St Patrick's Catholic Primary School

Inspection Report St Patrick's Catholic Primary School

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122816 Unique Reference Number NOTTINGHAMSHIRE Local Authority 292518 Inspection number 11 °12 December 2006 Inspection dates George Knights 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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Whitehouse Road School address Primary Type of school Bircotes Voluntary aided School category Bircotes DN11 8EF 3 °11 Age range of pupils 01302 743145 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01302 743145 Fax number 101 Number on roll (school) Mr D Clements Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mr S Dent Headteacher Not previously inspected Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 292518 11 °12 December 2006 3°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

St Patrick's is a small Catholic school serving the villages of Bircotes, Harworth and Styrrup. Most pupils join the school by entering the nursery class when they are 3 years old. Attainment on entry is well below average. Around a quarter of pupils are identified as having learning difficulties and/or disabilities. The number of pupils eligible for free school meals is above average. A small number of pupils come from minority ethnic backgrounds and even fewer have English as an additional language.

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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, 11 °12 December 2006

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Grade: 3

St Patrick's provides a satisfactory education for all of its pupils and this is also the school's own judgement. Children get off to a good start and progress well in the nursery class. They quickly become familiar with school routines and learn to work well together. Children who are four years old enter the same class as pupils who are in Year 1 with knowledge and skills that are below those typical of four year olds nationally. Achievement in this class is satisfactory, as it is in other classes in the school. Results in national assessments at the end of Year 2 have been below average, but have improved over the past two years. Pupils currently in Year 2 are working at below average standards but are making satisfactory progress. Results in national tests at the end of Year 6 in 2005 were below average and much lower than they should have been. In 2006, results were also below average, but were

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Grade: 3

better than in the previous year. This was because the pupils involved had made satisfactory progress during their last year in the school. Targets were not met last year. Those set for the coming year are challenging but achievable, given the improvements currently taking place in teaching. Teaching and learning are now satisfactory, but teachers do not stimulate or interest pupils enough. Activities in lessons sometimes do not challenge pupils to do their best. Pupils are eager to do well, but often do not exercise very good self-discipline. They frequently chatter in class and call out, rather than follow the patterns of behaviour encouraged by teachers. They enjoy playing together and talk enthusiastically about the many after-school activities they take part in. Attendance is improving but remains below average and this means that the learning of too many pupils is disrupted. The school makes a sound contribution to pupils' personal development and well-being.

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Grade: 3

In keeping with the school's Christian ethos, pupils are encouraged to care for others less fortunate than themselves. Through fund-raising and other activities, they make a sound contribution to the wider community. Pupils feel safe at school and talk knowledgeably about the need to adopt healthy lifestyles. Parents feel confident that pupils are safe and well looked after. The care and support provided for pupils is satisfactory and the school is committed to meeting the needs of all. Hence pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities receive sound support, as do those for whom English is not their home language. Currently pupils are not given enough guidance on how they can improve their work. Lessons cover a wide range of subjects and pupils appreciate the contribution that trips and visits, including residential trips for older pupils, make to enriching what they do in class. Pupils are aware that they

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Grade: 3

are growing up in a diverse cultural society and the school provides them with a sound preparation for the next stages of education and for adult life. Leadership and management are satisfactory overall. Since his appointment four terms ago, the headteacher has given a very strong, clear lead. He has identified aspects of provision needing improvement and has acted decisively to implement a programme to bring these improvements about. During this time he has received very good support from officers and advisers of the local authority. They have worked with teachers to help them improve their practice and this has led to pupils learning more successfully. 2 Inspection Report: St Patrick's Catholic Primary School, 11 °12 December 2006 Currently teachers do not take a sufficient share in the leadership, or enough responsibility for aspects of the school's work. Nor do they contribute enough to the evaluation of how well the school is doing. Governors' effectiveness has improved

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Grade: 3

recently and is now satisfactory. Developments in the recent past mean that improvement since the previous inspection has been satisfactory and the school now gives satisfactory value for money. The capacity for further improvement is satisfactory.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Raise standards by improving the quality of teaching and learning. • Extend the role of middle managers, both in subject leadership and in evaluating the school's work. • Raise attendance levels so that pupils' learning is less disrupted. • Improve the guidance given to pupils on how they can improve the quality of their work.

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Grade: 3

Children make good progress from a low base in their nursery year, particularly in the development of their speaking and listening skills. Satisfactory progress through the year in which they become five means that pupils enter Year 1 with knowledge and skills below those typical of children nationally. Results in national assessment at the end of Year 2 have been below average in recent years, but are improving. Pupils have underachieved in Years 3 to 6 recently and national test results at the end of Year 6 have been below average, particularly in 2005. In 2006, results were better and school records show that the pupils involved had made satisfactory progress during their last year in school. Pupils currently in the school are making satisfactory progress. Teachers are aware of the needs of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and thus provide the support necessary for these pupils to make progress similar to that of

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Grade: 3

Pupils' personal development is satisfactory. Pupils like coming to school and they get on well together. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well. Pupils are aware of how to keep themselves safe and they talk confidently about how they can adopt healthy lifestyles. They have a good awareness of the needs of those less fortunate than themselves, as illustrated by the fund-raising activities they take part in. They are acquiring the skills necessary to prepare themselves for the next stages of education and for adult life. Behaviour around the school is good, but is only satisfactory in lessons. This is because many pupils have not learned to listen and concentrate, especially when other pupils are speaking. Hence chatter or calling out disrupts the flow of lessons. Attendance has improved over the past four terms but 3 Inspection Report: St Patrick's Catholic Primary School, 11 °12 December 2006

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Grade: 3

remains below average, despite the efforts of the school to encourage regular attendance.

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Grade: 3

Teaching and learning are satisfactory overall and are good in the nursery class. Almost all pupils are taught in mixed age classes and teachers are careful to ensure that activities are appropriate for pupils' ages. Work is also generally matched to the needs of pupils of different abilities and teachers work well with their teaching assistants to ensure that all pupils are able to participate. In their planning, teachers do not always structure activities carefully enough to enable pupils to learn as quickly as possible. Nor do they pay enough attention to how they might stretch the most able, for instance through posing more challenging questions. Hence, pupils often spend time undertaking routine tasks and exercises rather than engaging in stimulating activities that would motivate them better. The marking of pupils' work is regularly undertaken but teachers' comments do not provide pupils with enough guidance on how to improve their work.

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Grade: 3

The assessment of pupils' work is improving and teachers are beginning to use the outcomes of assessment to guide their planning. Pupils are not involved enough in assessing their own work and teachers do not always provide pupils with sufficient detail about the targets for their learning.

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Grade: 3

The school provides pupils with a satisfactory curriculum. Recently French has been added, having previously been offered as an after-school activity. Links are made between subjects to help pupils make better sense of how learning in the different topics fits together. Pupils respond well to the range of extra-curricular activities provided and appreciate the opportunities to learn to play musical instruments. They value the enrichment offered by visitors to the school, such as theatre companies, and talk enthusiastically about their trips and visits.

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Grade: 3

Care, guidance and support are satisfactory. Arrangements to ensure that pupils are safe are applied carefully by all staff. Steps to safeguard learners are fully in place. Provision for pupils who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities is sound, enabling these pupils to be fully integrated into school life. Pupils feel able to talk to staff if they have any problems. The tracking of pupils' progress is sound, enabling teachers to meet pupils' needs. However, this information is not yet being used sufficiently to provide pupils with enough detail about the progress they are making or to set them goals to aim for. Pupils' views are sought, both through the school council and in class 4 Inspection Report: St Patrick's Catholic Primary School, 11 °12 December 2006 discussions. The school also regularly seeks the views of parents, who are very confident that their children are safe and well cared for.

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management of the school are satisfactory. Since he arrived just over a year ago, the headteacher has provided the strong, clear and decisive leadership necessary to begin to improve standards. A clear vision for the future of the school is linked to a detailed plan of the steps necessary to maintain the improvements currently being implemented. The analysis of pupils' performance is improving and is being used to set challenging but achievable targets. The school has identified the need to extend and share more widely the leadership and management of subjects. The overall evaluation of how well the school is doing is accurate. Arrangements are planned to ensure the greater involvement of staff in the evaluation of the school's work. Until recently governors have not been fulfilling their responsibilities adequately. The chair of governors, appointed two years ago, has been instrumental in bringing about

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Grade: 3

improvements in the working of the governing body. Governance is now satisfactory, and the need for governors to become more involved in helping shape the strategic direction of the school and evaluating its work is acknowledged. The school makes sound use of the resources available to it. This is illustrated by the good use of surplus funds to provide additional teaching time as part of the strategy to raise standards. 5 Inspection Report: St Patrick's Catholic Primary School, 11 °12 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, 11 °12 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 3 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 3 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 3 The behaviour of learners 4 The attendance of learners 3 How well learners enjoy their education 3 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 3 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 3 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. 7 Inspection Report: St Patrick's Catholic Primary School, 11 °12 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, 11 °12 December 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

13 December 2006 Dear Children St Patrick's Catholic Primary School, Whitehouse Road, Bircotes, Doncaster DN11 8EF I would like to thank you all very much for making me so welcome when I came to inspect your school recently. I really enjoyed coming to your lessons, joining you in assembly and watching you play together. Thank you for talking to me about your work and helping me to find my way around. You clearly like coming to school and your teachers and their assistants help you to get along together well. You told me about how the school has improved recently and this is obvious in the progress that you are now making in lessons. There is still more that your teachers can do to make lessons more interesting and they need to give you more guidance on how you can do better. Some of you are often absent from school. This disrupts your learning and you can help your teachers by trying to attend more regularly. You obviously feel very safe in school

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

and this is because teachers and other members of staff care for you and make sure that you get the support you need. You care for the needs of others and this is clear from the fund-raising activities you take part in. Your new headteacher has been very successful in improving the school in the past year and a half and he has exciting plans for making the school even better. He plans to improve what goes on in your classrooms even more. I have asked him to get all teachers more involved in leading improvement in subjects and also to help him to identify where the school is being successful and what more needs to be done. My very best wishes to you. I hope that you all do very well in the future. Yours sincerely George Knights Lead Inspector 9 Inspection Report: St Patrick's Catholic Primary School, 11 °12 December 2006

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