St Peter's Catholic Primary School

St Peter's Catholic Primary School Inspection report

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100175 Unique Reference Number Greenwich Local Authority 307317 Inspection number 26 °27 March 2008 Inspection dates Jacqueline Krafft HMI 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 5 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 205 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs S Heywood Chair Mrs M O'Regan Headteacher 7 July 2003 Date of previous school inspection Crescent Road School address London SE18 7BN 020 8265 0028 Telephone number 020 8244 9670 Fax number

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5-11 Age group 26 °27 March 2008 Inspection dates 307317 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 one of Her Majesty's Inspectors and an Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

St Peter's is an average size primary school. It serves the local Catholic, multi - cultural community, in an area that is part of a major neighbourhood regeneration programme. Most pupils are from minority ethnic backgrounds. The largest group is of Black African heritage. Almost half the pupils speak English as an additional language although few are at the early stages of English language acquisition. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is similar to that found nationally and has risen over the past three years. The largest group are those with speech, language and communication needs. Almost a quarter of pupils are eligible for free school meals.

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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: St Peter's Catholic Primary School, 26 °27 March 2008

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Grade: 4

In accordance with legislation, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires significant improvement because it is performing significantly less well than in all circumstances it could be reasonably expected to perform. The school is therefore given a Notice to Improve. Significant improvement is required in relation to achievement, teaching and learning. St Peter's Catholic Primary School provides its pupils with a calm, attractive and well-ordered environment. Consequently, they feel safe, well cared for and trusted. Their personal development and well-being are good. They behave well and have positive relationships with each other as well as with the adults in school. As one parent wrote, 'The school has a very strong emphasis on respect for one another and every child is valued. The children and staff are like one big family.' There are good links with the church and local community so that pupils

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Grade: 4

and parents feel well supported. Standards have started to rise following a decline since the previous inspection. The improved curriculum has an appropriate balance of subjects and pupils now leave at the end of Year 6 with the skills and knowledge expected for their age. However, achievement is inadequate because the progress that pupils make through the school varies, and too many are not achieving as well as they should. This is because assessment information is not always accurate or used effectively to plan lessons that are well matched to the pupils' varied needs. Consequently, teaching and learning are inadequate overall. Although pupils make satisfactory progress in some lessons, too often work is not set at an appropriate level for all of them, and they are not given clear guidance on precisely what they need to do to improve and achieve well. Pupils said that sometimes work was too easy and did not always challenge them. As one said, 'I don't

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Grade: 4

like sitting and listening too much but enjoy being more active. We learn when teachers make it fun.' The headteacher, who has been in post for eighteen months, has an appropriate focus on raising standards and achievement and is not complacent. A system to track pupils' progress has been introduced, subject leaders are being involved in monitoring lesson plans, and regular discussions with teachers take place to review the progress pupils make each term. However, information is not yet analysed in sufficient detail or used effectively to identify underachievement accurately and accelerate progress quickly enough. The improvements made in the Foundation Stage, to the curriculum and the reversal of the decline in standards demonstrate that the school has the appropriate capacity to improve further.

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Grade: 2

Provision in the Foundation Stage has developed significantly well since the last inspection and is now good. The skills and knowledge children have when they start the school vary considerably and overall are lower than expected for their age. They achieve well and most reach the goals expected by the end of the year because teaching is good. The co-ordinator, who has received training and support from the school and local authority, leads and manages the area well. Teamwork between her and the two full-time learning assistants is effective. Accommodation indoors and out has been refurbished and developed. This is organised and 4 of 11 Inspection Report: St Peter's Catholic Primary School, 26 °27 March 2008 used well to provide a range of interesting adult-led and child-chosen activities. The good curriculum covers all six areas of learning well. Children particularly enjoy weekly visits to an outdoor centre nearby, 'The Forest School'. Experiences here contribute well to the good

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Grade: 2

progress they make in their learning and personal development.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve the accuracy and use of assessment and tracking information to identify underachievement and accelerate the progress pupils make. ■ Ensure teaching consistently meets the needs of all pupils so that they achieve well.

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Grade: 4

Standards in Years 2 and 6 rose in 2007. They are average by the time that pupils leave the school. This improvement follows a period of decline since the previous inspection when standards were above average. However, achievement is inadequate because the good progress pupils make in the Foundation Stage is not maintained, varying too much from year to year as pupils move through the school, and between different subjects. Although tracking systems are in place to identify underachievement, progress has not accelerated sufficiently to ensure all pupils achieve as well as they could. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, including those with speech, language and communication needs, make good progress in their personal development and become confident because they are well cared for and they have appropriate levels of pastoral support. Their academic progress is too variable because work in

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Grade: 4

lessons is not consistently, well matched to their needs so support for their learning is not always effective.

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Grade: 2

Pupils behave well, have positive attitudes to learning and attend school regularly. They care for each other, feel valued and trusted. They respond well to the responsibilities they are given such as mentoring younger pupils and representing each other on the school council. Pupils understand how to keep healthy through eating a balanced diet, taking regular exercise and keeping their teeth clean. Although a very small number of parents identified that, some bullying incidents occurred, pupils feel safe and said, 'Teachers listen to us and any bullying is dealt with.' Pupils enjoy school and say 'It is a friendly environment.' They particularly like practical activities and are enthusiastic about taking part in competitions. They are proud of the musical skills they develop through learning to play an instrument and singing in the school's gospel choir. Their spiritual, moral social and cultural development is good, underpinned by the school's

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Grade: 2

strong Catholic ethos. Pupils have a good understanding of other faiths and cultures, and racial harmony pervades the school. Pupils make a good contribution to the local community, particularly through the well-developed church links. They are articulate, confident and express their views and opinions well. They have the necessary literacy and numeracy skills to equip them appropriately for the next stage of their education. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: St Peter's Catholic Primary School, 26 °27 March 2008

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Grade: 4

Teaching and learning are inadequate because the pace of lessons and level of work do not help all pupils achieve as much as they could. Good relationships and effective behaviour management motivate pupils and ensure that most lessons are calm and orderly. Classrooms are well organised and staff work hard to make the classrooms attractive and welcoming. However, teachers do not use their knowledge of pupils sufficiently well to adapt work to different learning needs, so tasks are often too easy or too difficult for many. Learning is therefore limited and progress slows. Pupils do not have sufficient time for independent or co-operative work because some lessons are over-directed by teachers. Marking is not always up to date or accurate. When comments are included, they praise pupils' efforts. Whilst this contributes to pupils' self-esteem and good personal development, it does not show them how to improve or develop their learning further.

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Grade: 3

Leaders and managers have successfully developed the curriculum since the last inspection. Display, documents, lessons and pupils' work indicate that there is now a better balance of subjects. Strengths lie in religious education, music, sport and personal, social and health education (PSHE) which all add to the pupils' good spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Their personal development, including their enjoyment, is also enhanced by special events, which enrich the curriculum, including visits from a coastguard and from some African drummers. Pupils are pleased that residential trips have been reintroduced. Some effective links have been made between subjects but there is room to develop this further. For example, the science leader has identified the need to develop links between science and other subjects. The curriculum is not always sufficiently well adapted to pupils' different learning

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Grade: 3

needs and does not contribute sufficiently to their achievement.

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Grade: 3

Procedures to ensure pupils' health and safety are all in place and pupils are cared for well. The needs of pupils requiring any additional specialist support are identified quickly and effective use is made of other professionals, such as speech therapists and educational psychologists, to provide the specialist help needed. Although pupils who speak English as an additional language and those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are supported appropriately in small groups, work in class is often too difficult and sometimes not completed. Occasionally, special resources or classroom organisation to support pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities, such as visual impairment, are not implemented and the achievement of these pupils is slowed. The school's clear and helpful policy on how marking and targets for future learning should inform pupils' progress is not implemented consistently.

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Grade: 3

6 of 11 Inspection Report: St Peter's Catholic Primary School, 26 °27 March 2008

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Grade: 3

The headteacher provides a clear direction for the school. Self-evaluation accurately identifies areas for development and appropriate plans for improvement are in place. However, it is not clear how success is to be measured. There have been a number of staff changes since the headteacher took up post. New staff are given appropriate support and the role of subject leaders is being developed. They have undertaken some monitoring activities but this is not yet fully developed, so their impact on raising achievement has been limited. Tracking systems are in place and expectations of the progress pupils should make have been shared. However, information is not yet analysed with sufficient rigour to accelerate progress and focus teaching sharply on meeting the learning needs of all pupils consistently. Targets are set to provide appropriate challenge in Year 6, which has led to an improvement in standards. Assessment

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Grade: 3

and the use of targets to ensure pupils make good progress are not yet robust enough throughout the school. Governors fulfil their statutory responsibilities and are supportive of the school. They have an informed understanding of the school's strengths, but weaknesses in the school's data analysis limit their ability to provide good levels of challenge. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: St Peter's Catholic Primary School, 26 °27 March 2008 .

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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: St Peter's Catholic Primary School, 26 °27 March 2008

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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? No Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 2 The effectiveness of the Foundation Stage 3 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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Achievement and standards

4 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 4 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 extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The attendance of learners 2 The behaviour of learners 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: St Peter's Catholic Primary School, 26 °27 March 2008

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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 3 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 3 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 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? Yes Does this school require a notice to improve? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: St Peter's Catholic Primary School, 26 °27 March 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

01 May 2008 Dear Pupils Inspection of St Peter's Catholic Primary School,London,SE18 7BN Thank you for making us feel so welcome when we visited your school. We really enjoyed talking to you, looking at your work and seeing you in lessons. You and your parents told us you like school because it is friendly. You are well cared for, you said that you feel safe, are trusted and can talk to the teachers if you are worried about anything. You play and work well together and you said you particularly enjoy lessons when you are able to be actively involved. You are rightly proud that you can learn to play musical instruments and are pleased that the residential trips have been reintroduced. Some things have improved in the school recently, but we think that the school needs to get even better. Therefore, we have arranged for some more inspectors to come back within 6 - 8 months to see how well things are going. We have asked your headteacher and teachers to

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

help you do as well as you possibly can by making sure the work you do is not too hard or too easy. We want them to check, more carefully, how well you are doing so that they know if they need to give you some extra help. We would like to thank you again for making us so welcome and hope that you carry on enjoying being at school and get even better at your work. Best wishes Jackie Krafft Her Majesty's Inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: St Peter's Catholic Primary School, 26 °27 March 2008

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