and weaknesses, though evaluation of Foundation Stage information lacks rigour. Teaching technique has been monitored closely and is often good, but its impact on children's learning has not been evaluated closely enough so as to identify children's progress in lessons. The school

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Grade: 3

has satisfactory systems to gauge children's progress and to identify children who need additional support. They are relatively new and so management cannot easily judge children's progress over the longer-term. The subject leaders have a clear picture of what needs to be done to improve further because they use test information very well. The management of the provision for children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is very good and is sometimes used as a model of good practice for other schools. The school values every child equally and works very hard to ensure that they all reach their potential. Governance is satisfactory. The governing body is very well led and has improved considerably. Governors are highly supportive of the school and are becoming more effective in holding the school to account. 5 Inspection Report: St Theresa's Catholic Primary School, 3 April 2006 to 4 April 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 Theresa's Catholic Primary School, 3 April 2006 to 4 April 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 3 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 3 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 3 How well do learners achieve? NA 3 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 3 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 2 The behaviour of learners NA 4 The attendance of learners NA 2 How well learners enjoy their education NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 2 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 3 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 3 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 3 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 3 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 3 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 for your warm welcome when we came to look at your school recently. We value your contribution and really enjoyed talking to you. We think that your school has improved a great deal in a short time, thanks to the dedication of the headteacher and his staff, and is now a school you can be proud of. Teaching is often good and this helps you improve further. Your standards in English, mathematics and science are better now than they were two years ago. It is clear that both you and your parents like the school very much. Around the school and in classes you behave well and are keen to learn. For most children attendance is good but for a few your parents take you out of school too often and you miss out on learning. You know a lot about staying safe and healthy and were very pleased to receive your raffle tickets from the school council as a reward for bringing a healthy snack to school!

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Your school has improved a great deal, but there is more to do. You can help your school by continuing to be keen to learn and always doing your best. These are the things we have asked the school to do to make it a better place to learn: - continue to improve your attendance - make sure that the school checks assessments, especially in Reception classes - check how well you are learning in lessons so that your progress improves. We would like to thank you and all the adults in the school for being so helpful to us. We enjoyed our short stay very much and wish you and your school well for the future.

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