Setting

Mrs S Benn Headteacher St Catherine RC Primary School Money Lane West Drayton Middlesex UB7 7NX

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the Primary National Strategy

I am grateful for the hospitality and co-operation shown by you and your staff during my visit with Asyia Kazmi HMI on 19 October 2006 to look at work in the Primary National Strategy (PNS).

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the Primary National Strategy

As outlined in my initial letter, as well as looking at key areas of the PNS, the visit had a particular focus on continuity and progression for pupils on entry to a new key stage.

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the Primary National Strategy

The visit provided valuable information which will contribute to our national evaluation and reporting. Published reports are likely to list the names of the contributing institutions, but individual institutions will not be identified in the main text. All feedback letters will be published on the Ofsted website at the end of each half-term.

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the Primary National Strategy

The evidence used to inform the judgements made included: interviews with staff and pupils, scrutiny of relevant documentation, analysis of pupils’ work and observation of two lessons.

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the Primary National Strategy

The overall effectiveness and impact of the PNS was judged to be good.

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Achievement and standards

 Standards in mathematics are well above average.  Boys’ performance in mathematics in national tests was slightly higher than that of girls.  The school makes good use of data to inform planning and has an effective system to track and monitor pupils’ progress and standards. Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE T 08456 404045 F 020 7421 6855 www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Quality of teaching and learning

The quality of teaching and learning is good overall.

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Quality of teaching and learning

 Strengths included shared learning objectives, support for pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities and opportunities for partner talk.  Most tasks were matched to the learning needs of pupils but the more able pupils were not challenged sufficiently to develop their thinking and listening skills.

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Quality of curriculum

 Teaching is reviewed regularly and teachers are provided with useful written feedback. School evaluation acknowledges the need to embed assessment for learning.  The use of interactive whiteboards supports teaching and increases the engagement of pupils. Teachers and pupils use interactive whiteboards very effectively.

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Leadership and management of the Primary National Strategy

Leadership and management of the strategy are very good.

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Leadership and management of the Primary National Strategy

 The school is aware of the need to develop the recently appointed subject leaders.  The school has very effective systems in place to evaluate the impact of its actions on pupil outcomes. For example, close monitoring has enabled the school to evaluate new initiatives carefully and tailor them appropriately to meet pupils’ learning needs. The school has correctly identified the need to focus on higher attaining pupils.  There are good opportunities for professional development.

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The quality of transition

 There are good systems for ensuring smooth transition from the Foundation Stage to Year 1 which includes induction of pupils and discussions between teachers.  The school meets with secondary partners to discuss individual pupils, giving extra attention to pupils with learning needs, disabilities and those who are vulnerable. Liaison with outside agencies and parents is effective.

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Inclusion

 The PNS is contributing to the school’s inclusion policy. Intervention strategies are modified to cater for the needs of individuals and this enables them to make good progress. Furthermore, teachers are making more use of a wider range of strategies to engage and motivate all pupils.  Parents are informed appropriately about pupils’ targets and progress.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, included:

 to further improve the quality of teaching by ensuring the needs of able pupils are catered for  to rigorously analyse and evaluate the wealth of data on pupils’ progress on a more regular basis.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, included:

I hope these observations are useful as you continue to develop mathematics in the school.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, included:

As I explained in my previous letter, a copy of this letter will be sent to your local authority and will be published on Ofsted’s website. It will also be available to the team who undertake your next institutional inspection.

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