St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Redhill

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Redhill Inspection report

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125234 Unique Reference Number Surrey Local Authority 315206 Inspection number 23 September 2008 Inspection date Selwyn Ward 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 4–11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 421 School (total) 64 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 Mr J Sawyer Chair Mrs E Walsh Headteacher 25 April 2005 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Linkfield Lane School address Redhill RH1 1DU 01737 765373 Telephone number 01737 768557 Fax number

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4–11 Age group 23 September 2008 Inspection date 315206 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 Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Redhill, 23 September 2008

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two Additional Inspectors, who evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school and particularly investigated the provision for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage, the progress made by different groups of pupils, and the effectiveness of measures taken by the school to further raise standards in mathematics. The inspectors met with pupils, some of the staff and governors. Parts of some lessons were observed, parents' questionnaires and a sample of pupils' work were examined and school information, including self-evaluation, was scrutinised. The inspectors found no evidence to suggest that the school's own assessments, as given in its self-evaluation, were not justified, and these have been included where appropriate in the report.

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Description of the school

This school is larger than average. Around three-quarters of the pupils are White British. Of the others, the largest group are from other European countries. A small number are at an early stage of learning English as an additional language. A low proportion of pupils have learning difficulties and/or disabilities most often related to their language needs or dyslexia. St Joseph's is part of a loose federation with a large cluster of local schools.

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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 Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Redhill, 23 September 2008

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Grade: 2

St Joseph's is a good school. Pupils of all abilities achieve well throughout the school and attain standards that are significantly above average. They do not just do consistently well in the national tests in English, mathematics and science. Thanks to a rich and stimulating curriculum, pupils also achieve well across a wide range of sports and in creative subjects, particularly music. Much of the school's success can be credited to the effectiveness of school leaders and the firm partnership they have developed with St Joseph's very supportive parents. Though some parents call for further improvements in communication, the links between school and home are good and parents readily acknowledge that 'the school is well led by a strong headteacher who has the respect of the staff and parents'. Monitoring of all aspects of provision by school leaders and by a very active governing body have helped to build an accurate picture of the

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Grade: 2

school's many strengths and of those areas where it could be doing even better. This monitoring has already resulted in significant improvements. For example, identification that some middle ability boys were not making quite such rapid progress as others in mathematics resulted in a whole-school focus on mental mathematics and problem-solving that has accelerated this group's achievement. Similar improvements have been secured in the achievement of pupils with dyslexia, language and other learning difficulties and in the achievement of pupils at an early stage of learning English. Pupils' books shows that marking is generally better now than it was a year ago; with more now giving pupils practical guidance on what they need to do to move their work on to the next level. These all illustrate the school's good capacity for further improvement. Pupils make good progress because teaching and learning are good. Although this has not

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Grade: 2

always been the case in the past, teachers now increasingly match work well to pupils' different capabilities so that even the most able pupils are challenged to think and apply their skills. Often teachers direct questions to individual pupils rather than just those that volunteer answers. This, and the use of 'talk partners', where pupils share their ideas with each other, helps to keep every child involved in the lesson. Sometimes, however, the attention of a few pupils wanes and they fidget when they are listening passively for too long or when they are seated at a table facing away from the teacher. Teaching assistants are often used well, particularly to help those who need extra support with their learning, but opportunities are sometimes missed to use them to best effect when the teacher is addressing the whole class. In some lessons, support staff are merely passive observers during periods of whole-class teaching.

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Grade: 2

Teachers routinely set out 'learning intentions' at the start of each lesson. Too often, however, these show the tasks that pupils are expected to complete rather than what it is that the pupils are expected to learn. This limits opportunities to meet the school's aim of involving pupils more in assessing for themselves how well they are doing. Pupils are looked after well and this helps ensure that their personal development is good and that they feel happy and safe. Behaviour is good, as are relationships throughout the school from Reception through to Year 6, so that pupils from different backgrounds mix and get on well with each other. Pupils report that bullying is rare and any problems that occur are quickly sorted out. As a result of what parents describe as 'a caring atmosphere' and the impressive range of enrichment activities involving almost every child, pupils greatly enjoy school. They

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Grade: 2

also enjoy the opportunities to take responsibilities, for example as school councillors and 'official helpers', coming into class early to help set out the classroom for the day's lessons. Activities such as these, and the good progress pupils make in their key literacy and numeracy 4 of 9 Inspection Report: St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Redhill, 23 September 2008 skills, prepare pupils well for the next stage of their education. Pupils have a good appreciation of the need for exercise and a healthy diet. They understand, although some wistfully regret, the school's discouragement of chocolate.

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Grade: 2

Children join the Reception classes with skills and understanding that are generally above expectations for their age. School leaders monitor and evaluate provision well. An appropriately strong emphasis is placed on children's achievement, personal development and well-being. As a result, children are happy and confident and benefit from trusting and positive relationships with adults. They play together harmoniously and their personal development and well-being is good. Children are taught how to look after themselves and encouraged to use tools such as scissors independently and safely. Consequently, they make good progress and, by the end of the year, almost all are working securely within the early learning goals expected of children of this age. Many are exceeding them. The atmosphere in the Reception classes is welcoming and children are helped to quickly settle into school routines. One parent wrote, 'We were impressed by the efforts of the teacher to

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Grade: 2

find out about our child before he joined. As a result, he has settled quickly into school and is enthusiastic about attending.' Facilities are good, in an environment that provides a good stimulus to children's imagination and to their learning. However, whilst there are organised opportunities to use the outdoor environment, access is restricted by the limitations of the building and site. This means that children cannot make their own choices to use the outdoor area. There is otherwise a good balance of child-initiated and adult-led activities. Adults engage children well in conversation to extend their speaking skills. Sometimes, however, children are not pressed enough to explain their own thinking and to challenge their understanding. Parents' comments mirror the school's judgement about the quality of the Early Years Foundation Stage and the inspectors' findings. One parent described how, 'The school has certainly made us feel

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Grade: 2

welcome and encourages parent participation.'

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Better enable pupils to assess their own progress by setting out for them what it is they are expected to learn rather than simply what tasks they are supposed to complete. ■ Ensure that all support staff take on an active role during whole-class teaching. 5 of 9 Inspection Report: St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Redhill, 23 September 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 Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Redhill, 23 September 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? 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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EYFS?

2 How well do children in the EYFS achieve? How good are the overall personal development and well-being of the children in the EYFS? 2 How effectively are children in the EYFS helped to learn and develop? 2 How effectively is the welfare of children in the EYFS promoted? 2 How effectively is provision in the EYFS led and managed?

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Achievement and standards

2 How well do learners achieve? 2 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/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 Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Redhill, 23 September 2008

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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 The extent to which 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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learners' needs?

How well do the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of learners? 2 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 2 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 2 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination eliminated 2 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 Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Redhill, 23 September 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

06 October 2008 Dear Pupils Inspection of St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Redhill,Redhill,RH1 1DU Thank you for making us so welcome when we came to visit your school. St Joseph's is a good school where you do well and attain consistently above average standards. That is because you are well taught and you enjoy all the interesting things you get to do, including in music and sports. We were pleased to see how well behaved you are and how well you all get on with each other. You feel happy and safe at school because you are looked after well. Some of you told us how teachers' marking now shows you how you can make your work even better. That is one of a number of things that we could see had improved even over the past year. The various improvements show that St Joseph's is a well run school where staff are working hard to build further on the school's many successes. We could see that teachers set out 'learning intentions' for you at the start of each lesson but

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

often these show what you are expected to do rather than what you should be learning. We have asked the school to look at this so that you can be more involved in telling teachers how much you have learnt. The teaching assistants and other support staff give you lots of valuable help. We have asked the school to make the most of this by ensuring that all are fully involved when the teacher is talking to the whole class. You can help too by continuing to work hard so that you do your very best. Yours sincerely, Selwyn Ward Lead Inspector 9 of 9 Inspection Report: St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Redhill, 23 September 2008

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