St Catherine's Catholic Primary School

Inspection Report St Catherine's Catholic Primary School

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112305 Unique Reference Number Cumbria LEA 278896 Inspection number 14 February 2006 to 15 February 2006 Inspection dates Mrs Moira Fitzpatrick Reporting inspector

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

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Drovers Lane School address Primary Type of school Penrith Voluntary aided School category Cumbria, CA11 9EL 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01768 242170 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01768 242171 Fax number 115 Number on roll Mr Peter Brooks Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Richard Gaizely Headteacher 1 May 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 278896 14 February 2006 - 4 to 11 15 February 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 an additional inspector.

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Description of the school

The school is much smaller than average and is organised into four classes, three of which are mixed age. Most children are white British, with less than 5% from minority ethnic groups. The school’s population fluctuates quite a little each year because of the high proportion of Traveller children who attend the school from time to time. The percentage of pupils who are eligible for free school meals is average. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is about average and there are three pupils with a Statement of Special Educational Need, which is higher than average. There is one child who has English as an additional language and is able to learn through English. The attainment of children when they join the school varies considerably from year to year, from above average to below average. The school holds a School Achievement Award, the Investors in People Award and the Kitemark

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, 14 February 2006 to 15 February 2006

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Grade: 4

In accordance with section 13 (3) of the Education Act 2005, HMCI is of the opinion that this school requires significant improvement because it is performing significantly less well than in all the circumstances it might reasonably be expected to perform. The school is therefore given a Notice to Improve. Significant improvement is required in relation to achievement and standards in Year 2, and the leadership and management of the school. The inspector disagrees with the school’s judgement that it is satisfactory and judges it to be inadequate because of the underachievement of a significant group of pupils in Years 1 and 2. In view of this, the school gives inadequate value for money. However, elsewhere in the school pupils make satisfactory and often good progress in their learning. By Year 6, pupils reach standards that are close to average. They achieve well and make good progress because they work hard, teaching is good and is based on a

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Grade: 4

thorough knowledge of pupils’ needs. Pupils’ personal development is satisfactory, with older pupils keen to take on responsibilities that help the school run smoothly. The attendance of a small number of pupils is poor. The inspector agrees with parents that pupils are well cared for. Guidance and support for pupils’ learning are good in the juniors but inadequate in the infants because not enough use is made of information about pupils’ learning to provide the correct level of challenge for all pupils. Standards and the quality of provision in the Foundation Stage are good, giving pupils a good start to their education. Leadership and management of the school are inadequate because there has not been enough monitoring of standards and provision in the infants in the last term to identify the underachievement of pupils. In addition, recent disruption to staffing has meant that the quality of education has not been monitored

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Grade: 4

closely enough. The distribution of management responsibilities is uneven and places too many responsibilities on the headteacher and the deputy headteacher. Governors are supportive of the school but have too little first hand knowledge to be able to respond promptly to difficult situations as they arise. The school is judged to have made unsatisfactory progress since the last inspection. Although there was good improvement to standards in Year 2 until this year, and improvement in ICT has been good, recent circumstances have caused the school to decline. However, the school has the capacity both to correct current weaknesses and continue to improve.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Raise standards for pupils in Year 2, especially in reading, writing and mathematics. • Improve the leadership and management of the school by redistributing roles and responsibilities so that all staff have a manageable workload. • Improve the attendance of those pupils whose attendance is poor so that they are able to make steady gains in their learning and achieve as well as other children. 2 Inspection Report: St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, 14 February 2006 to 15 February 2006

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Grade: 3

Achievement is satisfactory overall, though there is some underachievement in one class. Results in Year 6 national tests last year showed that two-thirds of the pupils made better than expected progress from their starting points at the end of Year 2. Most pupils now in Year 6 have made good progress since they were in Year 2, and all are on course to reach the challenging targets set for them. While the school’s performance in tests has declined over the last five years, this reflects the different capabilities of each group, all of whom made satisfactory progress up to the tests. Although few children from the Traveller community reach the expected standard by Year 6, the school’s records show that they make satisfactory progress during their time in school. The performance of Year 2 pupils in national tests improved significantly since the previous inspection up to last year, when it was above average. However, a

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Grade: 3

significant proportion of pupils now in Year 2 are underachieving and are at risk of not reaching the expected standard in the national tests this year because they are not currently making enough progress. Children in the Foundation Stage make good progress from their starting points, which vary each year. Pupils with learning difficulties are supported to make the same progress as their peers in all classes. A small number of pupils underachieve because their attendance is poor.

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Grade: 3

Pupils’ personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, is satisfactory. Pupils accept responsibility willingly, so that by Year 6 they are able to fulfil their roles in supporting the school community well. The school council provides opportunities for pupils to make improvements to the school, though these could be extended given the capabilities and enthusiasm of the older pupils. Pupils’ behaviour is very good in the juniors where it supports good learning. In the infants, behaviour is satisfactory, with occasional fussiness from some pupils slowing the learning of others. Pupils adopt healthy eating habits and are keen to participate in sport and fitness activities run by the school. By Year 6 pupils are well equipped for the next stage of their education. Attendance is well below average, despite the good attendance of most pupils, because of the poor attendance of a minority of pupils and

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Grade: 4

The quality of teaching and learning is unsatisfactory overall because a significant group of pupils are not currently making adequate progress. In the Foundation Stage and in Years 3 to 6, good teaching is based on sharp knowledge of the pupils’ needs. In these classes, work is well adapted to meet the needs of different groups and pupils 3 Inspection Report: St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, 14 February 2006 to 15 February 2006 are all well challenged both by the teaching and the tasks that are set. In Years 3 to 6, learning in both English and mathematics is enjoyed by pupils of all abilities because the teaching is well paced, lively and uses a good range of methods. In Years 1 and 2, teaching does not take enough account of the different abilities of pupils and is not challenging enough, especially for the most capable pupils. The result is that a significant group of pupils underachieve. There is an over-reliance on worksheets in

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Grade: 4

all subjects in this class, which hampers the development of pupils’ basic skills. Pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities are supported to learn as well as others in their classes.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum is satisfactory overall. It provides a sound base for the development of the interests and talents of pupils and is suitably adapted for pupils with learning difficulties. It is not used successfully in the infants to provide work that promotes a good quality of learning in reading, writing and mathematics. The provision for out of school clubs is good and these are well supported by pupils of all ages. Pupils say they enjoy the visitors who come to the school to share their expertise and were particularly enthusiastic about the recent visit from the Birds Of Prey Centre. There is well planned provision for pupils to learn about healthy lifestyles and for discussion of issues that concern them, especially in the older classes. The curriculum in the Foundation Stage is well planned to match the needs of different pupils.

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Grade: 3

The school’s arrangements for health and safety and child protection are satisfactory. Care is good, because teachers and all adults in the school have good relationships with the pupils. Parents agree that care is good and they are happy their children are well looked after. Year 6 Buddies give most children a sense of security in the playground, though a few younger children would like better rules for the playground to protect them from some boisterous play. Support and guidance for pupils’ learning varies. It is good in Years 3 to 6 where tracking of progress leads to well matched learning for pupils. In the infants, information is not well used, so that there is not a good match of tasks to pupils’ needs. Provision for pupils with learning difficulties is satisfactory, while that for pupils with a Statement of Special Educational Need is good, ensuring that these children are able to learn alongside their peers. Despite the

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Grade: 3

school’s robust efforts to improve attendance, improvement is very slow.

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Grade: 4

Leadership and management in the school are inadequate because they have failed to identify the weaknesses in provision for pupils in Years 1 and 2. Senior staff have too little time for oversight of the work of the school and, owing to recent unavoidable 4 Inspection Report: St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, 14 February 2006 to 15 February 2006 senior staff absence, monitoring the quality of education in Years 1 and 2 was deferred to this term. This has had serious consequences for standards in the infants, where there is now a significant amount of underachievement. Responsibilities for managing the school are not distributed evenly among staff. The headteacher and deputy headteacher fulfil too many subject leadership roles compared with other staff making their workloads difficult to manage. While governors give good support to the school, their knowledge of it relies too heavily on the headteacher’s reports, making it difficult

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Grade: 4

for them to respond when challenging situations arise, for example when senior staff are absent and the resulting effect on the work of the school. Because of current weaknesses, the school has made unsatisfactory progress since the last inspection, though it has the capacity to make the necessary improvement to ensure that good standards are restored in the infants. 5 Inspection Report: St Catherine's Catholic Primary School, 14 February 2006 to 15 February 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 Catherine's Catholic Primary School, 14 February 2006 to 15 February 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 4 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation NA Yes The capacity to make any necessary improvements NA No 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 3 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

NA 3 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 3 The behaviour of learners NA 4 The attendance of learners NA 3 How well learners enjoy their education NA 3 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 3 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 3 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 4 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 4 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 3 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

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE T 0207 421 6800 F 0207 421 6707 Ofsted helpline 08456 404045 Mr Richard Gaizely St Catherine's Catholic Primary School Drovers Lane Penrith Cumbria CA11 9EL 16 February 2006 Dear Children, Thank you for the friendly welcome you gave me when I visited your school. I enjoyed my visit very much and would like to share with you some of the things I liked best about your school. It was good to see how hard you work and how well you work together to help each other. I think that older pupils behave very well in class and around the school. You set a good example to younger pupils. Keep it up! It was good to see in most classes that you take responsibility for keeping the classroom well organised and tidy up well at the end of lessons. Perhaps younger children could do more of this. I agree with the Year 6 pupils who think that you could manage more responsibility. You are mature and sensible young people and have plenty to offer the school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

I think you express you views well and that you have many good ideas that you could share with the school council. I agree with those of you who think it would be a good idea to look at playground rules. To help things get even better in your school I have asked your headteacher and teachers to help children in Years 1 and 2 to learn better. I have also asked them to help those children who don’t come to school as often as the rest of you to get into school more often so they can enjoy the good things that the rest of you do. Thank you again for lovely welcome you gave me. Best wishes for the rest of the year. Mrs Moira Fitzpatrick (Lead inspector)

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