St George's Cathedral Catholic Primary School

Inspection Report St George's Cathedral RC Primary School

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100828 Unique Reference Number Southwark LEA LEA 283043 Inspection number 13 September 2005 to 14 September 2005 Inspection dates Carmen Rodney HMI Reporting inspector

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This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005 which gives Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools the authority to cause any school to be inspected. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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33 Westminster Bridge Road School address Primary Type of school Southwark Voluntary aided School category London SE1 7JB 3 to 11 Age range of pupils 020 7525 9250 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 020 7525 9251 Fax number 370 Number on roll Mrs Pauline McAlpine Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Ann Higgs Headteacher 5 October 1998 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 283043 13 September 2005 - 3 to 11 14 September 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 school was re-inspected by one of Her Majesty's Inspectors and an Additional Inspector in September 2005.

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Description of the school

St George's Cathedral RC Primary School is larger than most primary schools, with 370 pupils aged between 3 and 11 on roll. It serves a socially and economically deprived area. Over 79% of the pupils are from minority ethnic heritages with 40% of them speaking a first language other than English. The percentage of pupils who have special educational needs is average, and the proportion entitled to free school meals is above the national average. When St George's Cathedral RC Primary School was inspected in 2004, it was judged to require special measures because it was failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education. Her Majesty's Inspectors of school (HMI) subsequently visited the school on two occasions to monitor its progress.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: St George's Cathedral RC Primary School, 13 September 2005 to 14 September 2005

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Grade: 3

In accordance with section 13 (4) of the Education Act 2005, HMCI is of the opinion that the school no longer requires special measures. Following the inspection in June 2004, the staffing of the school has stabilised and a number of key appointments has created a strong team; as a result, standards are beginning to rise. The school now provides a satisfactory standard of education for its pupils. The calm and determined leadership of the headteacher, and consistently good support from staff, governors, diocesan board and the LEA, are contributing to the school's improvement. Standards are low but recent improvements in teaching and the increasing use of assessment data have ensured that pupils, with the exception of some of the more able, make progress at the expected rate. The youngest pupils are given a sound start in the nursery. The pupils' behaviour and attitudes are good and they respond well to effective

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Grade: 3

teaching. Pupils enjoy coming to school but some would like more challenging work.The school has made good progress in addressing the weaknesses identified in the last inspection report, though there is still scope to raise standards. The school is well placed to build on the improvements already made. The headteacher has an accurate knowledge of the school's strengths and a good understanding of where further improvement is required. The school's self-evaluation closely matches the inspectors' judgements.

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What the school should do to improve further

* continue to raise standards for pupils of all levels of attainment * continue to improve the quality of teaching* make effective use of assessment data to raise standards, by ensuring that: i) records of the pupils' progress are used to set clear targets for teaching and learningii) pupils know clearly what they must do to improve.

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Grade: 3

The pupils' attainment when they enter the school is below average. The pupils in the nursery and reception classes get a good start and most reach the standard expected for their age group. While the pupils in other year groups make satisfactory progress, standards are below national expectations. The legacy of weaknesses in past provision has led to underachievement in English, mathematics and science and among some of the more able pupils in Year 2 and Year 6. Over the last three years, results in the national tests at Key Stages 1 and 2 have fluctuated above and below the national averages. The 2005 national tests results were a significant improvement on the previous year, with a higher proportion of pupils reaching the expected levels in both key stages. Nevertheless, too few reached the higher levels, particularly in writing and mathematics at Key Stage 2. Improvements in the teaching are leading to a gradual

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Grade: 3

rise in standards.The achievement of different groups of pupils is too varied. Boys occasionally do better than girls but the trend was reversed in the most recent test results. Pupils of black African descent do less well than their peers. Given their starting 2 Inspection Report: St George's Cathedral RC Primary School, 13 September 2005 to 14 September 2005 point, pupils with special needs make good progress, as do those learning English as an additional language.

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Grade: 2

The school judges personal development and well-being to be good and the inspectors agree. In almost all lessons the pupils respond positively and behave well. Occasionally a few pupils fall short of their teachers' expectations for good behaviour. Attendance has improved over the last year and is now broadly similar to most primary schools.The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of the pupils is good. From the day they start school, the youngest children are encouraged to share and co-operate with each other and their teachers. By Year 6, pupils have mature attitudes towards each other's welfare. They speak with great sensitivity about the impact that bullying may have on individuals. Much has been done to increase awareness of bullying and, as a result, it has declined significantly. One pupil commented, 'there has been a big improvement'. The pupils enjoy lessons and some would welcome 'even harder work'.

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Grade: 2

Their safety in school is given a high priority. Healthy meals and opportunities to participate in outdoor activities effectively enhance their well-being. The wide range of cultures represented within the school share their traditions to the great benefit of the whole-school community.

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Grade: 3

The school has an accurate view of the quality of teaching and learning and has taken effective measures to secure improvements against a background of high staff turnover. The quality of teaching was satisfactory overall and occasionally good. The best teaching adopted an energetic and enthusiastic approach that drew on practical and theoretical work. This built on the pupils' interests and challenged them to think quickly and accurately before applying the taught skills. Some literacy and numeracy lessons used role play effectively. Most lessons were well planned; the pupils knew what they were going to learn and were given a suitable range of resources and support. Work was well matched to the pupils' learning needs. Questions were skilfully used to probe the pupils' understanding, and improve their speaking and listening skills. The weaker lessons were characterised by uninspiring work, slow pace and tasks that did

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Grade: 3

not match pupils' learning needs. Marking of pupils' work has many good features but has been less effective than it might be because it does not always explain the next step for pupils. 3 Inspection Report: St George's Cathedral RC Primary School, 13 September 2005 to 14 September 2005

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Grade: 3

The school's evaluation of its curriculum as satisfactory is accurate. Recent improvements ensure that it meets the needs of most of the pupils, but there are places where it does not challenge the more able. For example, the skills of scientific investigation are now being taught regularly but opportunities to stretch the brightest pupils are sometimes missed. A wider range of after-school activities including sport, modern languages and music clubs enhance the pupils' enjoyment. The older pupils visit a residential activity centre, which they talk about enthusiastically and clearly enjoyed a great deal.The provision for the Foundation Stage is satisfactory. The curriculum is tailored well to the children's needs. When they first start school the emphasis is rightly placed on the pupils' personal and social development and their language skills. The support and resources for pupils who are at an early stage of

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Grade: 3

learning English have improved. Consequently, many of these pupils make rapid steps in their learning of English. Nevertheless, the school is sensibly seeking to further extend its resources.

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Grade: 3

The inspectors agree with the school's judgement that it provides satisfactory care, guidance and support. Recently improved monitoring and target setting procedures provide a clear picture of how well each pupil is doing. While the school increasingly makes effective use of such assessment information, it is not yet ensuring that targets for the most able are sufficiently challenging. The school's pastoral care of the pupils reflects its strong Catholic values. Good and productive liaison with other children's services adds to the school's comprehensive welfare arrangements. A strong programme of personal and social education helps the older pupils to recognise the dangers of drugs, alcohol and smoking. The use of real stories to illustrate these dangers had a considerable impact on some older pupils. One commented how one of these stories had 'made me cry inside.'

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management are satisfactory overall. The headteacher's strong leadership has established a firm foundation for the school's future improvement. Since the inspection in June 2004, the headteacher has demonstrated determination and commitment to improving the school's performance. Procedures for monitoring and self evaluation are largely effective. The have, for example, enabled strengths in the teaching to be identified along with the training that is needed to improve its quality. In contrast, however, while assessment data is well managed and analysed the outcomes are not used rigorously enough to raise standards. There is a greater understanding among staff that the regular review underpins the school's work. A new, strong senior leadership team, well supported by subject coordinators, has 4 Inspection Report: St George's Cathedral RC Primary School, 13 September 2005 to 14 September 2005

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Grade: 3

maintained the momentum for change. Staff are clear about what is expected of them and how they will be held to account. Planning for improvement appropriately involves pupils, their parents, a nearby school and governors. The governing body is well informed. Governors challenge the school on its performance, provide effective support and fulfil their responsibilities. The LEA and diocesan adviser have played vital roles in helping the school to improve teaching and develop and strengthen leadership at all levels. The governors, diocese and LEA constantly keep the accommodation under review as part of the long-term strategy to improve the building. 5 Inspection Report: St George's Cathedral RC Primary School, 13 September 2005 to 14 September 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 George's Cathedral RC Primary School, 13 September 2005 to 14 September 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 3 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 4 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 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 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

I am writing on behalf of the inspection team to let you know what we think about your school. Thank you for taking part in the inspection by talking to us about your work and life in school. * We believe your school is satisfactory and wants you to do well.* When the school was inspected last year, it was not doing its best for you and you were not learning as much as you should. * Your headteacher and teachers have worked very hard to put things right.* The school is now helping you to learn a lot more but some of you could do even better. * The staff pay very careful attention to looking after you and it is clear you like the healthy eating project. * There are many opportunities for you to take part in activities which you enjoy very much. You do important jobs as translators and play leaders which help the school to run smoothly. * We saw you enjoying lessons that were lively and interesting, but some of you told us you would

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

like harder work and we think you could too.* We liked the sensible way you behave around the school as you work and play together. * You are proud of your school. Some of you would like it to have a garden and more equipment. Your school needs to:* help more of you reach higher levels in the national curriculum tests;* make sure that you understand how you can improve your work;* make all lessons interesting and exciting so that you are challenged to do your best.

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