St Augustine's Catholic Primary School

St Augustine's Catholic Primary School Inspection report

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103720 Unique Reference Number Coventry Local Authority 308400 Inspection number 20 °21 November 2007 Inspection dates Patricia Pothecary 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 4 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 294 School The governing body Appropriate authority Keiron Lee Chair Claire Walsh Headteacher 6 June 2005 Date of previous school inspection Heathcote Street School address Radford Coventry CV6 3BL 02476 596988 Telephone number 02476 596175 Fax number

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4-11 Age group 20 °21 November 2007 Inspection dates 308400 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 three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

St Augustine's is a larger than average Roman Catholic primary school. Most pupils are from White British backgrounds and a small proportion come from minority ethnic groups, the majority of which are Asian. Higher than average numbers of pupils arrive during the school year, often with limited English.

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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 Augustine's Catholic Primary School, 20 °21 November 2007

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Grade: 3

St Augustine's is a satisfactory school, which helps pupils to arrive at a satisfactory level of academic achievement and to develop well personally. It is a calm, well organised place to be, where pupils are kept safe, lessons are enjoyable and pupils are motivated to learn and behave well. When pupils join the school their standards are below average but by the time they leave, they are broadly average. Good progress is made in the Reception classes and in Years 1 and 2. In Years 3 to 6 the progress pupils make is erratic. They do well in English in all age groups. Nevertheless, a minority lose ground in mathematics and science, although progress is broadly satisfactory overall in these subjects. Satisfactory leadership and management and accurate self-evaluation have ensured steady improvements in standards, especially in English. Improvements have led to satisfactory, lively and well organised teaching, but because pupils' individual targets are not specific enough in

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Grade: 3

different subjects, they are not clear about what they personally must do to improve. This also means that lesson objectives are not always planned to take different pupils' learning forward at an appropriate pace. This is the reason why the quality of teaching is inconsistent especially for older pupils. School leaders are not focused sufficiently on improving these deficiencies in teaching and learning to make a more rapid difference, especially in science and mathematics. Pupils' progress is monitored regularly, but without precise guidance to help children reach the expected levels, the intervention is not fully effective. The school makes good use of other agencies and organisations to support pupils and their parents and there is some good quality provision for those with English as an additional language and for those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. These pupils make relatively better progress than other groups. The school

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Grade: 3

provides a stimulating curriculum, which helps pupils to enjoy school, become more confident and develop a good understanding of how to keep healthy and safe. This, alongside strong spiritual and moral guidance, contributes well to pupils' good personal development. Pupils are helped to develop useful skills for the future, such as team building and computing. Although effective in English, the curriculum is less effective in building learning systematically in science and in supporting numeracy skills in all subjects. Pupils' contribution to the community is satisfactory overall and they participate enthusiastically in many events, especially the school choir, school performances and the many sporting events organised for them. Pupils agree that theirs is a 'lovely' school and parents are also generally positive, one typically describing how it leads the children to a brighter future.

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Grade: 2

Children do well in the Reception Year and make good progress. When they join, their attainments are below national expectations, but because of skilled teaching, children are very attentive, learn effectively and most reach the goals expected for their age by the end of the year. They develop well socially and physically as well as gaining vital skills in numeracy, literacy and knowledge of the world. The curriculum provides interesting opportunities for children to experience all the areas of learning and initiate activities for themselves. Lessons are buzzing with busy children, for example, 'shopping', playing outside, learning about coins, reading stories or painting. The school recognises that the provision to enable outdoor learning to take place is less well developed, and has planned improvements. Leadership and management of Reception is satisfactory rather than good because, despite the successful outcomes, the use

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Grade: 2

4 of 11 Inspection Report: St Augustine's Catholic Primary School, 20 °21 November 2007 of information about children's progress and the setting of sharp targets are only just developing as tools to raise standards further.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve standards and progress in mathematics and science for pupils aged 7 to 11 by:

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What the school should do to improve further

■ ensuring pupils have sufficiently precise individual targets so that they are clear about what they must do to improve ■ planning lesson objectives to take individual pupils' learning forward appropriately

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What the school should do to improve further

■ ensuring that the actions taken by senior leaders to improve teaching and learning are more sharply focused. A small proportion of the schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory but which have areas of underperformance will receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection.

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Grade: 3

Standards are just above average by the end of Year 2, but by the end of Year 6 they are broadly average indicating a drop in attainment and a slowing of progress for the older pupils. The slow down is most marked in Years 3 and 4. Achievement and progress are good for younger pupils and largely satisfactory but with pockets of underachievement by the end of Year 6. Achievement in mathematics for older pupils has improved steadily over the last three years but is still a matter of concern. Science is only just beginning to show signs of improvement. Achievement and progress in English, especially writing, is good throughout the school and this subject is taught skilfully. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and English as an additional language make slightly better progress than their peers, although it remains satisfactory overall. With the exception of Reception, boys make better progress than girls in all age groups.

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Grade: 2

Pupils enjoy learning, are enthusiastic about their work and are eager to answer teachers' questions. Their attendance is improving and is now just above the national average. Pupils behave well, care about one another and are very responsible when conducting themselves around the school and in class. A handful of parents expressed concerns about bullying. From talking to the pupils and observing them around the school, it is clear that bullying is not a general problem and that pupils feel very safe in this regard. Specific incidents appear to have been dealt with appropriately. Pupils respond thoughtfully to the many opportunities for spiritual and moral reflection and show considerable empathy and respect towards others. They have a satisfactory understanding of other cultures, although opportunities to develop this are limited. Pupils are keen to help around the school and engage with decision making through the school

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Grade: 2

council. The caring contribution pupils make to the community includes active charitable work. However, their responsibilities within school are narrow in scope especially for the younger children. By the end of Year 6, pupils' good literacy and social skills, their developing maturity and ability to work in teams prepare them well to move on to secondary school. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: St Augustine's Catholic Primary School, 20 °21 November 2007

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Grade: 3

Teaching is most effective for pupils up to the age of seven but teaching and learning for those aged 7 to 11 is not sufficiently consistent. This is why pupils' progress slows in science and mathematics. Assessment is not used well enough to set effective individual targets so that pupils know how to improve. Without this information, teachers are not always able to plan lesson objectives that enable all pupils to progress at a rate that suits them best. Nevertheless, lessons are engaging and highly practical, keeping pupils enthusiastic about their learning. In one English lesson for example, pupils thoroughly enjoyed making sandwiches so that they could learn how to write instructions. Classrooms are well managed with warm, encouraging relationships and good behaviour. As one pupil typically reported, 'I like the way we are treated by teachers.' The environment for learning is stimulating with attractive wall

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Grade: 3

displays and good quality resources with interactive whiteboards being used to good effect. A few parents expressed concerns about class sizes. Two of the classes are large, but the school provides teaching assistants where necessary and is currently employing more to ensure that pupils have sufficient attention devoted to them.

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Grade: 3

An effective focus on teaching basic skills in English is having a positive impact on pupils' achievements in many other areas of the curriculum. A good programme of personal, social and health education, including the residential visits for pupils in Years 5 and 6 and 'walk to school' initiatives, makes a significant contribution to pupils' personal development. This leads to a good understanding of how to stay safe and healthy as well as learning how to look after themselves and work in teams. Although satisfactory, shortcomings in mathematics, where pupils are given too few opportunities to use number skills in other subjects, and in science, where some pupils had gaps in their knowledge, have been recognised and are already being addressed by the school. Through strong links with other providers, the curriculum includes a good and rich range of clubs, societies, activities, visits and themed weeks, which add to pupils' enthusiasm for school

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Grade: 3

Procedures to ensure that pupils are kept safe and well cared for are robust. The school has taken effective action to improve behaviour and increase attendance in the last two years. Good and effective personal support and guidance ensure that pupils become confident and articulate. The progress of those pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and limited knowledge of the English language is advanced by strong links with other agencies and parents. Support and guidance for pupils' academic development is satisfactory as reflected in satisfactory achievement. Information on how well pupils are doing is collected and monitored regularly, but teachers' involvement in this process is fairly recent. The information is not used effectively 6 of 11 Inspection Report: St Augustine's Catholic Primary School, 20 °21 November 2007 to set targets that help pupils know what they have to do to improve, or to help teachers in

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Grade: 3

planning to take learning forward appropriately for individual children.

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Grade: 3

The school's monitoring of performance and its self-evaluation are accurate, and the resulting actions have led to steady improvement and a satisfactory capacity to improve. Standards by the end of Year 2, and in mathematics by the end of Year 6, have gradually risen. In addition, pupils now make good progress in English throughout the school. This is not yet the case with science, which remains the least effective subject. There is good use of external agencies to support the work of leaders, and their skills in driving school improvement are increasing. However, the role of school leaders in improving teaching and learning is not yet sufficiently focused or effective to enable more rapid and uniform progress in Years 3 to 6 or to be certain of meeting the challenging targets set. Governors bring considerable experience and commitment to their work but their role in holding the school to account for performance is not well developed. In particular, curriculum committee

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Grade: 3

minutes are not sufficiently detailed to secure effective challenge to actions that have been agreed. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: St Augustine's Catholic Primary School, 20 °21 November 2007 .

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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 Augustine's Catholic Primary School, 20 °21 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 3 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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Achievement and standards

3 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 3 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 3 The attendance of learners 2 The behaviour of learners 3 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 Augustine's Catholic Primary School, 20 °21 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 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? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: St Augustine's Catholic Primary School, 20 °21 November 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

22 November 2007 Dear Pupils St Augustine's Roman Catholic Primary School, Coventry, CV6 3BL Thank you for being so welcoming when we visited your school. We enjoyed meeting you very much, joining you for lunch and seeing some of your lessons. Your school has a calm and caring atmosphere. It is a satisfactory school, with many good things going on, just like you told us. Satisfactory teaching helps all of you to make at least adequate progress in your lessons, and good progress in your social and personal skills. Your lessons are enjoyable and teachers are skilled at helping you to make satisfactory progress. Those of you in the younger classes usually make good progress, but in the older classes the progress you make varies from satisfactory to good. Staff and governors do a satisfactory job of running the school and seeing that it keeps improving. There have, for example, been some good improvements in English.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

We have asked the school to help those of you aged 7 to 11 to make greater progress in mathematics and science by giving you better individual targets and by planning lessons so that you make progress at a rate that suits you better. You could discuss how you can help with this. We have also asked that school leaders take even more time to make sure that these things are improving. We are impressed with your good behaviour and the way you take good care of each other. You work hard to contribute to the school and community although we do not think that you are given enough responsibility within the school, especially the youngest amongst you. It is pleasing to see that you take plenty of exercise and eat a healthy diet. You have a satisfactory curriculum and your teachers see to it that you have lots of activities to keep you interested, and the amount of sport and artistic activities that you do is good. The school keeps you safe

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

and looks after you well. You clearly enjoy coming to school. We think that this fact, alongside your good skills in working together, will help prepare you well for your next school and future lives. We would like to see you carry on with the good work you all do through the school council to help the school develop further. Yours faithfully Lead inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: St Augustine's Catholic Primary School, 20 °21 November 2007

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Annex B

St Augustine’s Roman Catholic Primary School, Coventry, CV6 3BL

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Annex B

Thank you for being so welcoming when we visited your school. We enjoyed meeting you very much, joining you for lunch and seeing some of your lessons.

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Annex B

Your school has a calm and caring atmosphere. It is a satisfactory school, with many good things going on, just like you told us. Satisfactory teaching helps all of you to make at least adequate progress in your lessons, and good progress in your social and personal skills. Your lessons are enjoyable and teachers are skilled at helping you to make satisfactory progress. Those of you in the younger classes usually make good progress, but in the older classes the progress you make varies from satisfactory to good. Staff and governors do a satisfactory job of running the school and seeing that it keeps improving. There have, for example, been some good improvements in English.

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Annex B

We have asked the school to help those of you aged 7 to 11 to make greater progress in mathematics and science by giving you better individual targets and by planning lessons so that you make progress at a rate that suits you better. You could discuss how you can help with this. We have also asked that school leaders take even more time to make sure that these things are improving.

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Annex B

We are impressed with your good behaviour and the way you take good care of each other. You work hard to contribute to the school and community although we do not think that you are given enough responsibility within the school, especially the youngest amongst you. It is pleasing to see that you take plenty of exercise and eat a healthy diet. You have a satisfactory curriculum and your teachers see to it that you have lots of activities to keep you interested, and the amount of sport and artistic activities that you do is good. The school keeps you safe and looks after you well.

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Annex B

You clearly enjoy coming to school. We think that this fact, alongside your good skills in working together, will help prepare you well for your next school and future lives. We would like to see you carry on with the good work you all do through the school council to help the school develop further.

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