St William of York Catholic Primary School

St William of York Catholic Primary School Inspection report

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100737 Unique Reference Number Lewisham Local Authority 307464 Inspection number 12 November 2008 Inspection date Sue Frater HMI Reporting inspector

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The registered childcare, managed by the governing body, was inspected under section 49 of the Childcare Act 2006.

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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 232 School (total) 0 Government funded early education provision for children aged 3 to the end of the EYFS 0 Childcare provision for children aged 0 to 3 years The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Catherine Lewis Chair Mrs Sharon Lynch Headteacher 27 June 2005 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Brockley Park School address Forest Hill London SE23 1PS 020 8690 2842 Telephone number 020 8690 3623 Fax number

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3–11 Age group 12 November 2008 Inspection date 307464 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. 2 of 9 Inspection Report: St William of York Catholic Primary School, 12 November 2008

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by one of Her Majesty's Inspectors and an Additional Inspector. The inspectors evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school and investigated the following issues: the achievement of all pupils in the school, the impact of teaching and learning on their achievement, and the quality of leadership and management. Evidence was gathered from lesson observations, interviews with the headteacher and chair of governors, discussions with pupils and teaching staff, and scrutiny of the school's records and a sample of work for Year 4 and 5 pupils who were on a school journey. Other aspects of the school's work were investigated, although not in detail, and no evidence was found to suggest that the school's own assessments, as given in its self-evaluation, were not justified. These have been included where appropriate in this report.

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Description of the school

St William of York Primary School serves the local Catholic community and is heavily oversubscribed. The school is of average size and provides for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) in a Nursery and a Reception class. Forty pupils attend the Nursery part time. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is similar to that found nationally. A high proportion of pupils, more than half the school population, are from a wide range of minority ethnic backgrounds. The number of pupils at an early stage of learning English is broadly similar to that found nationally. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is well below average and few have a statement of special educational needs. The school holds the National ICT Mark, the Healthy Schools award, the Silver Artsmark, the Activemark and the Sustainable Travel Award. The headteacher was appointed following the

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 9 Inspection Report: St William of York Catholic Primary School, 12 November 2008

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Grade: 1

This is an outstanding school, where standards are consistently well above average. Standards are particularly high in science. The excellent quality of teaching and learning enables pupils to make outstanding progress. The school is very well led and managed. The strong caring and Christian ethos and the high expectations for all pupils are what makes this school successful and attractive to parents. Parents state that the school's 'nurturing environment' enables their children to be 'well-educated', and that, 'The tireless dedication of all staff is first class.' Leadership and management are outstanding at all levels, from the headteacher and governors to senior and subject leaders. This is because the school knows its strengths and weaknesses extremely well. It has identified the most appropriate areas for school development. The enthusiastic leadership team is working hard to meet these aims. An illustration of this is the

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Grade: 1

way in which it has improved the quality of teaching and the curriculum, to stimulate and encourage pupils to learn through enquiry and first-hand investigation. To extend pupils' independent learning, the school has invested in a range of information and communication technology (ICT). Pupils enjoy learning from the interactive whiteboards and using the laptops and computer suite. This was evident in a lesson where pupils were making posters of toys that use push and pull forces. The curriculum is enhanced by an excellent range of extra-curricular activities, educational visits, and school trips, for example to Belgium, Holland, France and the Isle of Wight. The leadership team is not complacent. It is constantly reviewing the curriculum to meet pupils' needs. It has identified the need to raise further the achievement of higher-attaining pupils and, to this end, has introduced setting in mathematics in Years 5 and

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Grade: 1

6. The quality of teaching and learning is outstanding. Lessons are planned with imagination and a deep understanding of how young people learn best. Pupils say that teachers 'make lessons fun, but we're still learning'. Pupils' enjoyment was evident in a lesson where they investigated making sounds from a range of resources. Teachers track pupils' progress closely and are increasingly using the information to match work to the range of abilities in the class. Lessons are challenging and well paced. Consequently, pupils are keen and eager to learn. They often show their excitement when discovering new knowledge and skills. In working collaboratively, the pupils are encouraged to take responsibility for their learning, and they grow in confidence. The support they give to each other, in lessons and in the playground, is commendable. The school knows how well its pupils are achieving because it tracks their progress accurately

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Grade: 1

as they move up the school. Any underachievement is identified and addressed by a range of well-targeted intervention strategies. Attainment on entry is broadly average. As a result of setting challenging targets, the school reached standards in Key Stage 1 that were well above average in 2008. Standards in Key Stage 2 have been consistently well above average since the previous inspection. However, the 2008 provisional Key Stage 2 results in English, particularly at the higher levels, indicate a decline in this subject. The school has identified writing as a relatively weaker area. It is addressing this by a whole-school focus on writing. This is raising the standards achieved by current pupils. The attention given to developing skills in literacy, numeracy and ICT, together with social skills, prepares pupils very well for their future education. Pupils' personal development and well-being are outstanding. Through assemblies, curricular

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Grade: 1

and extra-curricular activities, visits, and the many opportunities to take responsibility, pupils develop spiritually, morally, socially and culturally. The school is beginning to use the rich 4 of 9 Inspection Report: St William of York Catholic Primary School, 12 November 2008 first-hand resource of parents to extend pupils' celebration of cultural diversity. Pupils enjoy school greatly and are proud of their achievements. Their behaviour and attitudes to learning are exemplary. The school has worked hard to improve attendance, particularly in dissuading parents from taking holidays in term time. As a result, attendance is now well above average. Pupils feel safe in school. They appreciate the care shown by older 'buddies' in the playground and by peer mediators who help to sort out any quarrels. The school council's contribution to anti-bullying has resulted in a very low level of racist or bullying incidents. The council also

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Grade: 1

makes a positive contribution to community cohesion through the 'safer neighbourhood' project as the Junior Ward Panel representatives. Pupils have a good understanding of how to live healthy lives. Many pupils partake of the healthy meals on offer in the school and the 'wake and shake' exercises to music first thing in the morning. Large numbers participate in extra-curricular sports activities. The school cares exceptionally well for its pupils and all procedures for safeguarding are in place. A very effective inclusion team ensures pupils are identified early if they need additional support. The team liaises well with external agencies. The provision for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities enables them to make very good progress. This includes good support from teaching assistants. Through effective academic guidance, most pupils know how well they are achieving, and what they need to do to reach their targets. Parents report that

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Grade: 1

the introduction of an information booklet, together with parent and curriculum evenings, keeps them well informed about their children's progress. Although the school actively seeks parents' views, parents would appreciate more feedback on these from the school. Given the improvements made since the previous inspection, and the strength of the leadership team, the school has outstanding capacity to improve further.

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Grade: 1

Provision in the EYFS is very effective. When children join the Nursery or Reception classes, their skills and knowledge are broadly in line with those expected for their ages. They then make outstanding progress. By the end of the EYFS, most exceed the goals for the areas of learning, and many are well above the expectation. Their personal development and well-being are excellent. The safe and stimulating outdoor environment supports children's physical development well. Nursery children riding bikes in the outdoor area showed good awareness of road safety when they stopped to let children with pushchairs cross the painted 'road'. For half a day each week, all EYFS children attend a local 'forest school'. There they investigate a natural outdoor environment: activities include digging in the mud to find and identify insects. Staff know the children well, identify their needs accurately, and promote their welfare. They

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Grade: 1

monitor the children's progress systematically and use the observations to inform their planning. Activities across the EYFS are well organised to lead children to the learning intentions. They provide a good balance of adult-directed and child-initiated experiences. In Reception, having learned the sound and symbol 'f', the pupils applied it in forming words of three sounds they had learned; thus they made rapid progress. They evidently enjoyed the range of self-initiated activities, including water play to explore the concept of capacity. One boy said, 'I love this class'.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Raise standards further in English and mathematics, to match the very high standards achieved in science. 5 of 9 Inspection Report: St William of York Catholic Primary School, 12 November 2008 .

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What the school should do to improve further

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 of 9 Inspection Report: St William of York Catholic Primary School, 12 November 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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needs of learners?

Yes 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? 1 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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EYFS?

1 How well do children in the EYFS achieve? How good are the overall personal development and well-being of the children in the EYFS? 1 How effectively are children in the EYFS helped to learn and develop? 1 How effectively is the welfare of children in the EYFS promoted? 1 How effectively is provision in the EYFS led and managed?

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Achievement and standards

1 How well do learners achieve? 1 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 1 How well learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make progress

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Achievement and standards

1 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 of 9 Inspection Report: St William of York Catholic Primary School, 12 November 2008

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learners?

1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 The extent to which learners enjoy their education 1 The attendance of learners 1 The behaviour of learners 1 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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learners' needs?

How well do the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of learners? 1 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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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 1 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 1 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 1 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination eliminated 1 How well does the school contribute to community cohesion? 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 of 9 Inspection Report: St William of York Catholic Primary School, 12 November 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

25 November 2008 Dear Pupils Inspection of St William of York Catholic Primary School,London,SE23 1PS Thank you for making the inspectors so welcome in your school. We enjoyed talking to you, tasting the delicious scones made by some of you, and watching you 'wake and shake' first thing in the morning. We were very impressed by your excellent behaviour and how responsible you are in caring for each other, for example as playground 'buddies'. You clearly love your school and are proud of its achievements. It is an outstanding school, where you achieve very good standards in your work and in your personal development. The school cares exceptionally well for you and helps you if you have difficulty in your learning. It has also helped to improve your attendance. Some of your parents wrote to us to tell us how much they like the information booklet the school now gives them to inform them about your progress.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Your school is very well led and managed by your headteacher. Mrs Lynch and the teachers have worked hard to improve your lessons and the curriculum to make them more interesting and fun. You told us how much you enjoy finding things out for yourselves and using the computers, including all the new laptops. You also enjoy the many after-school clubs, visits and school trips. Your teachers monitor your progress carefully and use this information to make sure the work is not too easy or too hard for you. As a result, you make excellent progress in your lessons. However, we feel some of you can make even better progress in English and mathematics to match the very high standards you attain in science. You can help in this by monitoring your own progress towards your targets for these subjects. We wish you success in the future. Yours sincerely Sue Frater Her Majesty's Inspector 9 of 9 Inspection Report: St William of York Catholic Primary School, 12 November 2008

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