St Anne's and St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School

Inspection Report St Anne's and St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School, Accrington

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119656 Unique Reference Number Lancashire LEA 280626 Inspection number 29 June 2006 to 30 June 2006 Inspection dates Mrs Elizabeth Greensides Reporting inspector

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

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Sandy Lane School address Primary Type of school Accrington Voluntary aided School category Lancashire, BB5 2AN 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01254 233019 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01254 301688 Fax number 301 Number on roll Mr Bernard Holden MBE Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Elaine Richards Headteacher 1 January 2001 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 280626 29 June 2006 - 4 to 11 30 June 2006 Inspection Report: St Anne's and St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School, Accrington, 29 June 2006 to 30 June 2006

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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 three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This is a large Roman Catholic primary school in a socially and ethnically diverse area, although the pupils are mainly White British. There are small numbers of pupils from minority ethnic groups, some with little English, but proportionately fewer than live in the surrounding area. A few settled Traveller pupils also attend the school. Fewer pupils than average are eligible for free school meals. Children’s attainment when they start in the Reception class is broadly average, although the proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is above average. Some pupils are bussed to the school from a wider area, but the school roll is falling.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: St Anne's and St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School, Accrington, 29 June 2006 to 30 June 2006

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Grade: 2

This is a good school which has many strengths and this reflects the school’s own evaluation. It provides good value for money. Pupils behave very well in lessons and have increasingly mature attitudes to learning, because the school provides outstanding levels of care. Parents are highly positive and enthusiastic in their support of the school’s work. Along with governors they welcome the good improvement since the last inspection. Leadership and management are good, and staff work well as a team. Effective monitoring of teaching and learning has led to significant improvements, and there is a good capacity for improvement. However, information about the school is not always used well enough to identify clear priorities for school development. Standards are above average by the end of Year 2 and Year 6. Attainment is especially strong in mathematics by the time pupils reach Year 6, but weaker in writing, especially

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Grade: 2

for more able pupils. Standards in reading, writing and mathematics are significantly above average at the end of Year 2. Strategies to improve boys’ writing have been particularly successful. However, pupils do not get enough opportunities to further develop their writing outside of English lessons. Good quality teaching in Reception and Years 1 and 2 leads to consistently good achievement, with some very high levels of attainment. Erratic progress in the past for pupils in Years 3 and 4 adversely affected standards in Year 6 last year. The causes of this have now been eradicated. Consistently good teaching in Years 5 and 6 is quickly raising learners’ standards to above average in English, mathematics and science. The curriculum meets the needs of the pupils satisfactorily though it is insufficiently focused on the development of basic skills or the needs of specific groups of pupils. The help given to pupils with learning difficulties is good, and new pupils, some with little

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Grade: 2

English, are given the help they need to settle quickly.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve systems for self-evaluation in order to better prioritise areas for development. • Develop and design the curriculum to have a greater emphasis on raising the standard of basic skills and to have a greater focus on the specific needs of the pupils.

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Grade: 2

Standards are significantly above average by the end of Year 2 and above average by Year 6. Learners make good progress in most year groups and this represents good achievement overall for pupils of different abilities and backgrounds. Standards in Year 6 last year were adversely affected owing to erratic progress earlier in the school. The causes of this have now been eradicated and the school is on course to reach its targets for 2006. Attainment in mathematics is particularly strong by Year 6, but weaker 2 Inspection Report: St Anne's and St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School, Accrington, 29 June 2006 to 30 June 2006 in writing, especially for the more able. Strategies to improve boys’ writing have been particularly successful. Pupils’ achievements across other subjects are good, because lessons are well planned and activities enjoyable. Children make good progress in Reception. The teaching is good, and meets the needs

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Grade: 2

of different pupils. As a result, most reach the goals set for the end of the Reception Year, and many exceed them.

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Grade: 2

Pupils’ personal development is good, and their well-being is promoted effectively. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Pupils learn how to behave safely and look after themselves and each other. The strong Catholic ethos of spiritual and moral purpose is clear in pupils’ positive responses. In an excellent assembly, Year 1 and 2 pupils exemplified how well staff promote their self-confidence and their ability to think about life’s challenges. As a result, pupils become well equipped for later stages in learning. Children in Reception settle well, and quickly gain confidence. Parents value the focus on helping their children to get on so well together, and to develop their self-esteem. Pupils behave well and join in lessons and other activities enthusiastically. They say, ‘the staff try to make learning fun,’ and clearly enjoy their time in school. Attendance figures above the national average confirm this. Pupils are

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Grade: 2

active in the school’s life through such duties as being school councillors, and trained guardian angels to help others. They also make a good contribution to the parish communities.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good and successful strategies to raise the overall quality of teaching have a significant impact on pupils’ progress. Teachers observe each other’s lessons regularly, and make good use of this to improve their own teaching. Children get a good start to learning in Reception, and good teaching in Years 1 to 3 builds on these high standards. Progress is also good in Years 5 and 6 due to high quality teaching, with some outstanding elements. In most lessons, assessment information is used well to plan learning and this results in good levels of challenge, and good progress. Pupils’ work shows high expectations from most teachers and high levels of output from pupils, but marking is not always successful as it could be in identifying areas for improvement. However, pupils are rightly proud of what they can do, and of what they have learned. Excellent relationships help pupils to develop very good

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Grade: 2

attitudes to their work. Classroom assistants support pupils of different abilities well and make a significant contribution to their progress. 3 Inspection Report: St Anne's and St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School, Accrington, 29 June 2006 to 30 June 2006

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Grade: 3

The curriculum is satisfactory. Pupils learn about the wider cultural diversity of the area through opportunities which are interwoven through the life of the school. Some recent innovations, such as the school museum, enhance pupils’ interest and progress. The school has been slower to adapt the curriculum to have greater emphasis on raising basic skills and to have a greater focus on the specific needs of the pupils. Problem-solving activities to develop thinking skills are in their infancy, and pupils are not yet given enough opportunities to be independent in their learning. The school is aware that this is an area for development. Pupils enjoy learning through well planned activities. Many pupils attend a good range of activities at lunchtime and beyond the school day, including the writing club, knitting club, and a range of different sports. Pupils also have the opportunity to learn Italian and French. The curriculum promotes pupils’ personal, social and emotional

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Grade: 3

development very well, and successfully supports healthy living and staying safe.

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Grade: 2

The school’s care of its pupils is excellent, a judgement that parents strongly support. Vulnerable pupils are looked after very well. The staff ensure that pupils with specific learning needs also receive good support and guidance, linking well with local authority services. For example, settled pupils from the Traveller community are integrated well in the school. Pupils from minority ethnic groups with little English are welcomed by other pupils, and receive good language support. Support and guidance are generally good, and help pupils to make good progress. Sometimes, the assessment of pupils’ learning is excellent. For example, Year 5 pupils are encouraged to assess their own and other pupils’ writing thoughtfully, leading to very good improvement. However, this practice is not consistently developed across the school at present. Some teachers’ marking of pupils’ work is too general to be useful in helping them improve.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. The headteacher, ably supported by other leaders, has a good vision for the future, with a clear focus on raising standards of achievement. Her collaborative style has been instrumental in building a strong team of dedicated and enthusiastic teachers. This has had a significant effect on the progress which pupils make. Good use of lesson observations has been successful in raising the quality of teaching and in removing causes of underachievement. Other self-evaluation systems are developing, but school development priorities and actions towards improvement are not always clear. 4 Inspection Report: St Anne's and St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School, Accrington, 29 June 2006 to 30 June 2006 Governors are supportive of the school and fulfil their statutory duties. They are aware of the main strengths and weaknesses of the school through the headteacher, but are

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Grade: 2

not yet fully involved in self-evaluation. The school is well resourced and funding for additional resources is linked effectively to school development planning. Parents, community and church members are encouraged to be partners in learning, and this has developed a good community spirit. The school has an excellent commitment to the inclusion of all learners. This very good ethos means that achievement is celebrated, and learning is enjoyable. The school has a good capacity to improve. 5 Inspection Report: St Anne's and St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School, Accrington, 29 June 2006 to 30 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. 6 Inspection Report: St Anne's and St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School, Accrington, 29 June 2006 to 30 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 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 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 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 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 The Pupils St Anne's and St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School Sandy Lane Accrington Lancashire BB5 2AN 29 June 2006 Dear Pupils You will have noticed some extra adults in your school recently. As you probably know, we have been looking at your school to see how well it helps you to learn. Thank you for being part of our week, and thank you also for your politeness, your good manners, and, above all, your smiles and your helpfulness at all times. We were pleased to see how much you enjoy your lessons, how hard you work, and how sensibly you behave. You are polite and helpful to visitors. It was very pleasing to see how well you all get on together and how much the teachers and other adults care about you and want you to do your best. You are doing well in all your lessons, and especially in maths, where your number

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

skills help you to improve quickly. You are clearly proud of your school and think that it is good. We agree with you. As in many schools however, there are always a few things that can be even better. For example, your teachers need to make better use of information about how well you do in tests and in your daily work, to help you progress even further. They are looking forward to developing the different subjects that you learn, to make them more interesting and relevant to you all. I’m sure that this is something which you will be able to help them with, in discussions about what you most enjoy. You have a happy school where you all feel safe. You are encouraged to live a healthy lifestyle, and you enjoy learning. Keep it up! Yours sincerely Elizabeth Greensides (Lead Inspector)

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