St Margaret's Catholic PrimaryOfsted inspection, 21 May 2007

St Margaret's Catholic Primary School Inspection report

p.1

112911 Unique Reference Number DERBYSHIRE Local Authority 289461 Inspection number 21 May 2007 Inspection date Alison Cogher Reporting inspector

p.1

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

p.1

Primary Type of school Voluntary aided School category 3 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 103 School

p.1

The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Angela Lake Chair Mr Simon Groarke Headteacher 3 December 2001 Date of previous school inspection Glossop Road School address Glossop Derbyshire SK13 6JH

p.1

01457 855818 Telephone number 01457 855818 Fax number

p.1

3 °11 Age group 21 May 2007 Inspection date 289461 Inspection number .

p.1

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

Introduction

The inspection was carried out by an Additional Inspector over one day.

p.3

Description of the school

This Catholic primary school is smaller than average in size and has its own nursery. All pupils are of White British descent and speak English as their first language. Many pupils have backgrounds that are socially and economically disadvantaged compared to the national average. An above average number of pupils are entitled to free school meals. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities is broadly average. Although few in number, an above average proportion of pupils have a statement of special educational need. Pupils start school with standards that are typically well below those expected for their age.

p.3

Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 10 Inspection Report: St Margaret's Catholic Primary School, 21 May 2007

p.3

Grade: 2

This is a good school. Effective leadership and strong teamwork have ensured good improvement since the last inspection. The school has the overwhelming support of its parents who value its family feel and the support they and their children receive. The school is well led by the headteacher with the full support of staff and governors. The school's Catholic affiliation and the positive and productive relationships that permeate its work underpin its commitment to ensuring all pupils achieve as well as they can in their work and personal lives. The school rigorously and accurately evaluates the quality of its work. Governors and staff at all levels are involved in this process. There is a sharp focus on making things better for pupils and a proven track record of staff working well as a team to bring about whole-school improvement. The school's capacity to improve further is good and it provides good value for money.

p.4

Grade: 2

In response to the good care, guidance and support they receive, pupils' personal development and well-being are good. Pupils, including those with learning difficulties or disabilities and those with a statement of special educational need, receive good pastoral and academic support. Assessment information is used well to set challenging targets for pupils. These targets are generally achieved although pupils are not as involved as they could be in this process. This is because they are not always clear about what their personal targets are or what they need to do to achieve them. In addition, teachers' marking of their work does not tell them how to make their work better. Pupils take their responsibilities in school seriously and make a good contribution to the school and wider community. They develop tolerant and respectful relationships and enjoy school. Almost all pupils behave well, develop positive attitudes to

p.4

Grade: 2

learning and understand how to keep themselves safe and lead a healthy lifestyle. The provision made for pupils in the Foundation Stage is good. Pupils start in the nursery with standards that are generally well below expected. They make very good progress to the end of their Reception year as numbers of pupils are small and they receive a lot of individual adult support. They make good progress in Years 1 to 6. Standards vary from year to year, reflecting the small numbers of pupils involved. However, pupils of all abilities achieve well from their individual starting points and often reach above average standards by Year 6. Despite the support and encouragement they receive, the standard of pupils' speaking and listening skills is below that expected throughout the school. Good teaching and a well organised good curriculum ensure pupils enjoy learning. Teachers make good use of assessment information to guide the planning of lessons so pupils of different

p.4

Grade: 2

ages and abilities find activities interesting and are motivated to learn. Planning for different subjects is generally thorough and enables pupils to build successfully on their previous learning. However, there is no overall school approach to the systematic teaching of the skills of speaking and listening. Pupils work hard and know that their efforts and achievements are valued and will be celebrated. Teaching assistants make a valuable contribution to pupils' learning.

p.4

What the school should do to improve further

• Improve pupils' understanding of their personal targets and the quality of teachers' marking so pupils are clear about what they need to do to improve. • Plan for the systematic teaching of speaking and listening skills. 4 of 10 Inspection Report: St Margaret's Catholic Primary School, 21 May 2007

p.4

Grade: 2

Pupils throughout the school achieve well. When pupils start in the nursery, their standards are often low in the areas of personal, social and emotional development, and communication, language and literacy. Pupils make very good progress and by the end of their Reception year most pupils are working towards the expected goals although few achieve or exceed them. Pupils make good progress in Years 1 and 2 to reach standards that are broadly average in reading, writing and mathematics. Until recently the progress made by pupils in Years 3 and 4 was at best satisfactory. Action taken by the school has been effective and pupils' work and school records show that the progress made by pupils in these year groups is now good. They continue to make good progress in Years 5 and 6. In the 2006 national tests, standards in Year 6 were above average overall. Generally pupils make better progress in English than in

p.5

Grade: 2

mathematics and science. This reflects the school's focus on raising standards in reading and writing. However, throughout the school, standards of speaking and listening are below those expected. Pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities, and those with statements of special educational need, make similar progress to other pupils.

p.5

Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development and well-being are good. Attendance has improved since the last inspection and is now satisfactory. Pupils want to come to school. They develop positive attitudes to learning and almost all behave well and enjoy working and playing together. A very small number of pupils find behaving well a challenge. The school's support programmes and other pupils' tolerance and understanding effectively help these pupils to improve. Pupils say they feel cared for, secure and valued at school. They understand the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle and have a good understanding of how to keep safe. Pupils have many opportunities to take on responsibilities and they contribute well to the school and wider community. They confidently take on the roles of school councillors and playground buddies and are keen to be involved in charity work and parish events. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural

p.5

Grade: 2

development is good. It is supported well by the school's church links and the emphasis placed on celebrating pupils' efforts and achievements. The standards pupils reach and their good personal development prepare them well for the next stage of their education and the future world of work.

p.5

Grade: 2

Teaching is good throughout the school so pupils learn well and make good progress. Teachers have secure subject knowledge and manage pupils well. They give clear explanations and demonstrations so pupils are clear about the tasks they are expected to complete. Teachers make effective use of assessment information to plan a good variety of activities that are well matched to the age and ability range of pupils in their class. Whilst planning is generally thorough, there is no overall systematic planning for teaching pupils the skills of speaking and listening to support their learning in all subjects. Teachers have a good relationship with their pupils based securely on respect and trust. This and the interesting activities in lessons ensure 5 of 10 Inspection Report: St Margaret's Catholic Primary School, 21 May 2007 that pupils work hard and take pride in their achievements. Teaching assistants work effectively

p.5

Grade: 2

with teachers and provide valuable support for individuals and groups of pupils.

p.6

Grade: 2

The good curriculum is well organised so pupils build successfully on their previous learning. It is planned to ensure pupils experience all the required elements of the Foundation Stage and National Curriculum. In the nursery and Reception a strong emphasis is placed on developing pupils' personal, social and emotional skills together with their communication, language and literacy skills. Activities are very practical to provide a broad range of experiences that motivate pupils and stimulate their interest in learning. Throughout the school good links are made between subjects so pupils can practise what they have learned in one subject by using it in another. Pupils' learning is supported well by a good personal, social and health education programme and a range of visits and specialist teachers. Opportunities for pupils to be involved in sport, drama and music activities are satisfactory and developing well. These experiences are

p.6

Grade: 2

much enjoyed by pupils and make a good contribution to their understanding of healthy living and their overall personal development.

p.6

Grade: 2

Care, guidance and support are good. Procedures to safeguard pupils and ensure their health and safety are thorough, and implemented consistently. The school has a strong family feel and relationships are caring and trusting. Pupils' personal and academic efforts and achievements are celebrated and this does much to raise their self-esteem and interest in learning. Pupils feel safe, secure and cared for and are confident that if they have a problem they will receive the help they require. Systems for assessing pupils' personal and academic progress are good. This information is used effectively to set challenging targets for pupils and to guide teachers planning. Pupils are aware of class targets but are not clear about how they relate directly to them. Teachers mark work regularly but their comments give pupils limited guidance on how to make it better. Pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities and those with statements of

p.6

Grade: 2

special educational need receive good support. The school works effectively with outside agencies and other schools. Parents strongly value the support they receive and what the school helps their children achieve.

p.6

Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. The headteacher provides strong, focused leadership. Governance is good. Governors are very supportive of the school and they have the skills to hold the school to account for its work. The headteacher, senior managers, other staff and governors work together effectively as a team. Together, using a wide range of strategies, they rigorously monitor and evaluate the work of the school and have an accurate picture of its strengths and weaknesses. The plan for improvement enables the school to focus effectively on strategic aspects of its work. This school's overall approach and the strong commitment to improving the quality of education provided for pupils has ensured changes are implemented consistently. As a result, improvements are secured quickly, most notably the improved progress now made by pupils in Years 3 and 4. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: St Margaret's Catholic Primary School, 21 May 2007

p.6

Grade: 2

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 7 of 10 Inspection Report: St Margaret's Catholic Primary School, 21 May 2007

p.7

Inspection judgements

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

p.8

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 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

p.8

Achievement and standards

2 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 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

p.8

learners?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The behaviour of learners 3 The attendance of learners 2 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 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

p.8

and interests of learners?

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

p.8

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: St Margaret's Catholic Primary School, 21 May 2007

p.8

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: St Margaret's Catholic Primary School, 21 May 2007

p.9

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

21 May 2007 Dear Pupils Inspection of St Margaret's Catholic Primary School, Glossop, SK13 6JH Thank you very much for helping me with the inspection of your school. I appreciated your honesty, the way you made me feel welcome and the time you took to tell me about your school. You and your parents and carers think you go to a good school and I agree. I was impressed by the way you work hard in lessons and you are right to be proud of what you achieve. You are good at taking on responsibilities and almost all of you behave well and try to get along together. Your headteacher, the governors and all the teachers and helpers in the classroom care about you a lot. They work hard to keep you safe and want you to be happy at school. They also want you to enjoy your lessons so they plan lots of interesting things for you to do. They keep a close check on how well you are doing and make sure you get help with

p.10

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

your work if you need it. I have asked your headteacher, the teachers and governors to work on making your school even better by; • making sure you understand what you need to do to improve your work • helping you to get better at speaking and listening. Thank you again for helping me. Please keep on working hard, enjoy your time at St. Margaret's and good luck for the future. Alison Cogher Lead Inspector 10 of 10 Inspection Report: St Margaret's Catholic Primary School, 21 May 2007

p.10