St Paul's Church of England Primary School

St Paul's Church of England Primary School Inspection report

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100046 Unique Reference Number Camden Local Authority 323219 Inspection number 22 January 2009 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 202 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 Mr Gervais Williams Chair Mr Simon Knowles Headteacher 13 December 2005 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Elsworthy Road School address London NW3 3DS 020 7722 7381 Telephone number 020 7813 5781 Fax number

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4–11 Age group 22 January 2009 Inspection date 323219 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 Paul's Church of England Primary School, 22 January 2009

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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 and progress of children in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), the achievement of more-able pupils, and the impact on the curriculum and on pupils' progress of recent changes made by school leaders. The inspectors met with pupils, some staff and governors. Parts of lessons were observed; parents' questionnaires and a sample of pupils' work were examined; and school information, including its 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

In this average size school, around half the pupils come from a cosmopolitan mix of different minority ethnic groups, the other half being of White British background. A small proportion of pupils are at an early stage of learning English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is above average, and includes those with behavioural and emotional difficulties and speech, language and communication difficulties. The headteacher was appointed in September 2007.

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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 Church of England Primary School, 22 January 2009

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Grade: 2

St Paul's is a good school. Governors have recently proposed a new aim for St Paul's: 'to spark intellectual excitement and to equip our children for life in and beyond our school'. The school is already succeeding well in achieving this aim. Consistently good teaching helps pupils to make good progress and achieve well from the start of the EYFS to the end of Year 6. Standards throughout the school are above average. Pupils with speech, language and other learning difficulties and/or disabilities make good progress because they benefit from very well-targeted support. The same is true for the small number of pupils who are at an early stage of learning English. Although more-able pupils also do well, they could be doing even better. This is recognised by school leaders in their monitoring of teaching and learning. It is also recognised by parents, several of whom say that their children 'sometimes tell us they find the work too easy' and call for able pupils to be 'stretched a bit

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Grade: 2

more'. Work in lessons is often tailored to the needs of those pupils who need extra help with their learning, but it is not always so carefully matched to the capabilities of the brightest pupils. 'My son looks forward to going to school every day and is very happy.' This comment from a parent sums up the views of many, and is certainly endorsed by the pupils, who show an enthusiastic pride in their school, which is matched by the commendable pride they take in the presentation of their work. They enjoy school so much because, as pupils explain, 'The teachers get you to learn things in a fun sort of way.' Attendance is exceptionally high. Pupils respond very well to the exciting range of activities that contribute to the good curriculum provided for them. They are especially inspired by the imaginative way in which visits and visitors to the school expand their experiences. A recent National Theatre workshop had fired Year 5 pupils'

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Grade: 2

enthusiasm for Macbeth, and they were equally excited by another recent visitor who had shared their first-hand experience of living through the Second World War. Pupils learn how to keep safe, and they feel secure because of the good care, guidance and support that the school provides. Marking has improved this year in response to the helpful feedback provided to teachers by school leaders. It gives pupils consistently good guidance on what they need to do to improve their work. They each have individual improvement targets, but these are not so effective. Pupils do not all know what their targets are because, as pupils explain, 'They use long, very complicated words.' Pupils' personal development is good and, in the words of a parent, 'Children leave the school confident and self-reliant, with a well-developed sense of responsibility to the community'. Behaviour is good. In lessons, it is very good. There are occasional squabbles in the playground,

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Grade: 2

but pupils say that these are generally sorted out so that 'we are best friends again the following day'. Pupils have a good understanding of the need for exercise and a healthy diet. The school takes very seriously its responsibility to promote awareness of the local and wider communities, and pupils talk excitedly of all they learn about other cultures and beliefs. It is, as a pupil explained, 'important for us to learn about the wider world'. The good progress that they make in their key literacy and numeracy skills, and the opportunities that they have to take on responsibilities within the school, prepare pupils well for the next stage of their education and for future life. The school's success is due to its good leadership and management. Careful monitoring of all that the school provides has led to improvements. Teaching of mathematics in Years 5 and 6 4 of 9 Inspection Report: St Paul's Church of England Primary School, 22 January 2009

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Grade: 2

has been reorganised this year, with the two classes grouped into three ability sets in this subject. Leaders regularly evaluate the impact of this and other changes by means which include detailed tracking of each pupil's individual progress. This tracking is also used to put support in place for any pupil identified as being at risk of falling behind. The headteacher, staff and governors together share in their drive for continued improvement. They have a very accurate view of the school's many strengths, and of those areas where changes might be made for the better. This, the above-average standards, and the positive recent changes, show the school's good capacity for continued improvement.

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Grade: 2

Children join the school with a very wide range of abilities, including some with capabilities that are high for their age and some with quite low prior attainment. As a result of good teaching, children reach standards overall by the end of the Reception Year that are above those expected for their ages, although opportunities are sometimes missed to pose the children open questions which would extend their learning and thinking skills. Children enjoy coming to school because of the welcoming atmosphere, supportive staff and well-planned activities, which provide what parents describe as 'an enjoyable, stimulating environment where children thrive'. The harmony with which children interact and play together reflects their growing confidence and personal development. The involvement of parents in their children's learning, and the strong links made with other agencies, ensure that children's needs are quickly identified

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Grade: 2

and any required support put in place. In this well-run setting, children's progress is systematically tracked through their time in the Reception Year.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Extend more-able pupils by more closely matching work to their capabilities.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Ensure that pupils' individual targets are all written in language that they can readily understand and follow. 5 of 9 Inspection Report: St Paul's Church of England Primary School, 22 January 2009 .

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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 Church of England Primary School, 22 January 2009

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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 Paul's Church of England Primary School, 22 January 2009

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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 1 The extent to which learners enjoy their education 1 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 Paul's Church of England Primary School, 22 January 2009

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

04 February 2009 Dear Pupils Inspection of St Paul's Church of England Primary School,London,NW3 3DS Thank you for making us so welcome when we came to visit your school. St Paul's is a good school. It is well run and your headteacher, staff and governors are working well as a team to make your school even better. You are proud of your school and we were pleased to see that you take a similar pride in your work. We were impressed with how very well behaved you are in lessons and how you mostly get on well in the playground. Your attendance record is excellent. You benefit from teaching that makes learning fun. One of the reasons you are so enthusiastic about school is because staff help to bring learning to life by giving you the chance to try lots of new things. Some of you told us about the many visitors who come into school to share their experiences with you, and we could see how much those of you at the juggling club were

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

enjoying the chance to learn circus skills. You make good progress throughout the school and reach standards that are above average. Sometimes in lessons where you are all given similar things to do, the work can be too easy for some of you. This is something we have asked the school to improve so that some of you make even faster progress. You feel safe and happy at school because staff take good care of you. Teachers also help you to steadily improve your work through the detailed comments they make in their marking. Though we could see that you have individual targets, we were sorry to see that not all of you know what they are. This is partly because they are not all written using words that you all easily understand. We have therefore asked the school to review the way they word your targets. You can help too, by focusing on them and doing your very best to achieve them. Best wishes for the future.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Yours faithfully Selwyn Ward Lead Inspector 9 of 9 Inspection Report: St Paul's Church of England Primary School, 22 January 2009

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