St Paul's CofE Primary School

St Paul's CofE Primary School Inspection report

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102524 Unique Reference Number Hounslow Local Authority 308040 Inspection number 27 November 2007 Inspection date Linda McGill 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 3 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 223 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Glenn Greene Chair Mrs Sandra James Headteacher 24 March 2003 Date of previous school inspection St Paul's Road School address Brentford TW8 0PN 020 8560 3297 Telephone number 020 8758 9623 Fax number

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3-11 Age group 27 November 2007 Inspection date 308040 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. She evaluated the school's overall effectiveness and investigated four particular issues. These were: to confirm how good the pupils' achievement is across the school; to assess the effectiveness of the steps being taken to increase the numbers achieving higher levels; to see how the school promotes better attendance and to confirm significant strengths in pupils' personal development and the care, guidance and support the school provides. To do this she spoke with the headteacher, staff, pupils and the chair of the governing body, looked at the school's assessment and tracking records and analysed responses to the questionnaire for parents. She also observed lessons alongside the headteacher and deputy headteacher. Other aspects of the school's work were not investigated in detail, but no evidence was found to suggest that the school's own

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Introduction

assessments, as given in its self-evaluation form, were not justified, and these have been included where appropriate in this report.

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Description of the school

St Paul's is an average-sized Church of England primary school. The number on roll has increased steadily since the last inspection. The pupils reflect the rich ethnic mix of the local area and include those of other faiths. The proportion known to be eligible for free school meals is high. Over one third of the pupils speak another language in addition to English and in recent years the number in the early stages of learning English has grown.

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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 Paul's CofE Primary School, 27 November 2007

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Grade: 2

St Paul's is a good school and some aspects of its work are outstanding. It has a warm and welcoming ethos which parents appreciate, and was described by one as 'A fun, safe and friendly place for our children'. Pupils share this view; indeed, several queued up in the playground to report to the inspector how much they enjoyed school and liked their teachers, other staff and their friends. Pupils of all backgrounds play and work happily alongside one another. The pupils like school not only because of its friendliness. They also value it as a place to learn and make progress. St Paul's does not let them down in this. On entry to the school in the Foundation unit, pupils' knowledge and skills vary widely but are generally below those of a typical three- or four-year old. They make good progress so that by the time they start Year 1, many have reached the goals expected for their learning, in particular in their personal and

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Grade: 2

social development and their communication and language skills. Good progress continues across the school and by Year 6, the proportion of pupils who attain the levels expected for their age is just above that achieved nationally and in line with the school's targets. This is a good improvement since the last inspection. Too few pupils, however, reach higher levels. Steps are being taken to tackle this. One of the reasons for pupils' good achievement is the close watch that is kept on their progress. It starts from the earliest days in school and assessments are made regularly right through to Year 6. Discussions between teachers and senior staff highlight those at risk of falling behind and help to identify those pupils who need extra support. Test results are analysed to pinpoint areas of weakness and adjustments are made to what is taught, if needed. These measures, together with good teaching and effective support from assistants, enable all pupils including

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Grade: 2

those learning English and those who have learning difficulties or disabilities to make good progress. Teachers are becoming skilled at matching work more precisely to the pupils' needs. They know that they should stretch everyone, including the more able, but because lessons sometimes focus more on what pupils will do, rather than learn, pupils do not always make the best possible progress. There is a purposeful working atmosphere in all classes and the pupils have good attitudes to their work. Lively and well-paced lessons where participation from pupils is high, such as in French, enable pupils to make even better progress. Pupils have targets to aim for in their work, and older pupils regularly evaluate their work against National Curriculum levels. However, the use of targets is not firmly embedded across the school and is not yet driving improvements as strongly as it should. Some pupils are not

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Grade: 2

clear about exactly what they need to do to reach their target. Good achievement does not spring only from the efforts of teachers and other staff. Much comes from the pupils themselves. The pupils' personal development is good overall and outstanding in some aspects, such as their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. In lessons, pupils are well motivated and responsive. Their behaviour is excellent; in assembly, it was impeccable. Pupils enjoy discussing their work and what they are learning. Older pupils evaluate each other's work accurately and are supportive of one another. By Year 6, the pupils are mature and responsible individuals who take their role in school seriously. Pupils make an outstanding contribution to the school and the local community and regularly raise funds to help others. Attendance levels have improved since the last inspection and are in line with local and national figures. The school takes a robust line on attendance and aims to make even

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Grade: 2

further increases. 4 of 9 Inspection Report: St Paul's CofE Primary School, 27 November 2007 The interest that the school takes in the pupils' welfare is outstanding. Staff take every step to ensure the safety and well-being of all of the pupils. To that end, they work extremely closely with different agencies and with parents. Individual pupils and their families are well known and well supported. The academic guidance the school provides for pupils is not so strong, but is developing well. The school's successes stem from the strong leadership of the headteacher and senior staff. The leadership team knows the school's strengths and weaknesses well and is, if anything, too critical of the school's performance. There is a keen determination to build on what has already been achieved and no sense of complacency. This is shared by the governing body. The headteacher has led the school forwards considerably since the last inspection and the capacity

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Grade: 2

Pupils get off to a flying start in the Foundation Stage unit, where provision is good. The Foundation Stage leader has successfully created a single unit in which nursery and reception pupils play, work and learn together. The unit's song, 'We are special, we are clever, we are the children of St Paul's', characterises the approach that is taken in the unit. The environment, including the outdoor area, is bright and inviting. Relationships are warm and supportive. Staff pay close attention to helping pupils develop the skills and dispositions that will help them become successful learners, for example in personal development and communication, language and literacy. The pupils make good progress. Regular observations help the staff to identify the next steps pupils need to take and the activities are planned accordingly.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Ensure that teaching consistently challenges the most able pupils to achieve as well as they can. ■ Strengthen the use of individual pupils' targets to enable them to make even better progress. 5 of 9 Inspection Report: St Paul's CofE Primary School, 27 November 2007 .

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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 Paul's CofE Primary School, 27 November 2007

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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? 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? 2 The effectiveness of the Foundation Stage 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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Achievement and standards

2 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 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

1 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 3 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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and interests of learners?

2 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 of 9 Inspection Report: St Paul's CofE Primary School, 27 November 2007

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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 2 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 2 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? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 8 of 9 Inspection Report: St Paul's CofE Primary School, 27 November 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

5 December 2007 Dear Pupils Inspection of St Paul's CofE Primary School,Brentford,TW8 0PN I really enjoyed the busy day I had when I inspected your school recently. I was especially pleased to meet many of you and to talk to you about your school and your learning, and to find out just how much you enjoy your time at St Paul's. I found out that St Paul's is a good school, and there are some things that are excellent. Here are the headlines:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ right from the start, you make good progress in your learning, because teachers keep a close eye on how well you are doing and give extra support if you need it ■ your behaviour is excellent

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ you do really well in helping others, not only at school but in the wider world

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ the adults look after you carefully and keep you safe

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ your headteacher is a strong leader and she and all the other adults are working hard so that the school keeps improving. Inspectors always find some things that could be done even better. I talked about them with your headteacher and she agrees, because she wants all of you to do as well as you possibly can. The teachers are going to:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ make sure that all lessons challenge you to learn as much as you can, so that you reach even higher levels in your work ■ make sure that the targets you are given really help you to move on.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

There is one other thing. A lot of hard work has gone in to making sure that you all come to school as much as possible, and I could see that your attendance has improved. I would like you to try just a bit harder so that attendance levels get even better. That will help you learn even more! With very best wishes, Linda McGill Her Majesty's Inspector 9 of 9 Inspection Report: St Paul's CofE Primary School, 27 November 2007

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