St Augustine's Catholic Primary School and Nursery

St Augustine's Catholic Primary School and Nursery Inspection report

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100725 Unique Reference Number Lewisham Local Authority 285863 Inspection number 11 June 2007 Inspection date Ian Wilson Reporting inspector

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

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Primary Type of school Voluntary aided School category 3 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 216 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs J Gulczynski Chair Mrs M McCaughan Headteacher 12 February 2002 Date of previous school inspection Dunfield Road School address London SE6 3RD

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020 8698 6083 Telephone number 020 8461 2131 Fax number

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3 °11 Age group 11 June 2007 Inspection date 285863 Inspection number .

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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 one Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

St Augustine's Catholic Primary School and Nursery is an averaged sized school which serves a disadvantaged area . The percentage of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is well above average, with the largest groups being pupils of black British, African and Caribbean origin. A well above average percentage of pupils speak English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties is well above average.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 11 Inspection Report: St Augustine's Catholic Primary School and Nursery, 11 June 2007

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Grade: 1

St Augustine's is an outstanding school. It has a very strong family and Catholic ethos, in which relationships are excellent, individuals are known and valued and all are equally enabled to do their best. Parents are overwhelmingly pleased with the school. Pupils are happy, enjoy learning and develop confidence and self esteem. 'St Augustine's is a place you can learn', commented one Year 3 pupil when asked why they enjoy school. Pupils' overall achievement is outstanding. Most children start school with levels of knowledge and skills that are below those expected but by the time they leave school in Year 6 they are attaining standards that are above average. All groups of pupils achieve very well, including those with learning difficulties and those speaking English as an additional language. The excellent progress pupils make is a result of some outstanding teaching, an excellent curriculum which motivates

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Grade: 1

and meets their needs very well and very effective additional support for those pupils that require it. In some years, including the Foundation Stage, the teaching does not provide the range of experiences for pupils found in the best lessons and so the progress of pupils, though good in these years, is not outstanding. The school develops pupils very well personally, socially, emotionally and spiritually. They know about the importance of staying safe and healthy, are good at taking responsibility and take action to make a difference to the lives of others, for example being involved in fundraising for charity. Their attendance is high and behaviour excellent. The school is very well led by the headteacher and she is well supported by capable middle managers. There are very good procedures used that help the staff to evaluate the school's effectiveness accurately. Consequently, the school has improved extremely well since its last inspection and has a very

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve teaching so that it is consistently outstanding throughout the school and Foundation Stage.

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Grade: 1

The achievement of pupils is outstanding. Good teaching and a curriculum which meets their needs well enables pupils to make good overall progress in the Foundation Stage so that by the end of the Reception year they are meeting the expected levels in most areas of learning. During Years 1 and 2, pupils progress very well due to outstanding teaching. By the end of Year 2, standards are above average overall. Pupils make excellent progress in Years 3 to 6 and especially so during their last two years in school, where the teaching is consistently outstanding. This very good progress is reflected in the well above average standards they attain in national tests by the end of Year 6. Pupils with learning difficulties and those learning English as an additional language are supported very well and, as a result, they also make very good progress towards their learning targets. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: St Augustine's Catholic Primary School and Nursery, 11 June 2007

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Grade: 1

Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. Relationships in the school are strong and pupils commented how they all get on well with each other. They also said that they enjoy learning because the school provides interesting activities. Their enjoyment of school is reflected in above average attendance. Pupils are confident and, by learning about themselves and their talents, they develop good self esteem. They eat healthily and know about the importance of exercise, with many of them walking to school. They know about how to keep safe, for example, they know about road safety, fire risks and the problems associated with drugs. Many undertake jobs around the school such as being monitors or members of the school council which gives them good opportunities to develop responsibility. Most behave extremely well. Older pupils talked very seriously about their concerns for the many children who do not receive an education, and how

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Grade: 1

they had written to world leaders about it. Pupils develop a very good range of basic literacy, mathematics and information and communication technology (ICT) skills that prepares them very well for the future.

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Grade: 1

Teaching and learning are outstanding overall and enable pupils to make excellent progress. Teachers manage their classes very well. They prepare interesting lessons that pupils enjoy, maintain a very good pace, and make good use of ICT, such as electronic whiteboards to provide visual examples that stimulate interest and help pupils learn. Pupils commented on how they like the 'fun activities' and 'opportunities to learn in different ways'. Pupils respond very well to the high quality of teaching showing good levels of concentration in lessons and trying hard. Work is generally exceptionally well matched to pupils' needs and abilities. Teachers make good use of targets to help pupils know what they need to work on. Pupils know their targets and find them helpful. In Years 3 and 4, teaching, though good, does not have quite the level of challenge as in most others and the effectiveness of some practice such as marking is not as

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Grade: 1

good, resulting in progress which though still good is not outstanding. In the Foundation Stage, teaching is good. The lessons are well planned but limited outdoor areas reduce teachers' ability to provide a balanced programme of stimulating experiences for children. The additional support provided for pupils with learning difficulties and those who are in the early stages of learning English meets their needs very well.

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Grade: 1

The curriculum provided by the school is outstanding. It meets pupils' learning needs very well thereby contributing exceptionally well to the very high achievement of pupils and also to their excellent personal development. Links between subjects are well developed and there is a very good emphasis on creative activities. These make learning interesting and more meaningful for pupils. For example, in an English lesson, Year 2 pupils took part in a drama activity about the great fire of London. They enjoyed the activity and, as well as contributing to their historical 5 of 11 Inspection Report: St Augustine's Catholic Primary School and Nursery, 11 June 2007 knowledge, it provided a stimulus to their writing about what it would have actually have been like to be there. Pupils' skills are developed very well, for example, an excellent handwriting programme taught in Year 1 results in accurate and high quality handwriting. The regular use

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Grade: 1

of computers helps the pupils to make very good progress and become competent users of ICT. All pupils have excellent opportunities to learn to speak French. The varied range of extra activities that the school organises is outstanding and includes specially themed days and weeks, and many educational visits and visitors to the school.

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Grade: 2

Care, support and guidance are good. Teachers and support staff know pupils and their needs well. One parent commented, 'Everybody seems to know everybody by name, which is quite amazing'. Pupils feel safe and secure and say that they have an adult they can talk to confidently. Health and safety issues are promoted well by the school. Health and safety audits are carried out and issues that were raised at the last inspection, such as the need for risk assessments, have been dealt with. However, there are some procedural requirements that the school still needs to fulfil. Staff training for first aid and child protection is carried out well and is up to date. There are good arrangements for tracking pupils' progress throughout the school and these are used well to identify those pupils needing support and then providing it, making good use of outside agencies where needed. The school's personal, social and health education programme

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Grade: 2

helps deal with the challenges they are likely to meet in their everyday lives, for example, raising awareness of bullying and drugs.

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Grade: 1

Leadership and management are outstanding. The headteacher provides very good leadership and she is well supported by a very competent, knowledgeable team of middle managers, responsible for leading subjects and managing provision for pupils with learning difficulties. Leaders share common values a shared sense of purpose which includes high expectations for all who work in the school and the valuing of every individual. All the issues raised in the last inspection have been addressed successfully. For example, attendance was below average then but is now above average and matches the best in the local authority. The school has improved significantly in other areas for example, the curriculum is much better and standards throughout the school are rising very well. The school sets very challenging targets and is successful in meeting them. Improvements have been brought about by very good planning, substantial staff development

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Grade: 1

and regular monitoring. The school improvement plan, which was developed with all staff and governors, has appropriate priorities and action needed is clearly identified. Monitoring is good and systematic and involves most staff which helps the sharing of best practice. The school's judgements of its strengths and weaknesses are accurate but some overall judgements are conservative, reflecting the high expectations the staff set for themselves. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: St Augustine's Catholic Primary School and Nursery, 11 June 2007 Governors are knowledgeable and committed to the school, and carry out their role well. The school uses its resources very well and makes good use of its extensive local and international links. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: St Augustine's Catholic Primary School and Nursery, 11 June 2007 .

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Grade: 1

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: St Augustine's Catholic Primary School and Nursery, 11 June 2007

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Inspection judgements

School Overall Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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Overall effectiveness

How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners? How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 2 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 1 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 1 The capacity to make any necessary improvements Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

1 How well do learners achieve? 2 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 1 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 The behaviour of learners 2 The attendance of learners 1 How well learners enjoy their education 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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and interests of learners?

2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average to below average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: St Augustine's Catholic Primary School and Nursery, 11 June 2007

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and supporting all learners?

How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities No Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? No Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: St Augustine's Catholic Primary School and Nursery, 11 June 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

21 June 2007 Dear Pupils Inspection of St Augustine's Catholic Primary School and Nursery,London,SE6 3RD You may remember that I recently came to visit your school. I really enjoyed my visit and meeting you, your teachers and other people who work in the school. I am writing to let you know what I found out. I think that you are lucky to go to an excellent school. You are well looked after and are taught very well. The school does a lot to make learning interesting for you such as arranging lots of visits and having visitors to the school. You learn about how to keep safe, eat healthily and develop as a person. You behave really well and are very good at looking after each other. I was impressed with your understanding of how others in the world are less well off than you are and what you are doing about it, such as writing to world leaders. Because of all of this, you do very well at school and reach standards that are much higher than average. The school

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

is very well led by your headteacher with the support of other staff. I have made just one suggestion as to what the school can do to improve further: • to improve teaching even more so that all the lessons are as good as they possibly could be. Thank you again for being so friendly. I enjoyed meeting you and send you my best wishes for the future. Yours sincerely, Ian WilsonLead Inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: St Augustine's Catholic Primary School and Nursery, 11 June 2007

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