St Patrick's Catholic Primary School

Inspection Report St Patrick's Catholic Primary School

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116390 Unique Reference Number Hampshire Local Authority 290520 Inspection number 4 °5 December 2006 Inspection dates Charalambos Loizou 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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Whitefriars School address Primary Type of school Avenue Road Voluntary aided School category Farnborough GU14 7BW 4 °11 Age range of pupils 01252542511 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01252371020 Fax number 219 Number on roll (school) Mrs Jo Wood Chair The governing body Appropriate authority (Acting) Mrs Jacqueline Davies Headteacher

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22 October 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 290520 4 °5 December 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 two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

St Patrick's is an average size school. It is situated in a generally advantaged area, although most pupils come from outside the immediate vicinity. The vast majority of pupils are of White British heritage. Other pupils come from a broad range of backgrounds and a very small number are in the early stages of learning English. The percentage of pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities is lower than that of most schools. There have been substantial staff changes in the last few years. Following the recent retirement of the previous headteacher, the governors have adopted interim measures to manage the school until they appoint a substantive headteacher. An experienced headteacher has been seconded on a part-time basis to manage the school and support the school's two assistant headteachers. The school has close links with its parish church and with other schools and colleges.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: St Patrick's Catholic Primary School, 4 °5 December 2006

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Grade: 2

The school provides a good quality of education. The pupils achieve well and attain well above average standards. They are well behaved and form strong friendships. Pupils try hard and are highly motivated, as one pupil reflected, 'You learn lots and have lots to take part in'. The interim measures adopted by the acting headteacher to manage the school are providing stability and continuity. Leadership and management are satisfactory with good features. Standards are rising and there have been good improvements since the school's last inspection. Despite the high turnover, the staff have maintained the good quality of teaching so pupils continue to achieve well. However, variations in the pace of learning across classes reflect the lack of systematic monitoring of lessons and of pupils' performance in the past. The good leadership shown by the experienced acting headteacher is compensating for this and is guiding

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Grade: 2

the assistant headteachers and governors towards more systematic management. Improvements to development planning and monitoring are setting clear priorities. The leadership team are increasingly adopting focused evaluations of the school and of the performance of pupils, which is reflected in their accurate self-evaluation. Consequently, the school has good capacity to build on its achievements and to continue improving. The children in the Reception year achieve well because the quality of teaching and provision in the Foundation Stage are good. In Years 1 to 6, teaching and learning are good but include instances of both very good and satisfactory work. Teachers' marking, use of assessment, and the guidance provided for pupils are inconsistent, so that some pupils are not clear about the next stages of their learning. The school provides pupils with a good curriculum that has a broad range of interesting activities which stimulates

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Grade: 2

learning and their enjoyment of school. The staff take good care of the pupils and support them well. This has a positive effect on their good personal development and well-being, and together with their academic development, prepares them well for their future lives. Pupils enjoy school and this is reflected in above average attendance rates. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. They show caring attitudes and reflect thoughtfully on values such as kindness and cooperation. Pupils develop a good understanding of community and shared responsibility and learn to respect different cultures and religions. They have a good understanding of healthy living and the importance of exercise through the many opportunities to take part in sports and younger pupils enjoy and understand the benefits of eating fruit each day. The staff greatly value pupils' efforts, and all pupils, including those with learning difficulties and disabilities, learn and play in a

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What the school should do to improve further

• Provide clear priorities for improvement to maintain high standards through rigorous and systematic monitoring of lessons and of pupils' work. • Develop greater consistency in teachers' marking and use of assessment so that pupils understand better how to improve their work. 2 Inspection Report: St Patrick's Catholic Primary School, 4 °5 December 2006

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Grade: 2

Standards are well above average and achievement is good. Pupils make good progress in relation to their average starting points. Children in the Foundation Stage achieve well and by the start of Year 1, they exceed the goals expected, particularly in language, communication and mathematics. Standards in English, mathematics and science are well above average by the end of Year 2 and Year 6 and reading standards are high. The most recent national tests showed that Year 6 pupils reached their challenging targets because of effective teaching. However, standards declined in the previous year reflecting inconsistencies in the monitoring and assessment of pupils' performance. The school is doing well to maintain and improve standards, and increasingly, more regular checks are being made so that pupils are on course this year to attain well above average standards. Pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities are well cared for and supported and make

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Grade: 2

Pupil's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. They are given opportunities to reflect on issues and the world around them, showing respect for themselves and the environment. The display of pupils' work contributes well to creating a stimulating learning environment. Comments such as, 'The school is a safe place where children are friendly', and, 'St. Patrick's is a healthy and friendly school', sum up the pupils' pride in their school. There are positive relationships between adults and children. Pupils enjoy school and become quite animated when talking about the varied experiences offered. They behave well and show good attitudes to learning. The buddy system at playtimes enables older pupils to look after younger ones, which develops good personal qualities of responsibility and care. Pupils feel that their views are sought and heard, especially through the school council. However, as some of

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Grade: 2

them said, they could be given more opportunities to show enterprise and contribute more to the work of the school. Pupils show a good understanding of how to be healthy and safe and readily explain why they have access to water during lesson times. The strong Catholic ethos and pupils' involvement in the life of the school and church community helps them to develop a clear sense of shared responsibility and citizenship. These qualities are well demonstrated by the pupils' keenness to participate in charity fundraising and support work. 3 Inspection Report: St Patrick's Catholic Primary School, 4 °5 December 2006

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good. Teachers plan their work well and make good use of resources, visual aids and interactive whiteboards that focus the pupils' learning. Lessons are challenging and engage the pupils so they are motivated and work hard. In the Foundation Stage, children learn well about the world and themselves through stimulating and practical activities. Throughout the school, teaching assistants make a good contribution to pupils' learning and provide effective help for those with learning difficulties and those in the early stages of learning English. In most lessons teachers' questioning is sharp and tasks are well matched to the needs of the pupils so they quickly grasp key skills and concepts. Teachers assess and mark pupils' work but there are inconsistencies in the quality. Marking does not always provide sufficient guidance about what pupils must do next to improve. The leadership

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Grade: 2

team are improving this so teachers make more regular assessments of pupils' work and progress, as this was not systematic in the past.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is well planned. There is a good balance between subjects that supports the pupils' personal and academic development, including a strong emphasis on the creative arts, sport and educational visits that enhance learning. The Foundation Stage is well organised and a vibrant place for young children to learn. There is a very good range of enrichment activities available for the pupils through after school clubs and opportunities to learn to play musical instruments. These have a positive impact on their behaviour and self-esteem. The wide range of sports and residential visits help the pupils' cooperation and team-building skills. The support given by external agencies and links with other schools and colleges make a good contribution to pupils' achievement and enjoyment. In addition, interesting visits and visitors to school further develop pupils' understanding of the wider world, for example,

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Grade: 2

through their involvement in the intercultural week. Pupils speak enthusiastically of the grounds residency project, where pupils throughout the school came up with ideas to improve the school's outside areas. Interactive whiteboards are well used by staff to engage the pupils. The use of computers to enhance learning varies across the school and could be developed more.

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Grade: 2

Care, guidance and support are good. There are effective procedures in place to ensure that pupils are safe and well cared for. Child protection procedures are fully understood and followed by all staff. Pupils feel safe and know whom to approach if they have a 4 Inspection Report: St Patrick's Catholic Primary School, 4 °5 December 2006 problem. Health and safety routines and risk assessments are fully in place. Pupils reach challenging academic targets but some are unclear about how to improve their work because of inconsistencies in the quality of teachers' marking and use of assessment. The support provided for pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is well managed. Skilled teaching assistants are deployed well and provide good support.

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management, including governance, are satisfactory. The acting headteacher is providing stability, clear direction and accurate self-evaluation. However, until now, monitoring has not been systematic enough to provide clear priorities for improvement. This has led to variations in the pace of learning and the performance of pupils across classes in the past. A good start has been made by the interim management team as the acting headteacher is supporting the two assistant headteachers well in maintaining good teaching. The large majority of parents think highly of the school, although a small number are concerned about the current delay in appointing a permanent headteacher. Despite this, the leadership team and governors have kept the school on an even keel and take good account of the views of pupils and parents. One parent rightly sums up the impact of the current leadership of the

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Grade: 3

school, 'The school has continued as normal with no obvious effect on children or parents, which is a reflection of the strength of the school.' The school's capacity to continue improving is good because systems are now in place that are sharpening monitoring so governors can better hold the school to account. 5 Inspection Report: St Patrick's Catholic Primary School, 4 °5 December 2006 .

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Grade: 3

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: St Patrick's Catholic Primary School, 4 °5 December 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? 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

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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

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learners?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The behaviour of learners 2 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

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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. 7 Inspection Report: St Patrick's Catholic Primary School, 4 °5 December 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: St Patrick's Catholic Primary School, 4 °5 December 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

The inspectors were delighted to visit your school recently and I write to thank you for your help and for making us feel very welcome. Your school provides a good education. There are many good things about your school and it is hard for me to pick out the very best. However, these are what impressed us the most:- • you are well behaved, try hard in lessons and help other pupils • your teachers are helping you to do well in lessons • you enjoy learning and reach good standards • the staff take good care of you • the staff and governors do a great deal to provide extra activities like sport, music and dance. I have asked your teachers and governors to: • keep a closer check on your lessons and on how well are doing to make sure you all do as well as you can • make sure that when teachers check or mark your work that they help you to understand what to do next. Well done, and I wish you all the very best.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Yours faithfully Charalambos Loizou Lead Inspector 9 Inspection Report: St Patrick's Catholic Primary School, 4 °5 December 2006

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