Holy Redeemer Catholic Primary School

Inspection Report Holy Redeemer Catholic Primary School

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116908 Unique Reference Number Worcestershire LEA 279941 Inspection number 29 June 2006 to 29 June 2006 Inspection dates Garth Muton AI Reporting inspector

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

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Priest Lane School address Primary Type of school Pershore Voluntary aided School category Worcestershire WR10 1EB 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01386 552518 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01386 552522 Fax number 117 Number on roll Mr Jim Wilson Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Hilary Rowlands Headteacher 6 November 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 279941 29 June 2006 - 4 to 11 29 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

Holy Redeemer Catholic Primary School is a smaller than average primary school. Nearly all pupils are from White British backgrounds and just over half are from the local catholic community. Two pupils have English as an additional language and 10 have identified learning difficulties or disabilities. These are smaller proportions than average. One pupil has a statement of special educational need. About half the pupils live in Pershore and the others travel in from surrounding villages. An unusual mix of school types in the locality results in parents making a range of choices about their children’s education. Consequently, a higher than average proportion of pupils either joins or leaves the school at different ages.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Holy Redeemer Catholic Primary School, 29 June 2006 to 29 June 2006

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Grade: 2

This is a good school with some outstanding features. This accords with the school’s own view of its effectiveness. Exceptionally high standards have been maintained for Year 6 pupils for a number of years. Standards for Year 2 pupils have varied slightly in the past but are now above average. Except in Years 5 and 6, boys are not always stretched sufficiently to do their best. Pupils are well cared for and their personal development is nurtured. Relationships throughout the school are very positive and all effort is focused upon the pupils’ welfare and well-being. Pupils get a good start to their education in the Reception class. Teaching is good throughout the school and outstanding in Year 6. Leadership and management styles are very personable and effective at a pastoral level and in ensuring that pupils make at least good progress, although leadership roles generally are not well developed. The range and quality of

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Grade: 2

curriculum activities are good and have some excellent features. Improvement since the last inspection has been good and school leaders and governors quite rightly regard themselves as ‘on a journey to excellence’. The school provides good value for money. It has the capacity to improve further.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve the achievement of boys, especially in Years 1 to 4. • Achieve a better balance of assigned responsibilities by developing leadership roles within the school. • Raise expectations and performance still further by strengthening the quality of the teaching so that it matches the best.

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Grade: 2

The standards attained by pupils by the time they leave school are exceptionally high. Outstanding provision for older pupils has resulted in high standards being maintained for a number of years. When pupils enter the school, their knowledge and understanding are in line with expectations. They make good progress during the Reception year and this continues throughout their time in school. Most pupils meet, and a good proportion exceed, the targets set for them. Overall, the pupils’ achievement is good, although boys in Years 1 to 4 could achieve more highly. Following a short period of relative decline, standards for 7-year-olds show a significant improvement according to the latest teacher assessments. They are now above average. The reason for the decline was the underachievement of younger boys, an area the school has rightly identified as a focus for improvement. Variations in school organisation, caused by fluctuations

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Grade: 2

in the pupil numbers, present a continuing challenge to sustaining good achievement. However, pupils who join the school during Years 3 to 6 make equally good progress as their peers, as do those with learning difficulties and disabilities. Year 6 pupils make excellent progress because they are taught highly effectively. 2 Inspection Report: Holy Redeemer Catholic Primary School, 29 June 2006 to 29 June 2006

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Grade: 2

Pupils’ personal development is good. Pupils learn and play in a happy and safe environment. Pupils are proud of their school. Their behaviour is always good and often exemplary. They are not worried at all about any form of harassment or bullying. Attendance is good. In lessons, pupils respond well and work sensibly and collaboratively. Some younger pupils, mostly boys in Years 1 to 4, have some difficulty in maintaining complete focus on their learning. However, these are the exception rather than the rule. Pupils are pleased to point out examples of where their ideas have been listened to, such as concerning new play equipment, the school rules, or the world cup addition to the outdoor story chair. They talk about their feelings and discuss important questions of meaning and belief in lessons and ‘circle times’. The close contact with the church next door and the caring, sharing Christian ethos of the

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Grade: 2

school make them very aware that they are part of a worshipping community. They celebrate the different cultures that are represented in the school. Pupils willingly take on responsibilities and all in Year 6 are prefects. Pupils are encouraged to be active and adopt healthy lifestyles, although some of them need more help in deciding the content of their lunchboxes.

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Grade: 2

Throughout the school, the teaching is good and ensures that pupils achieve well. Teaching in Year 6 is outstanding because it is highly imaginative, very challenging and rigorous. As a result, in their last year in school the pupils are very well supported and they leap ahead in their learning. There are also many positive features to the teaching in the other year groups. Teachers plan effectively to take account of pupils’ different learning styles and capabilities. In order to eradicate any underachievement, a special effort is being made to motivate boys and interest them in their learning. There are very good relationships between pupils and staff, which encourage pupils to tackle their work confidently and use their initiative. Teaching assistants make a valuable contribution to pupils’ learning. Good questioning helps pupils to develop their thinking and understanding. Teachers assess pupils’ progress well and give them

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Grade: 2

good feedback on how well they are doing. In some classes, there is scope for higher expectations by teachers for pupils to work harder and produce neater work.

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Grade: 2

The good curriculum engages pupils’ interest and helps them to enjoy learning. Some aspects of the work planned for Reception children are outstanding, such as the weekly visit to the ‘Forest School’. Good links between subjects throughout the school bring learning alive. Planning for the development of literacy and numeracy skills is 3 Inspection Report: Holy Redeemer Catholic Primary School, 29 June 2006 to 29 June 2006 imaginative and relevant to pupils’ interests. The personal, social and health education programme helps pupils to understand how to stay healthy and safe. There is a strong emphasis on physical activity and good provision for interesting activities outside lessons, including a wide range of out of school clubs. Pupils in Years 4 to 6 further develop and extend their experiences by taking part in two residential trips annually. A relative shortcoming is the absence of an overall curriculum plan to ensure continuity

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Grade: 2

and development and to consolidate the linking of work in different subjects.

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Grade: 2

This area of provision is good because the staff know the pupils well and they meet the different needs of individual pupils effectively. Procedures to keep pupils healthy and safe are securely in place and understood by all staff. When taking the pupils on trips, for example, staff assess any potential risk carefully. In Years 3 to 6, the pupils are given very good academic guidance that is based on robust systems for checking and analysing how well they are doing. The targets set for the pupils are matched closely to their capabilities and are reviewed regularly so that the pupils are motivated to work towards them. In Reception and Years 1 and 2, there is scope for improving the assessment of the progress made by individuals and groups, to secure the validity and reliability of the careful recording of pupils’ progress that already takes place.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good overall because they are focused effectively upon improving achievement. The leadership evaluates the school’s performance well by gathering evidence from lesson observations, questionnaires and through monitoring the pupils’ work. Systems are in place for tracking pupils’ progress but these are not always easily accessible to the teachers. The systems also require a sharper analysis of the pupils’ achievement to make them sufficiently informative. The school is rightly planning to take the action necessary to address and remedy identified areas of weakness in the pupils’ performance. The distribution of leadership and management roles and responsibilities among staff is in urgent need of revision as soon as more teachers are able to take these on. There are effective partnerships with other schools and organisations. Parents are encouraged to be highly involved in their children’s

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Grade: 2

education. Their views are sought and acted upon and they are positive about the school. Governors are very focused on the pupils’ welfare. They have improved their organisation and structure and a positive outcome is the extremely efficient approach taken to improve the school’s accommodation. Despite the very real difficulties presented by the unpredictability of pupil numbers, the school budget is managed very well. Planning for the school’s improvement is better than it was when the school was last inspected but the school’s leaders and managers are fully aware that it can be made even more effective. 4 Inspection Report: Holy Redeemer Catholic Primary School, 29 June 2006 to 29 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. 5 Inspection Report: Holy Redeemer Catholic Primary School, 29 June 2006 to 29 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 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 1 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 2 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 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 2 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 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

I am writing to tell you how much we enjoyed visiting your school to carry out our inspection and to thank you for being so helpful to us. It was a delight for us to see how proud you are of your school and how much you enjoy learning and playing together. We were so pleased to see how many of your ideas have helped to make the school better. There are so many good things about your school that it is difficult to know where to start! We know how well you are cared for. All the adults in the school take great care to make sure that you are always safe. Your behaviour is good. In fact, sometimes, such as when you have assemblies or a special Mass, it is excellent. Your attendance is good. You are making good progress with your work and those of you in Year 6 make excellent progress. You do a good range of subjects and activities. Some of the activities that are provided, such as the Forest School for the Reception children, are outstanding. We particularly like the imaginative way

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

that your teachers link subjects together to make it more interesting for you. Nearly all the lessons we saw were good and some even better than that. Your teachers challenge you with good questions to make you think. We also like the way that teachers, their assistants and your parents work together to help you reach your targets. We would like some of the younger boys to try a little harder. Some boys find it difficult to concentrate but your teachers are trying very hard to make your lessons interesting. We think that some of the jobs your teachers do should be shared out in a different way but that is something that Mrs Rowlands and the school governors will sort out. Your school is well on its way to becoming an excellent school. You can help it by trying your very best and your teachers can help by making your lessons even better. Thank you again. We hope you enjoy your summer holidays and we would like to wish Year 6

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