Christ The King Roman Catholic Primary School, Burnley

Inspection Report Christ The King Roman Catholic Primary School, Burnley

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119488 Unique Reference Number Lancashire Local Authority 291438 Inspection number 26 °27 September 2006 Inspection dates Dave Byrne 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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Calderbrook Avenue School address Primary Type of school Burnley, Lancashire Voluntary aided School category BB11 4RB 4 °11 Age range of pupils 01282 429108 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01282 832880 Fax number 204 Number on roll (school) Father Brian Kealy Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mr James Graves Headteacher 1 May 2002 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 291438 26 °27 September 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

The school is smaller than average. The percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals is below average, as is the proportion identified with learning and behavioural difficulties. The attainment of children starting school varies from year to year, but is average overall. A new headteacher took up post at the beginning of this term.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Christ The King Roman Catholic Primary School, Burnley, 26 °27 September 2006

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Grade: 2

This is a good school with outstanding features. It is highly valued by parents and the local community. As a result of good quality care, effective leadership and management, and a skilled and dedicated teaching staff, pupils in the school achieve well. Their obvious enjoyment observed in lessons is reflected in above average attendance. A strong Catholic ethos values each pupil as an individual. This contributes to outstanding levels of personal, spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. This is a key factor in the exemplary behaviour and attitudes and the very good relationships between all in school. Pupils learn about how to live safely and healthily. Through schemes such as ‘gardeners’ and ‘seeds’, where Year 6 pupils look after Reception children, pupils learn how to care for others. Children start Reception with standards typical for their age. Despite very limited facilities for outdoor learning, which reduces children’s outdoor development, there

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Grade: 2

is good progress in the Foundation Stage as a result of the effective teaching. In Years 1 to 6, good teaching continues and the pupils achieve well. In 2005, results in the national tests for both Years 2 and 6 were well above average, with very high standards in science at Year 6. Standards in writing, although good overall, were disappointing in that they were not as high as expected. Across the school, standards in art and design are above average and a strength of the school. The needs of the vast majority of pupils, including the needs of the more able, are usually met by a dedicated teaching force. The provision for pupils with learning and behavioural difficulties is good. As one parent phrased it, ‘the school goes that extra mile!’ by including everyone regardless of ability or disability. The needs of those with particular gifts and talents are not always met. A lively and enriched curriculum provides pupils with a wide range of learning

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Grade: 2

experiences that prepares them well for their future life. Although standards in writing in English are good, the pupils do not have enough opportunities to apply their skills in other subjects. Good links with the local community and a broad range of educational visits, visitors and extra-curricular clubs combine to add interest and excitement to lessons. The new headteacher provides good leadership and is working with an effective governing body and supportive staff to maintain and extend the school’s existing strengths. The school has improved well since the last inspection and has a good capacity to continue to do so in future.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Provide more opportunities for pupils to develop their writing skills in other subjects. • Improve the provision for those pupils with gifts and talents. • Create a more effective outdoor learning environment for the children in the Foundation Stage. 2 Inspection Report: Christ The King Roman Catholic Primary School, Burnley, 26 °27 September 2006

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Grade: 2

From an average starting point in Reception, pupils achieve well and reach standards that are above average in English, mathematics, science and art and design. This represents an improvement since the last inspection. In Key Stage 1, standards have risen in recent years. In 2005, they were significantly above average in reading, writing and mathematics and, in 2006, those good standards were maintained. In Key Stage 2, results in the national tests have been significantly above average overall in each of the last five years. Pupils do extremely well in science because of their very good investigative skills. In English and mathematics, in three of the last four years, pupils’ performance has been significantly above average, although when the figures are analysed, standards in reading were much better than writing. In 2006, standards in English were lower because test results in writing were disappointing. Pupils with

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Grade: 2

learning and behavioural difficulties receive good support and, as a result, make good progress towards the targets in their individual education plans. The full potential of pupils with particular gifts and talents is not always fulfilled.

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Grade: 1

Pupils’ personal development and well-being, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, are outstanding. A strong Catholic ethos underpins pupils to develop their spiritual awareness. Teachers make the most of opportunities to develop pupils’ awareness of the most exciting parts of the world around them. They enjoy learning, especially where they work with visitors to the school such as the priest that visited from India. Pupils are aware of the diversity of cultures through activities in lessons across the curriculum such as art and design, geography and religious education. Many pupils enjoy taking part in, and benefiting from, extra activities beyond the normal school day especially in sport. As a result, pupils enjoy school which is reflected in their good attendance. Relationships between pupils and adults and with each other are respectful and supportive; consequently, behaviour is exemplary. Pupils feel safe and secure and they

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Grade: 1

take on responsibilities within classrooms and across school. Pupils know the choices needed to be safe, fit and healthy. The school council is one example of how the pupils’ views influence aspects of school life. As a result, school meals have improved and more playtime activities have been introduced. Pupils have a good awareness of the needs of others. Extensive fundraising for charities occurs and care for the environment has driven pupils’ enthusiasm for recycling. The good academic and outstanding personal skills prepare pupils well for their future life. 3 Inspection Report: Christ The King Roman Catholic Primary School, Burnley, 26 °27 September 2006

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Grade: 2

Teaching is good and is the major reason why pupils enjoy learning and make good progress. In a Year 6 science lesson, the pupils’ eyes widened with amazement when the ‘Bugs Man’ revealed an enormous African snail. It is this sort of imaginative lesson that often brings learning alive and motivates pupils’ learning. Teachers do well to encourage the development of pupils’ independent learning skills and this is a key factor in the high standards gained, particularly in science. Exciting activities are provided for children in the Reception class. Good use is made there of information and communication technology (ICT) to attract the children’s interest. Good teamwork with teaching assistants gives children a good start to school. Limitations of the Reception accommodation, however, hold back elements of children’s outdoor learning. Throughout the school, teaching assistants make vital contributions to learning,

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Grade: 2

particularly in the Foundation Stage and across the school, for pupils with learning and behavioural difficulties. Assessment is used well to plan for the needs of pupils of different abilities, including the more able, but the needs of the most gifted and talented pupils are not always met. Although marking is prompt, the scope of using it to point pupils to ways of improving is not consistently exploited.

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Grade: 2

The quality of the curriculum is good. It meets the needs of the vast majority of pupils and provides a very good range of activities to enhance pupils’ learning. Literacy, numeracy and ICT are well planned and taught as separate subjects so that pupils develop good skills. However, planned opportunities for pupils to apply their good writing skills in all subjects are not fully developed. The very highest attainers benefit from some activities to stretch them; for example, through a mathematics challenge, but provision for pupils with gifts and talents is not yet given enough strategic importance at senior levels. The curriculum is adapted well to meet the needs of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Many visitors and educational visits, including residential stays, bring excitement and interest to lessons and inspire pupils to learn.

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Grade: 2

The quality of care, support and guidance is good. Parents appreciate the good level of care that ensures that their children are happy, feel secure and achieve well. Arrangements to ensure pupils’ health and safety, child protection and safeguarding are in place. Staff know the pupils very well because they check on their academic and personal development regularly. They do well to provide for the needs of the vast majority of pupils except for ensuring that the very highest attainers are always given 4 Inspection Report: Christ The King Roman Catholic Primary School, Burnley, 26 °27 September 2006 enough support. The school works closely with local agencies and parents to successfully meet the needs of vulnerable pupils and those with learning and behavioural difficulties. Assessment is good overall, although pupils’ involvement in their own assessment varies from class to class.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. Well established management structures and procedures involving all staff have ensured that the school has improved rapidly in recent years. All subjects and the provision for pupils with learning and behavioural difficulties are effectively managed, but support for gifted and talented pupils lacks clear direction. The recently appointed headteacher has a very clear vision for the school’s future. Together with a good senior leadership team and subject leaders, strategies are being developed in order to maintain the school’s forward momentum. There are effective systems for school self-evaluation. Academic and personal development is carefully monitored and used to identify relevant priorities for school improvement. Systems for tracking achievement are as clear as they need to be to maximise the efficiency of monitoring pupils’ progress. School finances are carefully

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Grade: 2

spent, and recent investments have been made in the accommodation, and resources for literacy and ICT. Despite this, some elements of the accommodation remain cramped and there are weaknesses in the provision for outdoor learning in the Foundation Stage. An effective governing body keeps a close eye on the school’s performance and makes sure that it gives good value for money. This represents a significant improvement since the last inspection and gives the school a good capacity to improve. Document reference number: HMI 2507 1 September 2006Inspection Report:Christ The King Roman Catholic Primary School, Burnley, 26 °27 September 20066Document reference number: HMI 2507 1 September 2006

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Grade: 2

procedures set out in the guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 5 Inspection Report: Christ The King Roman Catholic Primary School, Burnley, 26 °27 September 2006 .

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Grade: 2

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Christ The King Roman Catholic Primary School, Burnley, 26 °27 September 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?

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 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 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: Christ The King Roman Catholic Primary School, Burnley, 26 °27 September 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: Christ The King Roman Catholic Primary School, Burnley, 26 °27 September 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Christ The King Roman Catholic Primary School Calderbrook Avenue Burnley Lancashire BB11 4RB 28 September 2006 Dear Pupils You attend a good school with some outstanding features, the most important part of which is yourselves! We were so impressed by the welcome you gave us during our two day visit. That isn’t all we were impressed by! The way you care for others and willingly help each other is commendable. You behave extremely well and are polite, thoughtful and well mannered. It was a pleasure to join you for some lessons and see how much you enjoy them. You all do well at school. This is because of the efforts and skills of your teachers. Their effort to provide exciting lessons attracts your attention and releases your curiosity which makes learning fun. The look of amazement on the faces of Year 6 when the ‘Bugs Man’ revealed a massive centipede, and the subsequent enthusiasm and curiosity, demonstrated how much you

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

like school! You learn well in English and mathematics and do very well indeed in science. Your standards in art and design are a strength of the school. Those of you who find learning difficult at times do well because of the care and support of teachers and teaching assistants. A wide range of after-school clubs is very popular and gives you lots of opportunities to explore different things. We have asked the school to see if there are ways of doing even more to help those of you with real gifts or talents to develop these to the full. We have also asked for better planned opportunities for you to use your good writing skills in new situations in all subjects. Your school is delightful inside and out. Some of your displays of work are of a high standard. Further improvements would make the school even better, especially if the children in the Foundation Stage were given better outdoor play facilities. The school knows this and is seeking

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

ways of making these better. We hope you continue to work hard and do your best and continue to show such high levels of care and impeccable behaviour. Good luck for your future! Yours sincerely David Byrne and Gill Salter-Smith (your school inspectors) 9 Inspection Report: Christ The King Roman Catholic Primary School, Burnley, 26 °27 September 2006

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