St Anthony's Catholic Primary School

Inspection Report St Anthony's Catholic Primary School

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125716 Unique Reference Number Warwickshire LEA 281982 Inspection number 26 June 2006 to 27 June 2006 Inspection dates Mike Capper AI Reporting inspector

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

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Sydenham Drive School address Primary Type of school Leamington Spa Voluntary aided School category Warwickshire CV31 1NJ 3 to 11 Age range of pupils 01926 428800 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01926 428800 Fax number 225 Number on roll Ms Stella Ucey Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Joseph Cannon Headteacher 10 July 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 281982 26 June 2006 - 3 to 11 27 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

This church primary school takes both Catholic and non-Catholic pupils from the local area. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is broadly average, as is the number identified as having learning difficulties or disabilities. The number of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is above average, with an increasing number starting school when they are in the early stages of learning English. The most common languages spoken by these pupils are Portuguese and Panjabi. Children’s attainment is below average when they start school in the Nursery.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: St Anthony's Catholic Primary School, 26 June 2006 to 27 June 2006

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Grade: 2

This is a good school that provides good value for money. Pupils are happy and achieve well because they are well cared for and teaching is good. Good provision in the Nursery and Reception class gives children a good start to their education. Children make good progress from their starting points, though standards are slightly below those found nationally by the end of the Reception Year. Pupils continue to make good progress in Year 1 to 6. By the end of Year 6, standards are consistently above average. Throughout the school, teachers have very good relationships with the pupils and they plan work that meets differing needs well. Pupils in the early stages of learning English are supported well and make good progress. There is a good range of activities to enrich learning, but not enough time is allowed for the teaching of physical education in Years 1 and 2 and for geography and history throughout the school. This limits the

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Grade: 2

quality and quantity of work in these subjects. Pupils’ personal development is good. Pupils enjoy coming to school and their behaviour is excellent. They are keen to take responsibility, though there are too few opportunities for them to do so in lessons. The school is well led and managed. All members of staff share the headteacher’s commitment to ensuring that all pupils fulfil their potential. This is reflected in every aspect of school life. There are good systems for finding out how well the school is doing. This means that senior managers have an accurate understanding of its overall effectiveness that matches the views of the inspectors. Senior managers and governors have successfully dealt with issues from the last inspection and the school is well placed to improve further.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Ensure that enough time is allowed for the teaching of physical education, history and geography. • Give pupils more opportunities to take responsibility for their own learning.

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Grade: 2

Pupils’ achievement is good and standards are above average. In the Nursery and Reception classes, children make good progress from their below average starting points, especially in the ways that develop personal and social skills such as independence. By the end of the Reception Year, standards are only slightly below average overall. Pupils’ good progress is maintained throughout Years 1 to 6. Standards improve from slightly above average at the end of Year 2 to being consistently above average overall by the end of Year 6. The school sets challenging targets for pupils’ attainment by the end of Year 6 and these were exceeded in 2005, when test results in science were exceptionally high. However, in history and geography, a lack of curriculum time means that pupils do not produce the same high quality work that is seen in other subjects. Pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities have their needs

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Grade: 2

met well and make good progress. Pupils who start school in the early stages of 2 Inspection Report: St Anthony's Catholic Primary School, 26 June 2006 to 27 June 2006 speaking English are supported effectively throughout the school and quickly improve their spoken English.

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Grade: 2

Pupils’ personal development and well-being are good. Pupils become thoughtful and responsible citizens. Their behaviour is excellent and they are very attentive to their teachers in lessons. Rates of attendance are very high and pupils enjoy school. Many feel that the best thing about school is ‘meeting our friends’. Relationships are very good and there is a very harmonious atmosphere in school, with pupils from different backgrounds working and playing together very well. As one pupil rightly said, ‘We get along with the teachers and they get along with us’. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Wellestablished links with a school in Sierra Leone help pupils to appreciate different cultural traditions and to develop a good understanding of how other communities work. Pupils happily celebrate each other’s successes and they participate enthusiastically in acts of worship. They raise money

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Grade: 2

for charity and show a good concern for the welfare and well-being of others. Pupils make a good contribution to the community through the school council and by becoming peer mediators or ‘eco-warriors’. These responsibilities help pupils to develop the social and cooperative skills needed in later life. Pupils are clear about how to stay safe. They generally adopt healthy lifestyles, though younger pupils do not take enough regular exercise at school because of limitations in the physical education curriculum.

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Grade: 2

Good teaching helps pupils to make good progress throughout the school. Members of staff set very high expectations for pupils in terms of behaviour and hard work. Consequently, pupils are very attentive and sensible and achieve a good deal in each lesson. Relationships between adults and pupils are very good. Pupils trust their teachers and this helps them to tackle their work with confidence and to ask for help when they need it. Teachers assess learning carefully and ensure that work meets the needs of different groups of pupils, including the more able. In the Nursery and Reception classes, teachers very successfully help children to become independent and to take responsibility for their own learning by choosing what to do. However, in other year groups, teachers do not extend these skills sufficiently because they do not give pupils enough opportunity to think for themselves or to use their initiative.

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Grade: 2

Skilled teaching assistants are used well to support the learning of different groups of pupils, including those with learning difficulties or disabilities. Pupils learning English as an additional language are also supported well. Specialist support has an especially good effect on the progress that younger children make in their understanding and use of English. 3 Inspection Report: St Anthony's Catholic Primary School, 26 June 2006 to 27 June 2006

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Grade: 3

The curriculum is satisfactory. Planning in the Nursery and Reception classes is good and there is a good balance between child-initiated and teacher-led activities. In Years 1 to 6, there is a sharp focus on developing key skills in literacy, numeracy and science but the curriculum lacks balance. The current timetabling arrangements mean that pupils spend most of the morning in long literacy and numeracy sessions. Consequently, less time is available for other subjects, especially history and geography, meaning that topics cannot be studied in sufficient detail. Enrichment of the curriculum is good. A wide range of visits, visitors and afterschool activities help to make learning interesting. After-school clubs are wellattended and enjoyed by pupils. Activities such as the ‘kerb safe’ project, cycling awareness training and visits from a ‘Life Skills’ caravan help pupils to learn how to stay safe and healthy. However, in Years 1 and 2,

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Grade: 3

there is only one physical education lesson a week and this limits the extent to which younger pupils can develop an awareness of how regular exercise can promote healthy living.

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Grade: 2

The good provision for pupils’ care, guidance and support is firmly based on the school’s mission statement, ‘We walk in the footsteps of Christ and are held in the hand of God’. Members of staff know the pupils well and provide them with good individual guidance and support. Pupils’ progress is carefully analysed and staff have recently introduced, and are continuing to develop, the use of personal targets for pupils in English and mathematics. As a result, pupils and their parents are generally clear about how well they are achieving in both personal and academic areas and about what they need to do to improve. The school works well with outside agencies to safeguard pupils’ well-being. Child protection procedures are securely in place and understood by staff. The procedures for introducing new children into the Nursery are good and help to ensure that they settle quickly.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. The headteacher provides very strong leadership. The drive and commitment of senior managers and the good support of subject leaders and other members of staff means that the school is successful in ensuring that all pupils are looked after well and do their best, whatever their background, ability or need. There are good procedures for monitoring school effectiveness. This means that senior managers have a generally good understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. However, though they are aware of the need to improve the balance of the curriculum, this has not been dealt with quickly enough. Senior managers and the literacy and numeracy co-ordinators make very good use of information about how well pupils are doing to respond to any dips in progress as soon as they arise. The 4 Inspection Report: St Anthony's Catholic Primary School, 26 June 2006 to 27 June 2006

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Grade: 2

views of all members of the school community, including parents and pupils, are welcomed and acted upon. The school recently improved arrangements for setting homework after getting feedback from parents. Parents are rightly pleased with the school. For example, one wrote that ‘the staff put a lot of time and effort into making the school a friendly and supportive place and they are good at recognising the individual needs of each child ’. Governance is good. Governors provide generally good challenge and support to senior managers. The school has responded effectively to the few minor weaknesses from the last inspection and is in a good position to improve further. 5 Inspection Report: St Anthony's Catholic Primary School, 26 June 2006 to 27 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 Anthony's Catholic Primary School, 26 June 2006 to 27 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 1 The behaviour of learners NA 1 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

28 June 2006 Dear Children Thank you for welcoming us to your school and for showing us your work. You were very polite and friendly. We especially enjoyed watching the rehearsal of Romeo and Juliet, which was superb. We hope the final performance in Stratford-upon-Avon went well. What we liked most about your school: • good teaching means that you learn new things quickly, especially in English, mathematics and science • you work hard and behave exceptionally well • there are lots of exciting things for you to do outside of lessons • the school council helps you all to contribute well to school life • your headteacher and governors are working hard to make the school even better • your parents and carers are very pleased that you come to this school. What we have asked your school to do now: • make sure that you have enough time to do physical education and to study history and geography topics •

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

give you greater opportunity to take responsibility for your own learning in lessons. We thoroughly enjoyed talking to you about your work and watching you learn and we wish you all well for the future. Yours sincerely Mr M Capper Lead Inspector Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE T 0207 421 6800 F 0207 421 6707 www.ofsted.gov.uk

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