St Amand's Catholic Primary School

Inspection Report St Amand's Catholic Primary School

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123224 Unique Reference Number Oxfordshire LEA LEA 281435 Inspection number 8 December 2005 to 9 December 2005 Inspection dates Alan Jarvis AI Reporting inspector

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

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St Mary's Road School address Primary Type of school East Hendred Voluntary aided School category Wantage OX12 8LF 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01235 833342 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01235 861320 Fax number 155 Number on roll Mrs J O'Rourke Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr J G Laverty Headteacher 27 November 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 281435 8 December 2005 - 4 to 11 9 December 2005 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

St Amand's is a small Catholic primary school. It serves the local village but around one half of pupils travel from further away. Pupils' home circumstances range across the whole spectrum but most are favourable. Most pupils are from White British backgrounds but some come from Irish, other White, Caribbean and Asian minority ethnic backgrounds and all are fluent in English. A below average proportion has a disability or learning need. None has a statement of special educational need. There are more boys than girls. The school currently has no permanent deputy headteacher. Attainment on entry is broadly average but above average in some years.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: St Amand's Catholic Primary School, 8 December 2005 to 9 December 2005

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Grade: 3

The school views achievement, teaching, the curriculum and its effectiveness as good. Inspectors judge them satisfactory but there are some good features. The school has the full confidence of parents. Pupils enjoy school, are well cared for and included well in all activities. They develop good personal attributes within a positive Catholic ethos. In Reception, children reach standards which are in line with expectations and develop good social skills. They are effectively developing their computer skills because of the good resources available and the higher priority now given to this area.Both the Year 2 and Year 6 pupils in 2005 were higher attaining year groups on entry to the school. Year 2 pupils achieved well in both reading and writing. The Year 6 pupils sustained good progress in these areas. In contrast progress in mathematics, whilst satisfactory, was not as brisk particularly for boys and some higher attaining pupils.

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Grade: 3

The main reason why progress in English is stronger than in mathematics is that teaching is stronger, particularly in Year 6. Assessment information is not used well enough to sharpen learning and ensure that all groups of pupils achieve well throughout the school. Science results have often been on a par with English but these dipped last year. Behaviour is good but marred by the behaviour of a small number of boys, especially when they are not effectively challenged in lessons.Leadership, management and governance are satisfactory. However, the school development plan and systems for tracking pupils' progress are not as sharp as they should be and so the drive for improvement is only sound. The rising standards in English, particularly writing, and good improvements to ICT demonstrate the satisfactory improvement made since the last inspection and capacity to improve further. The school gives satisfactory value

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What the school should do to improve further

* Raise standards and progress in mathematics, particularly for boys and higher attaining pupils to the good levels seen in English.* Ensure the quality of teaching and assessment are consistently good so that pupils are challenged and behave well.* Ensure the school development plan and systems to track pupils' progress are sufficiently rigorous to drive improvement.

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Grade: 3

Achievement is satisfactory overall. Over recent years standards have mostly followed the national trend but there are some signs of improvement. Children in the current Reception class are making satisfactory progress and by the start of Year 1 standards are likely to be in line with expectations. In Year 2, the 2005 test results show that standards were above average in reading and writing and average in mathematics. Progress through Years 3 to 6 is also satisfactory but stronger in English than in mathematics. The Year 6 results in 2005, for a more able group of pupils, were well above average in English and above average in mathematics. The challenging targets 2 Inspection Report: St Amand's Catholic Primary School, 8 December 2005 to 9 December 2005 set for English were exceeded but those in mathematics were not. The school correctly identifies that the higher attaining pupils and boys ought to do better in mathematics.

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Grade: 3

The usually good standards in science dipped because a few higher attaining pupils underperformed. The small numbers of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities, and from minority ethnic backgrounds made satisfactory progress overall although some did better in individual subjects. Girls perform better than boys throughout the school. The school has put right the shortcomings in ICT noted at the last inspection. Boys and girls now make good progress throughout the school in their computer skills. The high priority given to music is reflected in the good numbers learning a musical instrument and the beautiful singing heard when pupils prepared for the Christmas production.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Most show positive attitudes to learning and enjoy coming to school. Attendance is satisfactory but has fallen from previously high levels. The school is addressing this and current figures show an improvement.Pupils are polite and friendly to visitors. They relate well to each other and members of staff. Some instances of bullying have taken place. However, discussions with pupils and staff confirm that pupils are responding well to the school's good anti-bullying procedures. Most pupils behave well in lessons but when teaching lacks challenge, some boys lose concentration and misbehave. This slows down their progress and hampers others' learning. One girl said 'I wish some boys would be more sensible in lessons and not distract us'.Pupils are learning to live in a community and demonstrate care for others. Citizenship skills are developing well through the pupils'

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Grade: 2

participation in initiatives such as the school council and eco-committee. For their age pupils show a good understanding of how to keep safe and maintain their health because of the good provision on offer. The good progress made in literacy, strong ICT skills and good teamwork is preparing most pupils well for the next stages of education, but weaker numeracy skills hold some back.

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Grade: 3

Teaching is satisfactory overall but strong in Year 6. Reception children learn at a productive pace because the teacher plans a well balanced set of activities which match their growing skills. In Years 1 to 6 most teaching enables pupils to work productively. Teachers soundly match work for pupils of different abilities and ages. Teaching assistants are well deployed and offer sound support for pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities. However, teaching is not consistently challenging, particularly in mathematics. This limits all groups of pupils achieving consistently well. This is because:* marking does not consistently pinpoint what pupils need to do to improve;* more able pupils are not always set work that challenges them enough, and;* the 3 Inspection Report: St Amand's Catholic Primary School, 8 December 2005 to 9 December 2005 detailed information teachers have on what pupils can do is not used to set small

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Grade: 3

achievable targets and quicken pupils' learning.Sparkling teaching in Year 6, especially in English, sets it apart from that elsewhere. It provides a good role model for others. Learning quickens in this class because the tasks set are consistently challenging, but not too hard. Consequently both boys and girls thrive on a feeling of success.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum for children in the Reception class is satisfactory. There is a good emphasis on learning through play. Older pupils benefit from a broad range of learning experiences. A strong emphasis is placed on the development of literacy skills. This is generally not the case in mathematics, where the development of number and problem solving skills is not as good as it might be. In contrast, there is a strong emphasis on ICT and some good emerging examples of this being used to enhance work in other subjects. This is particularly so for the oldest pupils where this approach is effectively raising standards in pupils writing in Year 6 and motivating the boys in this class to try even harder. A wide range of activities is provided for the pupils outside of lessons, including clubs, visits and residential trips. Sport, computer activities and a homework club are particularly popular. A good personal, social and health education programme

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Grade: 3

has a good impact on their personal development.

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Grade: 3

Good care supports the pupils' enjoyment of school and growing self-esteem. Procedures for child protection, risk assessment and health and safety are robust and staff training is fully up to date. Teachers know their pupils well and relationships are positive. Adequate levels of support are provided for pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities which enables them to make satisfactory progress. Effective links have been established with other support agencies. Procedures for assessment are satisfactory overall with examples of good practice emerging within the school. Some useful systems are being developed to record the progress of pupils. However, teachers do not use this data effectively to track pupils' progress and pinpoint where extra support is needed.

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management are satisfactory. The headteacher promotes a caring and supportive ethos in which pupils feel safe and enjoy their learning. Staff changes and difficulties in appointing a deputy headteacher have hampered improvements in teaching, assessment and pupils' achievement. The views of both pupils and parents are used to highlight priorities. The school's self-evaluation is too generous but the areas that need attention are correctly identified in a development plan of sound quality. These key documents are insufficiently rigorous and so the drive for 4 Inspection Report: St Amand's Catholic Primary School, 8 December 2005 to 9 December 2005 improvement is not as good as it might be. For example, the development plan lacks detail and milestones to guide monitoring. Consequently, it is hard to keep a check on the school's success in improving standards and teaching. The monitoring of teaching

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Grade: 3

has improved but the headteacher and senior staff are not sharp enough in checking on pupils' academic progress. Governors give the headteacher their full support, are well led by the chair of governors and take a keen interest in the work of subject leaders. They have established an effective system to judge the performance of teachers which is being extended to non-teaching staff this year. There are clear plans for them to bring more rigour to their work and develop their role as 'critical friends'. The budget has been managed well and is in a healthy position. Accommodation is good. The school is well endowed with computers. 5 Inspection Report: St Amand's Catholic Primary School, 8 December 2005 to 9 December 2005 .

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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 Amand's Catholic Primary School, 8 December 2005 to 9 December 2005

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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 2 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 2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 2 The behaviour of learners NA 3 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 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

We really enjoyed our visit to your school just before Christmas. Thank you for being so helpful and friendly. We enjoyed seeing your work, chatting to you over lunch and listening to your thoughts in the playground and around the school. We think your school provides a satisfactory education and has some good features. We are most pleased about:* the good progress you are making in English;* your computer skills and the way you are starting to use them in a range of subjects;* your beautiful singing;* the way children in the Reception class work well together, and* your enjoyment of school and the many ways in which you are learning to take good care of yourselves, keep healthy and develop as good citizens; we particularly like the work of the eco-committee and school council. Keep it up! We feel your school would be better still if:* you did better in mathematics, particularly boys and some more able pupils;* your teachers gave you clearer targets to aim for and let you know

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

what you need to do to improve;* work set in lessons were challenging;* every one of you concentrated and behaved well, and* the way the school plans its developments were more detailed.We hope you carry on enjoying your education, continue to improve and help your teachers all you can.

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