Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Primary School

Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Primary School Inspection report

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106770 Unique Reference Number Doncaster Local Authority 324463 Inspection number 26–27 November 2008 Inspection dates Derek Pattinson 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 3–11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 155 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 George Turton Chair Mrs Finnuala Nelis Headteacher 13 September 2005 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Finkle Street School address Bentley Doncaster South Yorkshire DN5 0RP

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3–11 Age group 26–27 November 2008 Inspection dates 324463 Inspection number 01302 874291 Telephone number 01302 876751 Fax number

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3–11 Age group 26–27 November 2008 Inspection dates 324463 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. 3 of 12 Inspection Report: Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Primary School, 26–27 November 2008

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This is a smaller than average primary school situated to the north of Doncaster. It is part of a Catholic Federation of two primary schools led by the same headteacher. It serves an area of well below average social and economic circumstances. Most pupils are of White British heritage. Numbers of pupils from minority ethnic groups are below what is typical nationally, but rising. At present, travellers of Irish heritage account for 9% and Polish pupils for 6% of the school population. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is rising and is now close to the national average. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is higher than the national average. Children start school in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) in the term following their third birthday. The school achieved the Sports England Activemark in 2007 and a Healthy Schools Award in 2008.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 4 of 12 Inspection Report: Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Primary School, 26–27 November 2008

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Grade: 3

'Friendly', 'well organised' and 'welcoming' are apt comments from parents about this satisfactory and improving school. Pupils' personal development and well-being are good and underpinned by good pastoral care. As a result, pupils develop confidence as they learn to work with others. Achievement throughout the school is satisfactory. When children enter the Nursery their knowledge and understanding are l below what is typical for their age. Standards in English, mathematics and science, in the recent past and currently are below average in both Years 2 and 6. However much more rigorous management systems and better teaching are resulting in improving standards and in pupils' making better progress throughout the school. Many of the newly introduced initiatives to ensure pupils' better achievement are not yet fully embedded and their impact has yet to be seen in a trend of rising standards. The quality of teaching and learning and of the curriculum are satisfactory. Staff manage pupils'

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Grade: 3

behaviour well so that lessons are conducted in a calm and orderly manner. However, pupils are sometimes unsure of what they are required to learn and what they must do to improve further. Teachers do not always use assessment well enough to provide work at the right level to ensure that pupils make the best possible progress. Pupils who have additional learning needs are well supported in lessons by teaching assistants and so they make the expected progress. The curriculum satisfactorily develops pupils' skills and understanding. However, pupils are often not inspired by the work they are required to do. Although there has been some recent improvement, there are still not enough lessons in which pupils' learning is promoted through practical and real-life experiences. Behaviour is good, as is pupils' understanding of how to lead a healthy lifestyle. Pupils say they feel safe and that the little bullying that occurs is dealt with effectively. The pastoral care is

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Grade: 3

warm and supportive and pupils really enjoy school. Most parents are pleased with the quality of care and education provided. Leadership and management are satisfactory overall. However, leadership by the headteacher is good. She is providing a clear direction and is helping senior leaders to improve their effectiveness so that they can make informed judgements about what works well and what needs doing. After a problematic period, staff are now united in their determination to provide a good education for all pupils. The monitoring of the school's work is now more rigorous. However, the checks made on the quality of teaching do not yet place enough emphasis on pupils' learning in order to help them make good progress. The supportive governing body is becoming increasingly involved in monitoring the school's work and performance. Improvements since the last inspection have been satisfactory. Federation links with its partner school are

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Grade: 3

becoming increasingly strong. As a result of this, together with strengths in pupils' personal care and development and clear indications that pupils' progress is accelerating, the school demonstrates satisfactory capacity to improve further. The school provides satisfactory value for money.

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Grade: 3

When children enter the Nursery their understanding and skills are mostly below those typical for their age in most areas of learning. They make satisfactory progress as they move through the EYFS. As a result, most are working below the expected levels in all areas of learning by 5 of 12 Inspection Report: Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Primary School, 26–27 November 2008 the time they enter Year 1. Children make better progress in their personal and social development. The recognition of the social needs of these young children is rightly identified as a priority and, as a result, children quickly settle and feel safe. They enjoy working with friends, sharing and taking turns. They engage quickly and effectively in learning new skills and become increasingly independent. They form secure relationships with adults and behave well. Teaching and the curriculum are satisfactory and steadily improving. Questions posed by adults

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Grade: 3

challenge perceptions and give children opportunities to consider problems and draw conclusions. A variety of activities and tasks, whether led by the teacher or initiated by children, supported by a good range of resources engage children in learning. However, some experiences do not challenge children enough. Use of the outdoor environment is limited, although children have access to a good range of large apparatus to help them develop physical skills. The leadership of the EYFS has strengthened considerably over the past year and, as a result, there is clear evidence of successful developments in provision and resources. There is now a well structured assessment system to track children's progress which is based on close observations by the whole team. As a result, planning is now more effectively meeting children's diverse needs.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Raise standards and increase the rate of pupils' progress in English, mathematics and science.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Ensure that all teaching and assessment is good or better so that all pupils are challenged, know how well they are doing and how they can improve. ■ Provide exciting, relevant lessons which place a strong emphasis on the development of important skills through practical and real life experiences. A small proportion of schools where 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

Achievement is satisfactory and standards by the end of Year 6 are below average. Pupils' progress has been uneven and sometimes inadequate over recent years. However, pupils now make satisfactory progress as they move through the school. Standards rose between 2005 and 2007 in Key Stage 1 to below average. Although they fell to well below average in 2008, projections for 2009 show that standards are expected to rise again, especially in mathematics. Provisional test results at the end of Key Stage 2 in 2008 indicate that standards were below average in English, mathematics and science. This demonstrates an improvement from 2007. More pupils reached the expected Level 4 in English, science and especially mathematics, compared with the previous year. Pupils from a Polish heritage, and Irish travellers make satisfactory progress in lessons due to the extra help and support they receive. Teaching assistants also give good support to those pupils who have learning difficulties and /or

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Grade: 3

disabilities and as a result they make the expected progress. Rigorous procedures are now established to measure the progress of all pupils and strategies have been introduced to help drive up standards. As a result, the school can demonstrate that the rate of progress in most years is accelerating and numbers underachieving are steadily declining. 6 of 12 Inspection Report: Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Primary School, 26–27 November 2008

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Grade: 2

Pupils enjoy school. They say they feel safe and that bullying is not an issue. Pupils understand why it is important to live a healthy lifestyle and they show a developing understanding of how the way they live can affect the world they live in. They take full advantage of the many good opportunities to become physically fit through a range of sports activities. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Pupils are considerate and respectful, have developed good moral and social standards, have time to reflect and they consider the consequences of their actions. As a result, pupils' good behaviour has a positive impact on the ethos of the school and the learning that takes place. Attendance is satisfactory. Pupils learn about different cultures through the curriculum and through the support they give to a range of charities locally, nationally and internationally. However, there

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Grade: 2

are too few opportunities for them to interact with people of other cultures in Britain or different global communities. Pupils enjoy taking on responsibilities. Members of the school council are proud of their role and enthusiastically discuss past developments. Pupils acting as playground leaders fulfil their lunchtime responsibilities well. Pupils are making satisfactory progress in developing important skills, for example in information and communication technology (ICT), to help them prepare for their later lives.

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Grade: 3

Respectful and trusting relationships, effective management of pupils' behaviour and good use of encouragement and praise are positive features of the satisfactory teaching and learning. Teaching assistants provide good support for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language, which helps them make sound progress. In the best lessons, time and resources are used well, teachers ask thoughtful questions to extend pupils' learning and work is graded to help meet the needs of all pupils. In these good lessons pupils find learning interesting and challenging and make good progress. Pupils are sometimes not clear about what they must learn. Teachers miss opportunities to seek pupils' views of the progress they have made to help them plan the next steps in their learning. Work is sometimes not at the right level of challenge to enable pupils to make best possible progress.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum is satisfactory. Teachers are starting to break down barriers between subjects in order to bring learning alive for pupils. For example, there is an increasing amount of practical and investigative work based on pupils' first-hand experiences. However, there are still too few examples of this. The increased use of ICT in many subjects is helping to support pupils' learning. Personal and social education is a strong feature of the school's curriculum. This is evident, for example, in the successful promotion of healthy and safe lifestyles. Weekly themed projects provide opportunities for focused work on creative and practical tasks. For example, the arts project enabled pupils to engage in creative work stimulated by their study of famous artists. This promoted well pupils' cultural and social understanding and enhanced their motivation 7 of 12 Inspection Report: Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Primary School, 26–27 November 2008

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Grade: 3

and enjoyment. Visits, for instance to an outdoor activity centre, and a range of visitors successfully add to pupils' knowledge and experiences of the wider world. A good range of popular, extra-curricular activities, for example sport and cookery, helps to develop pupils' skills and broaden their horizons.

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Grade: 3

Care, guidance and support are satisfactory overall. There is very effective pastoral care for all pupils. Leaders are committed to promoting a safe environment for pupils. As a result, there are appropriate safeguarding, safety, health and risk requirements in place. Rigorous attention is given to ensuring that the school is safe and secure and that pupils with particular physical or medical needs can play their full part in all aspects of school life. Staff have a very good understanding of the problems their pupils face. As a result, all pupils, especially the most vulnerable, are carefully monitored and well supported. Pupils new to the school are quickly welcomed and receive good support to help them cope with unfamiliar routines and language. Academic guidance is satisfactory. Some good practice is evident, but overall provision is inconsistent. Pupils have targets, but some do not know them well enough to help steer their

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Grade: 3

learning. Teachers' marking acknowledges what pupils have achieved but does not always help them to take the next steps in their learning confidently. Consequently, opportunities are missed to promote better progress.

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Grade: 3

The headteacher is developing shared responsibility and accountability at all levels. As a result, there is clear direction, good team spirit, effective communication and an emphasis on raising attainment across all years. The legacy of pupils' underachievement is being tackled with vigour. Senior managers, leadership teams and subject leaders are being systematically empowered to enable them to monitor more effectively the school's work and performance. The introduction of a more detailed and rigorous approach to tracking pupils' progress is enabling teachers to check more effectively on how well pupils are doing. Data from national tests is now analysed very closely to help teachers identify and overcome weaknesses in pupils' learning. As a result, pupils who need it are given extra help. The checks on the quality of teaching do not yet focus sharply enough on how well it impacts on pupils' learning. The headteacher has a realistic and

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Grade: 3

accurate view of the school and the quality of education it provides. As a result, improvement planning focuses on the right priorities. However, many of the strategies to improve provision and pupils' performance have had insufficient time to have a fully positive effect. The school makes a good contribution to community cohesion. It strives to include all in the life and work of the school so that all pupils can play their full part. Governors are supportive of the school and are now seeking to strengthen its academic performance and to check rigorously the quality of its work. 8 of 12 Inspection Report: Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Primary School, 26–27 November 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. 9 of 12 Inspection Report: Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Primary School, 26–27 November 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? 3 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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EYFS?

3 How well do children in the EYFS achieve? How good are the overall personal development and well-being of the children in the EYFS? 3 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

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/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. 10 of 12 Inspection Report: Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Primary School, 26–27 November 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 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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learners' needs?

How well do the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of learners? 3 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 3 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 3 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? 11 of 12 Inspection Report: Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Primary School, 26–27 November 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

The other inspector and I enjoyed our visit to Our Lady's very much. We discovered a lot about your school by talking to you and your teachers, visiting your lessons and watching you learn. These are some of the good things we found.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You are friendly, kind and polite towards each other and to your teachers and the other adults who work with you. ■ You enjoy coming to school because you feel safe and you really like your teachers and other adults. ■ You know how important it is to take regular exercise and have a healthy lifestyle.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Your headteacher and all adults care for you very well and work hard to try to give you a good education. ■ Your school has a good range of clubs, which you enjoy, to help support your learning.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Yours is a satisfactory and improving school. To help your headteacher and staff to improve your school I have asked them to do the following things.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ For your headteacher and all the staff to do all they can to help you improve your work in English, mathematics and science so that you make faster progress. ■ Ensure that you know what you are learning in lessons, so that you know how well you are doing and what you need to do to improve further. ■ Provide exciting, relevant lessons, which help you develop important skills through practical and real life experiences. 12 of 12 Inspection Report: Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Primary School, 26–27 November 2008

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