Holy Innocents Catholic Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Make sure that the most able reach their full potential by:
  • providing work that is suitably matched to their needs, ensuring that challenge is consistent across the school
  • ensuring that questions targeted at the most able challenge their thinking
  • providing a variety of literature and reading opportunities to improve comprehension skills.
• Improve pupils’ progress in writing by:
  • providing frequent opportunities for pupils to write at length, where appropriate, across the curriculum
  • providing opportunities for pupils to apply their reading comprehension skills in their writing
  • ensuring that children in early years have the opportunity to engage in writing from when they first arrive in school.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher, with the strong support of the governing body, provides clear leadership for the school. His evaluation of the school is accurate and he knows what needs to be achieved in order to continue the journey of improvement.
• The curriculum offers a breadth of opportunity for the pupils, supported by educational visits and after-school clubs. Music and physical education are a strength of the school. Pupils and staff speak of significant developments in these areas. Pupils are enthused by school trips. Year 6 pupils spoke about how a trip to RAF Biggin Hill had put their learning into context. One child said, ‘We saw Spitfires for real and this helped us to learn.’
• Leaders run the wraparound care provision in the school. This provides consistency in provision as it is run by school staff. Pupils behave well in the setting and safeguarding is effective.
• The pupil premium strategy is clear about the barriers that disadvantaged pupils face to their ability to learn, and clearly outlines the actions that leaders are required to put in place. It is, however, not rigorous enough in evaluating the impact on improving progress and attainment for disadvantaged pupils.
• Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a strength of the school and prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain. Pupils have clear ideas about moral conduct. Teachers ensure that all prayers are put into a context that pupils will understand, relevant to their age and experiences. In addition to this, pupils have the opportunity to write and share their own prayers in the class prayer books. A range of faiths are taught, and pupils enjoy their trips to different places of worship. Pupils understand the need to support others. They could give examples of raising money for charity on the ‘yellow day’ and how food collected during the harvest festival would be taken to the food bank.
• The school makes good use of the sports funding. This includes employing specialist sports coaches to provide a wider range of sports which enthuse pupils and increase participation rates. The impact of this has been an increase in the number of pupils attending after-school clubs and participating in competitive games.
• Funding for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is used effectively and is clearly allocated on their individual plans. The plans clearly indicate what intervention will look like based on regular assessments.
• Support to the school is provided both by the Bromley Umbrella Trust and the diocese. Leaders share examples of positive impact from both areas of support. Staff speak highly of the opportunities for professional development they receive through the partnership with the Bromley Umbrella Trust. The trust provides effective professional development for staff at all levels.

Governance of the school

• The governing body is well led. It plays a significant role in the strategic planning of the school to support its continued improvement. Governors have link areas in school, reflecting their individual areas of expertise. They have completed a detailed skills audit in order to inform training and planning for governor vacancies.
• Governors engage fully with a variety of training opportunities in order to further develop their role. This has enabled governors to fulfil their statutory duties effectively.
• Governors work routinely with staff and parents. This means that staff can share ideas with them, and parents can share their thoughts and concerns. Governors use this information when planning for improvement.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Safeguarding is a strength of the school due to the rigorous approach from governors and leaders to ensure that statutory requirements are met.
• Governors have created a detailed document which they use to monitor safeguarding in school. This enables them to ensure that keeping children safe remains high profile within school, through regular challenges to staff.
• The school’s checks on the suitability of staff are comprehensive. Appropriate training is in place for all staff.
• Staff understand the procedures for keeping pupils safe and are vigilant. They work effectively with external agencies to support pupils and their families.
• Pupils are well informed about how to keep themselves safe, including on the internet. Pupils spoke confidently about the safe search engines and what to do if somebody asked for information over the internet.
• The vast majority of parents and staff who responded to the Ofsted questionnaires expressed the view that the school keeps pupils safe.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Positive working relationships in school provide a strong basis for learning. Teachers know the pupils well and use this information to plan effectively.
• Swift responses from pupils to established routines mean that lessons begin promptly; this means that pupils have more opportunities to develop skills, knowledge and understanding effectively. Enthusiasm for learning is evident in all classes and the views of pupils are valued, explored and developed well.
• Expectations of presentation are consistently high across the school. This expectation in mathematics supports learning for pupils, particularly when doing calculations.
• Resources are used effectively to support learning, particularly in mathematics. Number lines and number squares are used to encourage pupils to find things out for themselves.
• Additional adults provide well-focused learning support for pupils who need it.
• Phonics sessions are delivered well and pupils apply these skills effectively when reading. Outcomes in the phonics screening check have been consistently higher than national averages.
• In the majority of classes, teachers build effectively on what pupils already know, and address misconceptions as they arise.
• Challenge for the most able, as evidenced in books, lacks consistency. While there is some evidence of challenge in reading, pupils lack the opportunity to excel and apply comprehension skills.
• Sophisticated questioning, to develop a deeper knowledge and understanding for the most able, is not evident.
• A sample of books shows that work completed at home is of the same standard as that completed in school. Pupils say that they enjoy the challenge of a variety of homework activities.
• Teachers’ good subject knowledge supports learning for pupils; this is particularly evident in music, delivered by a specialist music teacher.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• Pupils are extremely proud of their school and they value their education. Attitudes to learning are exceptional. Pupils know how to be successful learners.
• Pupils are caring and respectful and show a genuine commitment to support one another. Older pupils enjoy the leadership responsibilities to ensure that playtimes are fun for everybody. In addition to this, the junior travel ambassadors wear bright coats to let younger pupils know that they are available to help them.
• Pupils respect their teachers; this is seen in their warm responses to staff. Pupils listen attentively in class and maintain good levels of concentration, leading to well-presented, detailed work.
• Pupils are very confident and are able to have sensible conversations with visitors. An example of this was the way in which pupils talked about a project that they were proud of. Pupils explained how they had suggested a prayer room and how this idea was presented to the headteacher. They felt that they had been listened to and that their views had been considered. They were keen to show me the prayer room.
• Pupils are humble about their achievements. They are, however, keen to talk about the success of their friends. An example was when a pupil struggled to talk about a strength in their writing. Pupils on the same table willingly offered many examples of what that pupil did well.
• Pupils know how to be safe and who they can talk to. Pupils talked about the ‘worry box’ system. They explained that they would write a worry down, post it and that this was checked regularly. They were insistent that a teacher would always follow it up.
• Pupils work with the school to ensure their own safety. They are clear about all forms of bullying. They speak highly of training received in school to understand different forms of bullying.
• Pupils say that the ‘fitter future’ programme ensures that they are really clear about how to keep themselves healthy.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.
• Behaviour in lessons and when moving around the school is exemplary and reflects the school’s high expectations. Behaviour during whole-school singing was excellent. The opportunity to sing in harmony was a result of older pupils assisting the teacher. The outcome was a good-quality performance.
• Pupils are very well disciplined, responding immediately when instructed by teachers. When the bell rings at the end of breaktime, for example, they show this by standing completely still before moving sensibly back to class.
• Attendance is above national averages and improving.
• The school’s behaviour records show that incidents of poor behaviour are rare.
• Pupils report that bullying is a rare event at the school. There are many systems in place to support pupils at playtime including a variety of activities and leadership roles for pupils.
• The tracking of individual disadvantaged pupils shows that attendance for this group is improving. This is down to diligent intervention and support as appropriate. Pupils say that they are keen to be in school because it means they will learn and because teachers care about them. They want to attend well because they look forward to receiving the attendance awards.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Standards at the end of key stage 1 and key stage 2 are above national averages.
• Pupils’ progress from key stage 1 to key stage 2 in 2016 was strong in all subjects.
• Progress in reading and writing was not as strong in the 2017 national tests as in mathematics. This is because pupils are not given access to a broad range of challenging texts which develop comprehension skills. They do not have the chance to apply these skills in their writing.
• Assessments are accurate, and the dialogue between teachers and pupils leads to good progress for most pupils. Pupils use guidance from teachers well and they enjoy responding to questions posed by the teachers, leading to improved work.
• The quality of work produced across a broad range of subjects is mostly positive. Pupils do not make as good progress in modern foreign languages.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported effectively by additional adults and through appropriate planned intervention. School assessment systems show that this group is making at least expected progress for each academic year.
• The daily work produced by pupils is of high standard. Work is completed at an appropriate level, for most pupils, confidently. Challenge for the most able, however, is not consistently evident.
• A good transition plan is in place to support the progress made by pupils. Year 1 pupils settle well and Year 6 pupils spoke confidently about the next stage in their education. Year 6 pupils are aspirational for their careers.

Early years provision Good

• Leaders provide clear direction and work supportively with staff and parents to ensure that children settle quickly. Children create a box at home, containing information and special things about themselves. This box is regularly opened in class and children are encouraged to talk about why items have been chosen. Teachers use this information when planning activities in the classroom. This process effectively helps the children to settle into the school routines.
• The proportion of children achieving a good level of development is consistently in line with, or above, national averages.
• Leaders liaise with a number of providers and acknowledge that children with a wide breadth of ability levels are entering school. Leaders cater well for this to provide an effective transition as the children begin school.
• Children behave well. They respect their teachers and are keen to please them. They play well together with well-established routines.
• Photographs and examples of children’s work are collated in a folder. The folder represents the learning journey for children and progress in mathematics is particularly evident within these folders.
• Staff understand and adhere to the school’s safeguarding procedures and concerns are referred to the designated person in a timely manner.
• All staff ensure that the indoor and outdoor facilities are used to stimulate children and promote good progress. Leaders acknowledge that the outdoor area can be further developed. Plans are in place for children to have their own allotment so that they can grow their own vegetables.
• Children benefit from a wide variety of learning opportunities within the Reception class. Adults support learning well and ongoing assessments are used effectively to inform future planning. Opportunities for children to develop their writing are not consistently implemented. Leaders acknowledge this and have identified it as an area for development.
• Children listen well; this was seen when they were able to discuss their own ideas when learning about Diwali. They talked about what they had learned previously, showing respect and celebrating different cultures.
• All children are assessed on entry by a speech and language specialist. This means that the school can plan appropriate support for those children who need it.
• A clear process is in place for the identification of pupils who have special educational

Opportunti

needs and/or disabilities. The school works effectively with external agencies to support children who need specialist help.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 141907 Bromley 10041045 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Academy converter 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 216 Appropriate authority Board of trustees Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Dr Ian Wilson Mr Ryan Langford 01689 813 040

www.holyinnocents.bromley.sch.uk admin@holyinnocents.bromley.sch.uk

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school complies with the Department for Education guidance on what academies should publish.
• The school is an average-sized primary school.
• The proportion of pupils from ethnic minority groups is above average.
• The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is below average.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported by the pupil premium grant is significantly below that found nationally. The proportion of those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is similar to schools nationally.
• Pupils are taught in single-year classes from Year 1 to Year 6. In the early years there is a Reception class. There is no provision for two-year-olds.
• The school runs before- and after-school childcare provision, in addition to a range of after-school activities.
• The school works in partnership with the Bromley Umbrella Trust and the diocese.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics.

Information about this inspection

• The inspectors observed learning in 20 lessons, some jointly with the headteacher. Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour and attitudes in classrooms, at breaktimes and at lunchtimes.
• Individual pupils and different groups of pupils spoke with inspectors to discuss their learning and views of the school. Inspectors listened to pupils read and discussed their reading with them. The inspectors also looked at samples of pupils’ work across subjects and year groups.A range of documents was considered, including the school’s improvement plan, self-evaluation documentation, information about pupil progress and attendance, behaviour logs and safeguarding arrangements.Five members of the governing body met with inspectors. The lead inspector also held a telephone conversation with a representative from the diocese and held meetings with school staff.The inspectors took account of the views expressed in the 77 online responses to Ofsted’s Parent View questionnaire and contributions from parents who contacted Ofsted directly. In addition, they gathered the views of several parents during informal meetings at the school.The inspectors took account of the views of 14 staff in responses to the staff questionnaires, and the 72 responses to pupil view.

Inspection team

Donna Chambers, lead inspector Carolyn Dickinson

Her Majesty’s Inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector