St. Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Reddish Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve teaching and learning further by:
  • quickening the introduction of the new behaviour management approaches, so all staff are clear about what is expected from them
  • ensuring a precise match of teaching to pupils’ learning needs in writing, especially for the most able pupils and those who have gaps in their learning
  • deploying teaching assistants effectively.
• Improve provision in the early years by:
  • ensuring that activities provided for children to choose from independently provide sufficient interest to sustain their concentration and further their learning
  • ensuring that time is used effectively in directed activities and children are able to follow their interests and take initiative.
• Developing leadership of foundation subjects, so leaders have more of an impact on teaching and learning in their subjects.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Senior leaders have stabilised staffing after a turbulent period and secured good teaching and learning across the school. The headteacher and deputy headteacher work together productively to promote high expectations and hold staff to account. Their vision for the school is focused firmly on ensuring good outcomes for pupils and developing their personal skills.
• The school’s self-evaluation is searching and accurate. Leaders have a firm grasp on where further improvement is needed and have detailed plans to secure it.
• The systems to track pupils’ progress and check teaching are well established and set suitably challenging targets for pupils’ progress and attainment. The deputy headteacher has an impressive knowledge of pupils’ progress and learning needs across the school.
• Leaders set challenging but realistic targets for teachers’ performance relating to pupils’ progress, their role and school development priorities. Staff have risen to the challenge and have welcomed the training opportunities that have been provided. Training is planned well to support whole-school initiatives and provide tailored support for individuals according to their needs, roles and responsibilities.
• Newly and recently qualified teachers are supported effectively. Their enthusiastic approach makes a positive contribution to the school. They have good opportunities to develop their skills and career aspirations.
• Leaders have drawn on external support effectively. The local authority has provided substantial and good-quality training for staff, and support to develop leadership at all levels. Leaders and staff are active in the local cluster of schools and attend network meetings regularly. They benefit from joint training and the sharing of good practice.
• The curriculum provides pupils with a broad and balanced education and develops their knowledge and skills successfully in different subjects. Curriculum planning makes good use of the local context and pupils’ interests. Pupils’ learning is enhanced by visits, visitors to the school and before-school and after-school clubs such as choir, Irish dancing, arts and sports. The physical education and sport premium is used appropriately to broaden pupils’ experience and participation in physical activities.
• Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well in all aspects of the school’s work and is underpinned by the school’s Christian ethos. Pupils reflect on their own beliefs and learn about other faiths and cultures. The school places a strong emphasis on learning about and respecting differences. British values are celebrated in classroom displays and taught explicitly across the curriculum. Pupils have a good understanding of diversity and are prepared well for life in modern Britain.
• Equality of opportunity is promoted successfully. Leaders have undertaken a thorough analysis of the barriers that affect the learning of some pupils. They have allocated additional funding appropriately to overcome such barriers, and assess the impact of their strategies rigorously. The pupil premium is used effectively to provide additional support for disadvantaged pupils who need to catch up, and to enrich and extend the learning of the most able disadvantaged pupils. The additional funding for pupils who have special educational needs and or/disabilities is used effectively to support their learning needs and personal development. Leaders secure additional help from external agencies where needed.
• Phase leaders and leaders of mathematics and English make a good contribution to improving teaching and raising standards. Leaders attend network meetings and training to support their role. They moderate teachers’ assessments to ensure that they are accurate and provide support where needed.
• Leadership of foundation subjects is not as well developed, as some leaders are new to their role and are still developing systems for checking pupils’ progress.
• The majority of parents who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, are positive about leadership and the education and care provided for their children. However, a minority express concerns about communication and homework, and some say that behaviour is not managed well in the classroom. The many positive comments include: ‘The school is excellent and I’m very happy with my child’s progress’ and ‘My child is thriving and loves school. Teachers and leaders are very caring and accommodating.’ Inspection findings corroborate parents’ positive views about pupils’ personal development and achievement.

Governance

• Governance is good.

• The governing body acted promptly and effectively on the review of governance that was commissioned following the previous inspection. Governors’ audit of their skills and recruitment of new members have increased expertise on the governing body, for instance in the interpretation of assessment information. They use their expertise to support and challenge leaders effectively. Governors have a clear view of their role as critical friends to school leaders and are now well equipped to challenge them about pupils’ performance.
• Governors know the school’s priorities for improvement. They are kept well informed through the headteacher’s reports. They take opportunities to check information they receive through visits and through meetings with middle leaders.
• Governors consider the allocation of additional funding carefully. For example, some pupil premium funding has been used this year to secure smaller class sizes in a year group with a high proportion of disadvantaged pupils. Governors check on the impact of the pupil premium regularly, evaluating the effectiveness of strategies.
• Governors understand how decisions about teachers’ progression and salaries are made. They manage the performance of the headteacher effectively.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Procedures are rigorous and reviewed regularly. The records that leaders keep are thorough. The headteacher is vigilant about all aspects of safeguarding. Good liaison with parents and outside agencies ensures that pupils’ needs are met within school and they are safe and secure.
• Leaders ensure that staff receive appropriate training and understand how to keep children safe. Staff are alert and attentive to providing a safe and secure environment for pupils.
• The recruitment and induction processes are thorough. Leaders make sure that the single central record is kept up to date and that all required checks are in place for current employees.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teachers have suitably high expectations for pupils’ achievement and presentation of their work. Training has improved teachers’ subject knowledge and understanding of the standards expected for each age group in the national curriculum.
• Teaching is supported by thorough systems to assess pupils’ progress and attainment in reading, writing and mathematics. Pupils who need additional support or challenge are identified and their progress is tracked carefully.
• Leaders have a dedicated meeting with teachers each half term, focusing on the progress of disadvantaged pupils. This ensures that all staff know of any barriers to learning faced by these pupils and prioritise their needs in their planning. Consequently, teaching is effective in meeting the needs of disadvantaged pupils.
• Teachers are adept at assessing pupils’ learning during lessons. Questioning is used effectively to probe pupils’ understanding and adapt teaching to meet their needs.
• Teaching promotes pupils’ independence and resilience effectively. For example, the ‘working walls’ in each classroom reflect the topics of the moment and provide pupils with the prompts they need to improve their work.
• The school’s marking policy is successful in correcting pupils’ misunderstandings and extending their learning. Pupils respond diligently to the ‘fix it’ comments and ‘push it’ challenges.
• Mathematics teaching is consistently good. Teachers build on what pupils know and can do successfully. They give pupils challenging investigative tasks that deepen their understanding and develop their reasoning skills. Pupils thoroughly enjoy the challenges they are set and apply their mathematical skills to different subjects.
• Pupils’ reading skills are developed well. Effective phonics teaching in the early years and key stage 1 gives pupils the foundations to work out unfamiliar words. Comprehension skills are developed effectively from the start. Pupils read widely across the curriculum.
• Teaching develops pupils’ knowledge and skills in subjects across the curriculum. Science and computing skills are taught in depth and pupils enjoy the practical and investigative activities. Teaching in foundation subjects, such as art, music, history, geography, and design and technology has improved since the last inspection and is now good.
• Pupils’ writing is developed in a range of subjects, so pupils gain a good understanding of the features of different types of writing. However, assessment is not used as effectively to inform the teaching of writing skills as it is in mathematics and reading. The most able pupils are not supported effectively to write at greater depth in all classes. In some classes, pupils who have gaps in their learning are not given enough support to enable them to secure basic writing skills.
• Time is usually used well in lessons to enable pupils to learn at a good pace. There are times, however, when the management of pupils’ low-level, off-task behaviour interrupts the flow of learning.
• Teaching assistants have a range of skills. However, they are not deployed effectively to maximise their impact on pupils’ learning in all classes.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Positive relationships between staff and pupils ensure that pupils are confident to speak to adults if they require support. Pupils grow in confidence and say they feel safe in school.
• Pupils have a good understanding of different types of bullying. They know what to do if they or their friends feel threatened by bullying. They take their responsibilities to look after others seriously. Teachers are vigilant in recording all incidents and pupils know that racist or homophobic behaviour is not tolerated.
• Pupils’ well-being and safety is protected in school and promoted in various subjects. Teachers are vigilant in promoting pupils’ safety when they are online. In Year 1, for example, pupils gained a good understanding of how to stay safe ‘when using mum’s iPad’, appropriate to their age. There are appropriate filters in place when pupils use computers in school.
• Vulnerable pupils receive high levels of care that help them overcome barriers to learning, develop their personal skills and ensure that they are well looked after in school. Leaders create strong links with families and work hard to support pupils’ individual needs. Good liaison with external agencies ensures that pupils’ needs are met well.
• Pupils use their initiative and develop their social and leadership skills in a range of contexts. In lessons, they express their views with confidence, share ideas and work together to solve problems. In ‘forest school’ activities they develop teamwork and leadership skills in a natural environment.
• Pupils take on leadership roles responsibly as reading and mathematics ambassadors, chaplains, school councillors and digital leaders. They put their ideas into practice, for example in designing posters to keep children safe online and raising money for charities. Pupil leaders take pride in helping other children in school with reading and mathematics and as play leaders.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils apply themselves diligently to tasks and work independently, showing resilience and concentration. Pupils collaborate well in pairs and groups. For example, Year 6 pupils worked well in small groups as they tackled the creation of a new app in computing.
• Positive learning habits are evident across the school. Pupils respond promptly to teachers’ instructions. They show pride in their work, which is consistently well presented.
• Pupils are polite and courteous. They behave well in the classrooms and the playground. The atmosphere around the school is calm and pupils show tolerance and respect to each other.
• Attendance is improving but remains slightly below the national average. Persistent absence remains above average. This year the decrease in the persistent absence rate for disadvantaged pupils is greater than that for other pupils. This is because learning mentors follow up absentees and know pupils and their families well. The school has thorough systems for helping parents to improve their child’s attendance when this falls.
• Leaders and learning mentors support pupils who are at risk of exclusion effectively. Exclusions are rare and the incidence of repeat exclusions has reduced.
• Occasionally, pupils lose concentration in lessons when activities are not interesting enough to engage their full attention.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Pupils’ attainment in the key stage 1 standardised assessments in reading, writing and mathematics has been above average for some years. In the past, pupils attained broadly average standards at key stage 2, but they did not make the progress they should have, based on their above-average starting points. Improving pupils’ progress at key stage 2 has been a priority for the school since the last inspection.
• Teachers have quickened the pace of learning successfully across key stage 2, especially in mathematics, which has been a key focus in staff training. The new assessment system enables teachers to identify any gaps in pupils’ learning and add further challenge as required. Pupils build on their prior learning in mathematics successfully as they move through school and make good progress. They apply their mathematical knowledge and reasoning skills successfully in a range of subjects.
• Pupils make good progress in reading from the early stages. The teaching of phonics has improved. The proportion of pupils who reach expected standards in the phonics screening check in Year 1 has risen from below to above average. Pupils are taught effective comprehension skills from the early stages onwards. Pupils read widely across different subjects and with understanding.
• Pupils’ progress in writing is good over time. However, it is uneven across classes, in both key stage 1 and key stage 2, and for different groups of pupils. Pupils’ tasks are not planned with the same precision as they are in mathematics, meaning that the most able pupils are not supported to write at greater depth consistently. Pupils who have gaps in their writing skills are not provided with sufficiently supportive activities to help them fill these gaps. For example, some pupils are introduced to more complex punctuation and sub-clauses before they have mastered simple sentence structures.
• Pupils experience a rich and interesting curriculum. They make very good progress in science and computing particularly, and good progress in foundation subjects.
• The progress of disadvantaged pupils is a key priority in improvement planning. As a result, the progress of disadvantaged pupils has quickened considerably and is consistently good across the school. Their progress is just as good as others in school and differences between their attainment and other pupils’ nationally are diminishing.
• The most able pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, make good progress in mathematics and reading, as they are challenged to work at greater depth in these subjects as they move through the school. However, their progress in writing is not as rapid, because it varies from class to class. In some classes, the most able pupils are not provided with written work that adds challenge and enables them to work at greater depth.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress from their starting points in line with other pupils. The identification of need is accurate, so that strategies to support learning are individualised and effective.
• Pupils’ good progress and effective development of their social and personal skills ensure that they are prepared well for the next stage of their education.

Early years provision Good

• Most children join the Nursery class or Reception classes with knowledge and skills that are at or above those that are typical for their age. Children settle happily and enjoy learning in the welcoming environment.
• Children’s progress from their starting points has quickened in the last three years. The proportion of children who reach a good level of development by the end of the Reception Year has increased and is above average. Some children in the Nursery class already have knowledge and skills that are above those typical for their age.
• The early years curriculum is broad and balanced. Both the indoor and outdoor areas provide children with a wide range of experiences across all areas of learning. Children’s assessment records and ‘learning journeys’ reflect their achievements accurately and inform teaching. Joint planning ensures that all adults are aware of each child’s next steps.
• Teaching in whole-class and group sessions is pitched appropriately to children’s ability so children can build on what they can do already. The most able children are provided with additional challenge and those who need more practice are supported to reinforce their learning in different contexts. Additional funding is used effectively to provide disadvantaged children with good-quality support and ensure they make good progress.
• Mathematical activities are planned especially well to enable children to apply their skills, investigate and explore. For example, children completed a tally chart of shapes they could see around the classroom and outside. This enabled them to apply their knowledge of shape and data-handling to an interesting activity.
• Teaching assistants are deployed effectively and make the most of opportunities to extend children’s language and mathematical skills.
• There are times, however, when children do not make the rapid progress they are capable of in group activities that are directed by adults. This is because children are required to wait while each child takes their turn, or while the teacher talks to individuals in turn. While the directed activities build on children’s prior learning successfully, they do not motivate and engage children as well as they could.
• The activities provided for children to choose from are wide-ranging, but some are overly familiar to children. The activities do not sustain children’s interest because there is not enough that is new for children to discover and learn from.
• Children are happy and show no concerns for their safety as they play and learn together. Safeguarding and welfare requirements are met and staff are trained appropriately in safeguarding and first aid.  The encouraging relationships help children to grow in confidence and speak to adults with self-assurance. They collaborate, behave well, and are polite and considerate. Children’s good progress and well-developed personal and social skills prepare them well for their move into Year 1.
• Leaders set high expectations for children’s learning. Senior leaders have early years expertise and have identified accurately where provision could be improved.
• Good engagement with parents supports them in knowing how well their children are settling and learning, and how they can help at home. The regular meetings and ‘pop-in’ sessions provide parents with a good understanding of the early years curriculum.
• Liaison and moderation meetings with other early years settings support transition into the Reception classes effectively. This ensures that all teachers have a consistent understanding of the early years framework.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 136430 Stockport 10022012 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 Voluntary aided 3–11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 546 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address John O’Sullivan Stella Rosindale 0161 432 5689

www.st-josephs-reddish.stockport.sch.uk headteacher@st-josephs-reddish.stockport.sch.uk

Date of previous inspection 11–12 March 2015

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school is much larger than the average-sized primary school.
• Most pupils are of white British heritage. The proportions of pupils from minority ethnic groups and who speak English as an additional language are below average.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is below average.
• The proportion of pupils who have support for special educational needs and/or disabilities is below average, although the proportion with a statement or education, health and care plan is above average.
• The school meets the current government floor standards which set the minimum standards for pupils’ progress and attainment.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed teaching and learning in all classes. They looked at pupils’ work during observations and carried out an in-depth scrutiny of pupils’ work with school leaders. They also talked to pupils about their work in lessons and meetings.
• Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour and gained their views about behaviour, safety and bullying.
• They spoke to staff and had meetings with leaders, the chair and eight members of the governing body, a representative of the local authority and a representative of the diocese.

• Inspectors looked at documentation, including the school’s self-evaluation, improvement planning, and records of monitoring and management of performance and training. Safeguarding policies and procedures were examined.
• They took account of 98 responses to Parent View and 35 staff questionnaire responses.

Inspection team

Jean Olsson-Law, lead inspector Gill Burrow Jane Austin

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector