Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Hastings

Inspection Report Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Hastings

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114575 Unique Reference Number East Sussex Local Authority 289977 Inspection number 1 November 2006 Inspection date Carole Skinner 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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Old London Road School address Primary Type of school Hastings Voluntary aided School category TN35 5NA 4 °11 Age range of pupils 01424 429494 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01424 715594 Fax number 245 Number on roll (school) John Walsh Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Angela O'Connor Headteacher 4 March 2002 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection date Age group 289977 1 November 2006 4 °11 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 one Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

Sacred Heart is a one-form entry primary school which is consistently oversubscribed. It is situated in an area of deprivation and is part of an Excellence Cluster and a Sure Start Zone. Its pupils are mainly from White British families, with a small percentage from minority ethnic backgrounds. A small but growing number of pupils speak English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties is similar to that seen in most schools, but the percentage of pupils with statements of special educational need is above average. Many children start school with standards well below those expected for their age. The school has identified an increasing number of children who start school with significant speech and language problems as well as limited physical skills.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Hastings, 1 November 2006

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Grade: 1

This is an outstanding school that places equal value on high academic achievement and pupils' all-round personal development. School leaders take a more conservative view of the school's effectiveness because they are constantly striving to do even better. Pupils make exceptionally good progress to reach well above average standards in Year 6. Their achievement is outstanding, not only in English, mathematics and science but across the whole curriculum. Despite the high standards in Year 6, the school is rightly focusing on raising standards in writing, especially in Reception and Years 1 and 2, where they remain lower than those in reading and mathematics. This is largely due to weaknesses in pupils' speaking skills and their limited vocabulary. Pupils' excellent personal development and well-being reflect teachers' high expectations and the first-rate care, guidance and support they receive from all adults.

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Grade: 1

Whether in lessons, at play or moving around the school, pupils' behaviour is exemplary. Their obvious enjoyment in learning shines through when they talk about the school, and they play a full and active role in all aspects of school life. Outstanding teaching, which challenges pupils to think for themselves, is a key factor in the school's success. One pupil summed it up admirably when he said, 'Lessons are good fun, but the teachers challenge us and expect us to work hard.' Underpinning all of this are an excellent, innovatively planned curriculum that meets the needs of pupils of all abilities and exceptionally good systems for assessing and tracking pupils' progress. These two features are also evident in the excellent provision for the Foundation Stage. Children in this phase make very good progress during their first year in school, especially in their physical, personal and social development, but

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Grade: 1

many do not reach the expected standards in language and communication and mathematical development due to their low starting points. A key ingredient in the school's success is its outstanding leadership and management. The headteacher's vision, drive and determination to succeed inspire staff, governors and pupils to strive for excellence and ensure a relentless focus on improving the quality of education for the pupils. Parents are effusive in their praise for the school. One voiced the views of many in these words, 'We are very happy that our children attend such an excellent, caring school. It has a real community spirit and everyone is treated with respect.' Strong teamwork and shared commitment to its future ensure that the school has an excellent capacity for continuing improvement.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve pupils' speaking skills and range of vocabulary in order to raise standards further in writing, especially in the Foundation Stage and Years 1 and 2. 2 Inspection Report: Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Hastings, 1 November 2006

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Grade: 1

Pupils' achievement is outstanding because the school lays firm foundations in the Reception Year and Years 1 and 2, particularly in the way it tackles many pupils' weak literacy, numeracy and physical skills. Very good teaching helps pupils to build up their skills rapidly in these areas. As a result, by the time they move into the juniors they are achieving above average standards in reading and broadly average standards in mathematics. Throughout Years 3 to 6, progress accelerates as pupils gain in confidence and are keen to tackle new challenges. Pupils with learning difficulties make very good progress because they receive excellent support. There is ample evidence to show that the school's continuing focus on improving standards in writing is paying dividends, with most pupils reaching expected standards by Year 6 and a good number exceeding them. However, a small but significant minority fail to reach the levels expected by

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Grade: 1

Year 2 due to weaknesses in their spoken language and their limited vocabulary. The results of the national tests in Year 6 in English, mathematics and science are consistently well above average and often exceptionally high. But it is not just in these subjects that pupils excel. Stunning displays of excellent artwork and portfolios of work in every subject illustrate the high standards being achieved across the curriculum.

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Grade: 1

Pupils' personal development and well-being are at the very heart of the school's nurturing Christian ethos. Their exemplary behaviour and eagerness to learn underpin their achievements in all aspects of school life. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is excellent. Pupils are thoughtful, respectful and mindful of others' feelings. Through the long-standing 'best buddies' system older pupils develop a strong sense of responsibility while younger children are helped to feel secure and well looked after. The school council gives pupils a valuable experience of democracy in action and the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to the school community. Pupils have an excellent awareness of the need to make healthy eating choices and take plenty of exercise in lessons, sports clubs and in the adventure playground. They feel safe and say bullying is a rare occurrence. Their awareness of world issues is

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Grade: 1

enhanced by fund-raising to fight poverty in the third world. Attendance is similar to the national average. Many absences are due to medical reasons, though families taking holidays in term-time are also a significant factor.

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Grade: 1

Teaching and learning are outstanding in their impact on pupils' achievement. There are a number of excellent qualities. Very high expectations of behaviour, coupled with 3 Inspection Report: Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Hastings, 1 November 2006 warm and supportive relationships, help to create a productive atmosphere in classrooms where pupils are keen to learn and work hard. Imaginative and often innovative approaches help to make learning interesting, and this engages pupils and motivates them. Interactive whiteboards are used effectively to enhance learning and there is a strong focus on developing more advanced thinking skills. At the heart of this high quality provision are the school's excellent systems for assessing pupils' progress, which teachers apply consistently and rigorously. They set challenging targets for pupils and check the progress of all individuals regularly. Teachers' marking is

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Grade: 1

informative and helpful. It rewards good work while showing how pupils could make their work even better.

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Grade: 1

The curriculum is outstanding. Teachers use many imaginative and innovative projects to bring the curriculum to life for the pupils. Productive links with the local Excellence Cluster of schools bring many enrichments to pupils' learning, such as additional experiences for gifted and talented pupils. The provision of additional programmes for pupils with learning difficulties is first-rate. Pupils' horizons are expanded by learning Spanish, attending theatre productions, visiting museums and enjoying performances by Indian dancers and African drummers. A residential week for older pupils in Carroty Wood provides excellent opportunities for team building and pupils participate with enthusiasm in the wide and varied range of clubs and many inter-school sports, music and drama competitions.

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Grade: 1

The care, guidance and support for pupils are outstanding because they are based on personal knowledge of every child's needs. Thorough assessments ensure that needs are identified quickly and support given promptly. Excellent support for pupils with learning and behavioural difficulties and for those learning to speak English enables them to make very good progress. Skilled teaching assistants play an important role in leading small group activities and visiting specialists support pupils with behavioural difficulties to help them make appropriate choices. Rigorous tracking of pupils' progress towards their challenging academic targets is a key factor in their excellent achievement.

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Grade: 1

The headteacher successfully encourages and builds leadership capacity in all staff and so has created a strong and unified team who share her vision for the school. An unrelenting focus on raising standards and improving the quality of pupils' learning lies at the heart of every decision. One of the school's most notable strengths is its openness, both to new ideas and strategies and to the views of parents and pupils which are valued and acted upon. Staff and governors evaluate the school's 4 Inspection Report: Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Hastings, 1 November 2006 performance with rigour and know exactly where improvements are needed. For example, careful analysis of the reasons for the lower standards in writing has revealed that the problem lies largely with pupils' poor speaking skills and limited vocabulary, which also have a knock-on effect in mathematics for some pupils. Armed with this

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Grade: 1

knowledge, teachers are focusing on developing these skills as well as greater fluency in reading as an aid to writing. The impact of new strategies can already be seen in the standards achieved in Year 6. 5 Inspection Report: Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Hastings, 1 November 2006 .

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Grade: 1

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Hastings, 1 November 2006

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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? 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 3 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. 7 Inspection Report: Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Hastings, 1 November 2006

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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? 8 Inspection Report: Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Hastings, 1 November 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for making me so welcome when I visited your school. I really enjoyed talking to you and learning about all the things you do. You are right to be proud of your school because it is giving you an excellent education. You said that you enjoy learning because the teachers make lessons fun and I could see what you mean. I was very impressed by your excellent behaviour and the way you take part in lessons with enthusiasm. This helps you to make excellent progress and to reach high standards by the time you leave the school. Another reason why you do so well is the excellent range of activities that teachers plan for you, including lots of clubs and visits. I think you have produced some excellent artwork and lots of good work in other subjects. You are pretty good at eating healthy meals and taking lots of exercise. I particularly like the 'best buddies' system and the way you look out for each other.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

The adults who run the school do an excellent job because they are always trying to make it better for you. All of the adults look after you very well indeed. The teachers keep checking regularly to see how much progress you are making and if they find that some of you are struggling, especially in English and maths, they give you lots of extra help and support. As a result you are all doing really well in reading and maths, but some of you are still struggling with writing, especially the younger children. We have asked the teachers to help you to do even better in writing. You can help them by really trying hard to do your very best. I would like to wish you all success both at Sacred Heart and in the future. 9 Inspection Report: Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Hastings, 1 November 2006

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