Our Lady of the Rosary RC Primary School

Our Lady of The Rosary RC Primary School Inspection report

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106358 Unique Reference Number Trafford Local Authority 287498 Inspection number 22 May 2007 Inspection date John Ashton 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 4 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 196 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Mr P Jepson Chair Miss M Culliney Headteacher 10 June 2002 Date of previous school inspection Davyhulme Road School address Davyhulme Urmston Manchester M41 7DS

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0161 7484626 Telephone number 0161 9122900 Fax number

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4 °11 Age group 22 May 2007 Inspection date 287498 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 an Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

This smaller than average primary school serves an established residential area of Trafford on the edge of Manchester. A much lower than average proportion of pupils is eligible for free school meals. Nearly all the pupils are of White British heritage and all speak English as their first language. A smaller than average percentage of pupils has learning difficulties and or/disabilities.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 10 Inspection Report: Our Lady of The Rosary RC Primary School, 22 May 2007

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Grade: 1

This is an outstanding school that gives very good value for money. Pupils' achievement is outstanding and standards are high. The children have an excellent start in the one year they spend in the Reception class when, from a just above average starting point, the majority of pupils exceed their early learning goals by the end of the year. Standards are significantly higher than average by the end of Key Stage 1 and remain so until the end of Key Stage 2. This is due to excellent teaching throughout the school along with the pupils' very positive attitudes to work, the very effective care and guidance they receive and the richness of the curriculum. Parents and children are all happy with the school. Asked to describe what could be even better, some pupils said the school is perfect as it is, apart from the nettles at the edge of the playing field! Parents say how much the pupils miss the school after they leave.

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Grade: 1

Pupils have a good understanding of the need to keep healthy. That they love the school is demonstrated well by the exceptionally good attendance and their high level of involvement in extra-curricular activities. Opportunities for acting as buddies to younger pupils and members of the splendid school council ensure that they develop the skills to enable them to make a positive contribution to the school community. Children feel safe at school and show a high degree of care for each other. Their above average skills in information and communication technology (ICT), English and mathematics and their excellent enterprise work means they are set up very well for their future. Very good use is made of ICT by staff and children although there is less equipment for this subject than the school would ideally like. The excellent leadership of the headteacher is the secret of the school's long standing success.

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Grade: 1

Parents describe the headteacher as 'fantastic and respected by the children'. Children agree that their headteacher 'has a big heart' and that they 'work very hard because she calls us "The academy"'.

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What the school should do to improve further

There are no significant areas to work on. The school has understandably identified minor improvements it needs to make, for example, to improve resources for information and communication technology.

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Grade: 1

Excellent teaching, along with the pupils' obvious enjoyment of school and their above average attendance, all contribute strongly to their outstanding academic achievement. As a result pupils attain highly by Year 6. Children enter the school with just above average skills for their age group, they make very good progress in Reception and Key Stage 1 and the resulting well above average standards by the end of Year 2 are maintained throughout Key Stage 2. Standards are well above average throughout the school in English, mathematics and science and have been consistently so for many years. The school meets its challenging targets in English, mathematics and science. For example in 2006 pupils in Year 6 attained more than twice the national average at higher levels in English and mathematics. This is exceptional achievement. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and higher attaining pupils make as much

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Grade: 1

progress as their classmates, the result of very well targeted individual monitoring and support. 4 of 10 Inspection Report: Our Lady of The Rosary RC Primary School, 22 May 2007

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Grade: 1

Pupils' spiritual and moral development is outstanding. The children's social and cultural development, including their knowledge and understanding of other cultures, is also very strong. Pupils relate very well to each other and to the staff. Pupils' behaviour and attitude to their work are excellent and these are significant reasons for the excellent progress they make throughout the school. Attendance is well above average, a good indication both of the pupils' enjoyment and of their parents' desire for them to gain the maximum benefit from their education. Pupils rapidly become mature, sensible and reliable members of the school community. They have responsibility thrust upon them very quickly and respond to it very well. Recent successes of the active and well run school council include improvements to the playground and toilets, variations to the uniform, and the 'good to be green' initiative. Pupils feel that the

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Grade: 1

school is a very safe place to be, that it is free from bullying and, even if this was not so, any problems would be quickly sorted out. High academic standards including good skills in ICT mean that pupils are very well prepared for their future economic well-being.

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Grade: 1

The largely excellent quality of teaching throughout the school ensures that pupils learn at a very rapid pace. Teachers have high expectations of their pupils, in terms of standards of work, behaviour and attitudes to their work. Pupils respond with alacrity and make fast gains. Very good use of information from assessment including very helpful marking ensures that pupils' differing needs and abilities are met very well. Reception staff have an excellent understanding of how young children learn, and skilfully provide exciting activities that appeal to their natural inquisitiveness. This is built upon well throughout the rest of the school where lessons are very well planned with interesting activities that engage pupils' imagination. Pupils rise to the challenge and are keen to learn. As a result, the learning of all groups of pupils is first-rate.

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Grade: 1

The excellent curriculum is suitably modified for all learners. Visitors and visits out of school enrich pupils' learning to a great extent. For example, visits from the Halle orchestra, from a theatre group, and the chance to play with historical toys from Lyme Park add a great deal to pupils' understanding and enjoyment. Of particular note is the excellent work in preparation for the school's forthcoming enterprise week. Valuable sporting links with a local high school enhance pupils' physical skills and there is a very wide range of other extra-curricular activities, including Gaelic football and French, plus gardening for the younger pupils. Reception children have a rich curriculum. The outdoor provision for these children is much improved since the last inspection and very well used.

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Grade: 1

The outstanding level of care, guidance and support for all pupils contributes strongly to their confidence, enjoyment and very good progress. Parents are extremely supportive of the school. 5 of 10 Inspection Report: Our Lady of The Rosary RC Primary School, 22 May 2007 They understandably feel that their children are exceptionally well cared for, and well challenged too. Staff work hard to ensure pupils' happiness and welfare, knowing this is vital to their progress. Systems to safeguard pupils' safety are fully in place. Knowledgeable support staff provide skilled assistance to pupils' learning and emotional development. Senior staff make very good use of the school's excellent assessment systems to monitor pupils' progress very closely to ensure that all pupils stay on track and are sufficiently challenged to do their very best.

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Grade: 1

The headteacher's very experienced and very effective leadership is the key to the high standards and outstanding quality of education the school provides. Very good support is given by other senior colleagues and subject leaders. All are very involved in the collegiate running of the school and play a significant role in the monitoring of the quality of teaching and learning and the standards pupils achieve. As a result, the school's performance is exceptionally well monitored and evaluated. Staff willingly undertake training to increase their professional skills and knowledge so that they can always offer the best to their pupils. Self-evaluation is concise and accurate and governance is experienced, supportive yet confident enough to challenge decisions and initiatives. The budget is astutely managed to support improvements. For example, a bank of new and well used laptops has helped to raise standards in ICT. The school has built well on

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Grade: 1

previous successes and has an outstanding capacity for further improvement. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: Our Lady of The Rosary RC Primary School, 22 May 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. 7 of 10 Inspection Report: Our Lady of The Rosary RC Primary School, 22 May 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? 1 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? 1 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 1 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?

1 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. 8 of 10 Inspection Report: Our Lady of The Rosary RC Primary School, 22 May 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 Yes 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? 9 of 10 Inspection Report: Our Lady of The Rosary RC Primary School, 22 May 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for making me so welcome during my visit to your school this week. A very special thank you should go to those children who gave up some of their lunch time to talk with me and to tell me so many good things about the school. Your school provides an outstanding level of education. I thoroughly agree with you that it is a very happy and safe place to learn. Your teachers are so very friendly, they make your lessons interesting and you have such a lot of exciting activities outside lessons. The school is particularly well managed and your teachers check your progress extremely well. They know very well what each of you can do and what help you need to improve further. You deserve a great deal of credit for the high standards you achieve. You enjoy your learning, behave tremendously well and work very hard. To help you even more I support the school's plan to equip even more of the classrooms with

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

computer resources, including electronic whiteboards, just as soon as it can afford to do so. You can play your part by making sure that you all continue to work as well together and help the younger children as much as you do. I hope the enterprise week is a great success and that the nettle problem on the playing field is solved soon. Best wishes to all of you for the future. 10 of 10 Inspection Report: Our Lady of The Rosary RC Primary School, 22 May 2007

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