Setting

Tribal Group 1-4 Portland Square Bristol BS2 8RR T 0845 123 6001 F 0845 123 6002 Ofsted helpline 08456 404045 edhelpline@ofsted.gov.uk

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Mrs Lucille Charles The Headteacher St Bonaventure’s Catholic Primary School Egerton Road Bishopston Bristol BS7 8HP

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EFFECTIVENESS HAS BEEN JUDGED SATISFACTORY

Thank you for the help which you and your staff gave when I inspected your school on Thursday 2 November 2006, for the time you gave to our phone discussions, and for the information which you provided before and during my visit. It was also particularly helpful to meet three governors who provided me with useful evidence about how the school is improving.

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EFFECTIVENESS HAS BEEN JUDGED SATISFACTORY

As a result of the inspection in October 2005, the school was asked to: raise standards in Years 1 and 2, ensuring that pupils’ skills in writing are developed much faster and that more able pupils reach high standards; improve self-evaluation in order to increase the rate of pupils’ progress, making better use of information about pupils’ attainment to set suitably challenging targets; raise the overall quality of teaching and learning so that more of it is good or better.

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EFFECTIVENESS HAS BEEN JUDGED SATISFACTORY

Having considered all the evidence I am of the opinion that at this time the school is making satisfactory progress in addressing the issues for improvement.

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EFFECTIVENESS HAS BEEN JUDGED SATISFACTORY

In the end of year tests in 2006, the standards of Year 2 pupils rose in writing, reading and mathematics. The proportion of pupils attaining a Level 3 was considerably higher in all three subjects. These improved results reflected the faster rate of progress in writing made by the pupils. Standards and achievement also improved considerably in Year 6 test results in English, mathematics and science. However, the progress made by pupils in lessons observed during the visit was not consistent across the school. Although the higher attaining pupils were usually given appropriately challenging tasks, they were sometimes expected to complete work which was well within their ability before tackling more demanding activities. This had an adverse impact on the pace of their learning and they did not always make the progress that they should in lessons. Progress in this area is satisfactory overall.

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EFFECTIVENESS HAS BEEN JUDGED SATISFACTORY

At the time of the last inspection, the school’s self-evaluation was judged to be inadequate. Since then, there have been some significant improvements and progress has been satisfactory overall. The governing body has made good progress in improving the systems for monitoring its work. It is taking appropriate steps to strengthen its own terms of reference and to support the senior management team in reorganising its work. Governors are fostering a greater sense of accountability in the school. They monitor the work of the school with increasing effectiveness. The senior team has improved its systems for monitoring the work of the school, particularly in terms of using data to track the progress of year groups, classes and individual pupils. The team has a good sense of how to develop this further. The development of new terms of reference for the senior leadership team is clarifying corporate and individual responsibilities. Although this is a welcome and necessary

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EFFECTIVENESS HAS BEEN JUDGED SATISFACTORY

development, it is still embryonic. Monitoring and evaluation have improved overall, but arrangements for monitoring teaching and learning have not progressed as well as in other areas. The school is now using data well to set suitably challenging targets and appropriate systems have been developed to review individual pupils’ targets during the course of the year.

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EFFECTIVENESS HAS BEEN JUDGED SATISFACTORY

Improvements in standards and achievement in Years 2 and 6 reflect improved teaching and learning in those year groups last year. Although there has been some improvement in the proportion of good teaching across the school, it is still not sufficiently high to ensure consistently good achievement in all year groups. There is insufficient focus in some classes on the pace of learning and on the progress of the higher attaining pupils. The school does not have a clear policy for teaching and learning and there has been no whole staff training to improve provision in this area. Some members of staff have benefited from the input of an advanced skills teacher but this has not had sufficient impact on the whole school. The monitoring of teaching and learning is not sufficiently frequent and does not focus sufficiently on the pupils’ learning to improve overall progress from satisfactory to good. However, the increased proportion of good teaching since the last inspection

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EFFECTIVENESS HAS BEEN JUDGED SATISFACTORY

shows that progress in this area is satisfactory overall.

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EFFECTIVENESS HAS BEEN JUDGED SATISFACTORY

I hope that you have found the visit helpful in promoting improvement in your school.

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