St Anne's RC Primary School

St Anne's RC Primary School Inspection report

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105725 Unique Reference Number Oldham Local Authority 308935 Inspection number 30 °31 January 2008 Inspection dates Stephen Wall 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 235 School The governing body Appropriate authority Chair Mrs Anne Ostmeier Headteacher 23 February 2004 Date of previous school inspection Greenacres Road School address Oldham Lancashire OL4 1HP 0161 6244179 Telephone number - Fax number

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3-11 Age group 30 °31 January 2008 Inspection dates 308935 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 two Additional Inspectors

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Description of the school

This is an average size primary school serving an urban area of some social and economic disadvantage. The number of pupils eligible for free school meals is well above the national average. The proportion of pupils who come from minority ethnic groups is average; few of them speak English as an additional language. The percentage of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, including those with statements of special educational needs, is broadly average. The school was awarded Activemark in 2006 and 2007. Since the previous inspection the nature of the school's intake has changed significantly and this has been brought about chiefly by population changes in the area it serves and by a change to the school's admissions criteria..

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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 Anne's RC Primary School, 30 °31 January 2008

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Grade: 3

The school provides a satisfactory quality of education overall. There are significant strengths in the way it promotes pupils' personal development and in the way it has adapted its curriculum to meet the needs of the changing nature of its intake. Both of these areas are good. Parents are very supportive of the school and value highly the care and nurturing environment it provides. 'My children enjoy coming to school. The teachers are very approachable. I am pleased with the care and support everyone gives them,' are typical comments. The school has made satisfactory progress since the previous inspection. Since then changes to the make up of the school's intake have presented significant challenges to the long serving teaching staff and leadership of the school. The pupils' level of attainment on entry to the school has fallen and is now well below average. Significant numbers of pupils have joined the

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Grade: 3

school with social and emotional problems. The religious and ethnic profile of the school has also become much more diverse. It has taken time for the school to come to terms with these significant changes. As a result, standards in national tests have dropped in recent years to below average. The school is tackling this robustly. It has elected to join the local authority's Intensifying Support Programme and has developed its curriculum so that it now meets the needs of its diverse intake more appropriately. The school is also developing its systems for using assessment data to track pupils' progress. The impact of these initiatives is having the desired effect. For example, teachers have a much clearer idea of what pupils can do. They are held more to account for the progress pupils make and the standards they reach. Progress data and pupils' work show clearly that pupils are currently making satisfactory progress and are on

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Grade: 3

track to achieve demanding targets this year. The school recognises, however, that its work is not finished. Standards in writing are not high enough across the school and the more able pupils are not challenged enough to achieve as well as they could. The quality of teaching in Years 3 to 6 is inconsistent and the use of assessment data is not developed to contribute sufficiently to raising standards and improving achievement further. Whilst the school has had to work hard to improve standards and raise achievement, it has maintained its high levels of pupils' personal development and well-being and in the care it provides. Pupils are courteous, inquisitive and welcoming to visitors. Adults are such good role models in the school and pupils treat them and each other with respect as a result. Their behaviour is good in lessons and outstanding at play times because fully trained adult supervisors engage them in meaningful and vigorous games and activities. Pupils enjoy school. A sign of

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Grade: 3

this is their attendance which has risen significantly from below average to average. 'I like coming to school. The teachers really help us. Lessons are more fun now, we do more interesting things instead of just listening and writing,' was a typical comment. Leadership and management are satisfactory and improving. The process of change to adapt to the more diverse needs of the school population is being managed rigorously yet sensitively. The headteacher, ably supported by other senior leaders, is providing the school with a clear focus on raising standards and achievement as its major priority. Teachers and support staff are working effectively as a team to bring this about. The impact of the improvements made so far confirms that the school has a satisfactory capacity to improve further. The headteacher is particularly adept at making the best use of available finances. For example, the appointment

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Grade: 3

of high quality teaching assistants and support staff is playing an important part in raising standards across the school. This is particularly so for the increasing numbers of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Many of these pupils are now making good progress. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: St Anne's RC Primary School, 30 °31 January 2008 The well targeted use of resources to bring about such improvement means the school offers good value for money.

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Grade: 2

The Foundation Stage is good. Most children enter the Nursery with skill levels well below those expected, particularly in social and language development. They make good progress to reach just below expected skill levels by the end of Reception. Children settle quickly into school routines. They feel safe and grow in confidence. They enjoy their learning because of the good range of stimulating activities. A good balance is maintained between teaching children new skills and encouraging them to learn independently. Teaching assistants provide good support to children with additional needs so that they make good progress. Leadership and management are good. The Foundation Stage Leader is improving systems to provide more accurate assessments of the progress of individual children. However, more time is needed for these systems to become fully established.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Ensure that the more able pupils are challenged to achieve as well as they can.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve the quality of teaching in Key Stage 2 so that it is all at least good.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Use assessment data more effectively to identify the needs of pupils and to show them what they need to do to reach their targets. 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

Pupils make good progress in Years 1 and 2 because teaching is consistently good. By the end of Year 2, standards are just below average overall. The rate of progress slows in Years 3 to 6 because the quality of teaching is too inconsistent and, until recently, procedures for tracking pupils' progress have not been used effectively. Standards are below average in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6. However, in 2007 standards rose to broadly average in science and reading, because the school concentrated its efforts in these areas. Standards in writing though were well below average. The school missed its demanding targets in writing and mathematics. Too few pupils reached the higher levels in the national tests, especially in English and mathematics. Improvements to the monitoring of pupils' progress and more focused teaching are starting to pay dividends. Evidence presented by the school, including pupils'

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Grade: 3

work, shows clearly that pupils are now making better progress and are on course to reach higher standards this year.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. It is underpinned by the school's strong religious values. Pupils know the difference between right and wrong and how important it is to respect and tolerate those who are different. Pupils know very clearly 5 of 11 Inspection Report: St Anne's RC Primary School, 30 °31 January 2008 the importance of healthy eating and regular exercise. Large numbers take part in the extensive range of sporting enrichment activities on offer. They feel safe in school and trust adults to solve problems such as bullying quickly and efficiently. The active school council has brought about improvements to playground facilities and is involved in plans to develop them even further. Pupils enjoy raising money for charities and taking on responsibilities by becoming monitors and 'bully busters', for example. Pupils are prepared well for the future in terms of

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Grade: 2

their social skills and levels of self-esteem. However, their limited basic skills in literacy and numeracy mean that overall their preparation for the future is satisfactory. Attendance is satisfactory and has improved strongly in recent times.

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Grade: 3

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory overall, with some which is good or better. In Years 1 and 2 good teaching promotes good progress because it focuses strongly on engaging pupils in their own learning. In Years 3 to 6 the inconsistent quality of teaching is a barrier to pupils' making better than satisfactory progress. Where teaching and learning are good or better, lessons are planned meticulously to give pupils a variety of stimulating activities suited to their different abilities. Teaching in these lessons is lively and supported by the good use of information and communication technology to add extra interest and stimulus. Pupils are given many opportunities to learn from each other by working with partners and in groups. Less effective teaching does not make learning objectives clear enough so that pupils are uncertain what they are meant to be doing. These lessons are too teacher dominated leading

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Grade: 3

to pupils' frustration as their short attention span is soon exhausted.

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Grade: 2

The school has worked hard and successfully to adapt its curriculum to match the needs of its changing intake. Pupils say how much they value the changes that have been introduced. As they say, 'We really like the themed work we do. We get a chance to do lots of interesting things that makes learning fun.' The introduction of 'super learning days' and 'art week', for example, have broadened pupils' horizons by making them culturally more aware as well as adding extra enjoyment to their learning. Strong links have been made with other local schools to extend the range of sporting enrichment activities offered to the pupils including Tai Kwando and basketball. Lunchtime activities have also been improved to provide more enjoyment and encourage social interaction. It is a pleasure to see so many pupils playing organised games on the playground under the enthusiastic supervision of trained lunchtime supervisors.

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Grade: 3

The school is in the early stages of developing its use of assessment data to improve standards and achievement. The impact of this work is starting to become evident as teachers become more effective in using the data to guide and support pupils' progress. Consequently, pupils are becoming more aware of what they need to do to achieve demanding targets. Teaching assistants support pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities effectively. This is an inclusive school where vulnerable pupils are well cared for and nurtured. Policies and procedures 6 of 11 Inspection Report: St Anne's RC Primary School, 30 °31 January 2008 for safeguarding children are in place and reviewed regularly. There are good, supportive relationships between pupils and staff. Parents value the care the school provides and agree that pupils are looked after well. Much time and effort is spent to ensure that there are effective

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Grade: 3

arrangements for children's move into the Nursery. Similarly, the school does all it can to make sure that pupils' transfer to secondary school goes as smoothly as possible.

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management are satisfactory and improving as the focus on raising standards and achievement sharpens. Procedures for self-evaluation are thorough and give the school an accurate view of what needs to be tackled to bring about the necessary changes. Better use of assessment is starting to give the school the capacity to monitor pupils' progress more regularly and deal with any underachievement promptly. Professional development of staff is increasingly important. Performance management targets are focused more closely on what teachers have to do to raise standards and achievement. Teachers are given time to plan together and this has been successful in establishing higher expectations of pupils' progress throughout the school. This is also helping to develop teamwork across the school towards the common goal of raising standards. Governors are supportive of the school and know clearly its strengths

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Grade: 3

and weaknesses. They are, however, not yet sufficiently rigorous in holding the school to account for its work and for the standards pupils reach. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: St Anne's RC Primary School, 30 °31 January 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 Anne's RC Primary School, 30 °31 January 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? 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?

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 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 Anne's RC Primary School, 30 °31 January 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? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: St Anne's RC Primary School, 30 °31 January 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Inspection of St Anne's RC Primary School, Oldham, OL4 1HP Thank you for making us so welcome when we inspected your school recently. We enjoyed meeting and talking with you. What you told us helped us reach our judgements about your school. We think your school is giving you a satisfactory standard of education overall. However, it has good things such as how well your teachers care for you and all the opportunities it gives you to develop into such happy and polite young people. We were very impressed with how well you behave and all get along together. We also think the school has done a good job in making what you learn more interesting and relevant so that you are now making better progress than before. In order to make your school even better we are asking it to:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ help you make better progress in your writing

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ make sure that those of you who find learning easy are challenged to do as well as you can

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ make sure that the quality of teaching and learning in Years 3 to 6 is good or better all of the time ■ monitor the progress you are making very carefully so that your teachers can show you what you need to do to improve and reach your targets. We are sure you will do everything you can to help all the adults who work with you bring about these improvements to make your school even better. 11 of 11 Inspection Report: St Anne's RC Primary School, 30 °31 January 2008

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