Holy Family Catholic Primary School, Ingol, Preston

Holy Family Catholic Primary School, Ingol, Preston Inspection report

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119611 Unique Reference Number Lancashire Local Authority 291480 Inspection number 12 °13 July 2007 Inspection dates Lynne Read 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 3 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 159 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Paddy Sweeney Chair Mr Ray Sudlow Headteacher 1 January 2003 Date of previous school inspection 59 Whitby Avenue School address Ingol Preston Lancashire PR2 3YP

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01772 727471 Telephone number 01772 725122 Fax number

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3-11 Age group 12 °13 July 2007 Inspection dates 291480 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 two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This smaller than average Catholic primary school serves the families of the Holy Family church community in Ingol and Tanterton, near Preston. There is a high incidence of social and economic disadvantage in the area; the proportion of pupils claiming free school meals is much higher than average. There is a higher proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities than in most schools. Almost all pupils come from White British backgrounds. The school offers additional sessions of half-day care in the Nursery and a daily breakfast club.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 11 Inspection Report: Holy Family Catholic Primary School, Ingol, Preston, 12 °13 July 2007

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Grade: 3

Holy Family Catholic Primary is a satisfactory and improving school. It provides satisfactory value for money. It has some good features. Parents have confidence in the school and say that their children enjoy school. Many praise the standard of provision in the Nursery and for pupils who have additional learning needs. Managers and staff have developed good partnerships with other schools, agencies and the community, which provide additional experiences to broaden pupils’ development. The strong caring ethos in school is very well supported through productive links with the parish pastoral team and the local schools’ learning network. Pupils’ personal development is good and a strength of the school. Pupils have good attitudes to learning and enjoy their lessons. They play an important part in school decision making through their pupil council. This helps them to contribute to the school community and prepares

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Grade: 3

them effectively for life in the wider world. Achievement is satisfactory; although, it varies between year groups. It is good in the Foundation Stage and for the older pupils in Key Stage 2. In order to raise standards, the new management team have developed better procedures to track pupils’ progress year by year and set them challenging targets for future learning. School records, observations made during the inspection and the initial results from the 2007 tests show a positive impact on pupils’ progress, especially for the older pupils. The proportion of pupils attaining the higher Level 5 has improved well; it is higher than the national pattern and exceeds the school’s challenging targets. Results in English overall have also improved, but it is not as good as in mathematics and science. Attainment in writing is the weaker element at Year 2 and progress in Years 3 and 4 is not good enough to make up the gap. This means that older pupils have a lot of catching up to do.

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Grade: 3

Teaching is satisfactory overall and good for the youngest and oldest pupils. This is because in these classes, teachers use assessment information well to plan a good range of interesting and stimulating activities that challenge pupils of all abilities. However, this is not consistently the case in Key Stage 1 and lower Key Stage 2, where pupils are not always challenged sufficiently. The quality of marking and the advice given to pupils to help them improve is good in the older Key Stage 2 classes, but less effective elsewhere, especially in writing. The good curriculum has undergone recent development in order to provide more opportunities for pupils to practise their basic literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology (ICT) skills. There is an interesting range of enrichment, especially through physical education and educational visits and visitors. A strong emphasis on personal and health education ensures

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Grade: 3

that pupils understand how to stay safe and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Leadership and management are satisfactory. Attention to safety issues, including checking on the suitability of staff, is good. Due to the good self-evaluation procedures, the senior management team have been able to accurately identify the causes of the decline in achievement and driven through a range of improvements over the last year. All key issues from the previous inspection have been addressed. The school has a clear idea of what to do next and has good capacity to improve further.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Raise standards and improve the rate of progress, especially in writing, in Key Stage 1 and lower Key Stage 2. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Holy Family Catholic Primary School, Ingol, Preston, 12 °13 July 2007 ■ Ensure that assessment information is used consistently in all classes so that tasks consistently provide a good level of challenge for all pupils. ■ Extend the best practice of teachers’ marking of pupils’ work to all classes.

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What the school should do to improve further

A small proportion of the schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory but which have areas of under-performance will receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection.

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Grade: 3

Achievement is satisfactory although standards were below average in 2006. Current standards are higher for Year 6 and pockets of good progress are emerging. Children’s prior learning and personal development are much lower than average when they enter the Nursery. They make good progress in the Foundation Stage, especially in language and personal skills and in their knowledge and understanding of the world. By the end of the Reception year, standards have improved but are still below national expectations. Pupils generally make satisfactory progress in Key Stage 1, although the results of the teacher assessments are consistently below average. Writing is the weakest area with too many pupils failing to reach the expected level for their age. In lower Key Stage 2, pupils continue to make steady progress, but this is not good enough to lift pupils’ standards sufficiently, especially in writing. Learning accelerates in the upper Key Stage 2 classes because teachers and pupils work

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Grade: 3

hard to meet the exacting challenges and to make up for any shortfalls in previous learning. Reliable school records and initial results from the 2007 tests for Year 6 show that standards in mathematics and science has improved well, especially at the higher level 5. Attainment in English has also improved, but to a lesser extent because pupils have more catching up to do in writing in Years 5 and 6. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities have good support programmes and are enabled to make equal progress to their peers. Boys and girls do equally well.

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Grade: 2

Personal development and wellbeing, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, are good and are strengths of the school. They are well supported by the school’s Catholic foundation. Pupils are well behaved, friendly and polite, and form good relationships with adults and with each other. They respond enthusiastically to the range of rewards in place that recognise and celebrate effort and good deeds. Incidents of bullying are very rare and are swiftly and effectively dealt with. Pupils say they feel safe and their enjoyment of school is evident in their above average attendance and good punctuality. Many pupils willingly participate in a range of additional activities and events; such as, the community carnival. Through the pupils’ council, they are active in decision making and have helped to write the school’s code of conduct. In doing so, they not only make a valuable contribution to the school community but also develop

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Grade: 2

future life skills. Pupils have a good awareness of, and respect for, cultures and beliefs that are different from their own. The recent presentation of the Healthy Schools award recognises the good work 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Holy Family Catholic Primary School, Ingol, Preston, 12 °13 July 2007 done in teaching pupils how to stay fit and healthy. They take good advantage of out-of-school sporting and competitive activities.

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Grade: 3

Teaching is satisfactory overall and good in the Foundation Stage and upper Key Stage 2. Across all age groups, relationships in lessons are very good and pupils trust their teachers. This means that they develop positive attitudes to learning and a willingness to persevere with tasks. Well trained teaching assistants provide good support for pupils who need extra help with their learning. In the Foundation Stage, the children learn through short, adult-led sessions and practise their new skills and knowledge in a range of activities of their own choosing. This enables them to become independent, active learners. In the older Key Stage 2 classes, the work is carefully planned to challenge pupils of all abilities and help them meet their targets. Lessons progress at a fast pace and tasks include a good amount of collaborative work and opportunities for problem-solving or investigation. However, this is not always the case in other classes where

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Grade: 3

work does not consistently build systematically on prior learning so that, on occasions, some pupils are not sufficiently stretched. The quality of marking is good in classes for the older pupils. It provides clear feedback on how they are doing and suggestions for further improvement. Pupils are encouraged to evaluate their own performance and set their own goals for learning. These good practices are not seen consistently across other age groups, particularly in helping pupils improve their writing.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good and all pupils experience a broad and balanced education. It is accessible to all groups of learners, with good, specialist support for those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. The curriculum for the Foundation Stage children is rich and exciting because it provides varied opportunities for children to discover things for themselves. The outdoor learning areas are attractive and used well. Good planning links subjects together so pupils have more time to practise and reinforce vocabulary and new skills. However, there is scope to further develop opportunities for younger Key Stage 2 pupils to write at length and in different styles when studying other subjects. A good amount of time is allocated to information and communication technology (ICT) lessons and leads to secure skills and competence in this subject. The strong emphasis placed on promoting pupils' social awareness and understanding of safe

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Grade: 2

and healthy living results in their good personal development. The curriculum is enhanced through a good range of visitors and many visits to places of interest. Pupils thoroughly enjoy a range of interesting extra-curricular activities.

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Grade: 3

Care, guidance and support are satisfactory with good features. A significant strength of the school is its commitment to a high level of care for all pupils, particularly those who are 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Holy Family Catholic Primary School, Ingol, Preston, 12 °13 July 2007 vulnerable. The school is extremely skilled in identifying and addressing particular needs, whether pastoral or academic, often through good links with a wide range of outside agencies. Pupils say adults are approachable and helpful and they have confidence in the school’s ability to deal with any problems. Procedures and routines to safeguard pupils and to ensure their health and safety are thorough and risk assessments are in place. The school has improved the systems to check pupils’ academic progress and teachers and leaders have good information to set expectations of future learning. As a result, the older pupils have learning goals that provide very good challenges. These are often referred to in

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Grade: 3

lessons and marking so pupils know how well they are doing and where they need to improve. However, the use of the assessment information to provide pupils with feedback and advice is not as effective in Years 1 to 4 so pupils are not as well aware of their ‘next steps’.

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Grade: 3

The headteacher provides effective leadership and is instrumental in maintaining the strong caring ethos at the school. The new senior management team work well together; they have made some important improvements. New management information systems provide a thorough and constant view of the performance of each class. They enable managers to check that pupils are achieving what is expected and where extra help is needed. As a result, progress has improved well for the older pupils. Subject managers are aware that similar improvements now need to be extended across all age groups in order to sustain the higher standards. Among staff and governors, there is a strong commitment and determination to raise standards and improve achievement further. Ambitious, but realistic, plans are in place to maintain the recent rate of improvement. A good programme of training ensures that all groups of staff are up to date with educational and health and safety developments. Governors are using a good

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Grade: 3

range of expertise among their members to support the school effectively. They monitor provision through an efficient committee system; but, their role in checking standards and achievement is not fully developed. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Holy Family Catholic Primary School, Ingol, Preston, 12 °13 July 2007 .

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Grade: 3

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Holy Family Catholic Primary School, Ingol, Preston, 12 °13 July 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? 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

3 How well do learners achieve? 3 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 3 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?

3 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. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Holy Family Catholic Primary School, Ingol, Preston, 12 °13 July 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? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Holy Family Catholic Primary School, Ingol, Preston, 12 °13 July 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

16 July 2007 Dear Pupils Inspection of Holy Family Catholic Primary School, Ingol, Preston, Lancashire, PR2 3YP Thank you very much for the warm welcome and for helping my colleague and me when we came to visit your school. I would like to tell you what we found out. Holy Family is a very friendly school. Your behaviour is good and you take really good care of each other. Your teachers and families can be proud of you. You enjoy your learning and the wide variety of clubs and competitions. It was nice to see you enjoying each other’s company at the breakfast club. Your headteacher and staff work very hard to make sure you are happy and safe. You like your teachers and you try hard. One pupil summed up your views through the statement, ‘It’s a brilliant school’. Please thank your parents for sending us lots of replies to the questionnaire. The vast majority are pleased with the education and care that you receive, but some think

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

that the school does not take good account of your views. Perhaps you could help by telling them all about your school council and how your teachers take notice of your opinions. Your progress in mathematics and science has improved, but you still need to do better in writing. Your teachers agree and so will be making some changes to make sure that you always have the right kind of work to help you make the best possible progress. The older pupils among you take good note of the comments that your teachers provide when marking work and this helps your learning. The advice provided for the infants and younger juniors is not as helpful as yet. Thank you once again for the interesting conversations we had and for letting us know your views so clearly. Please accept my best wishes for the future. Yours sincerely Mrs Lynne Read Lead inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Holy Family Catholic Primary School, Ingol, Preston, 12 °13 July 2007

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