Our Lady of Peace Catholic Primary and Nursery School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Develop the emerging strengths evident in middle leadership, so that middle leaders have more impact on improving the quality of teaching, learning and assessment, and outcomes for pupils, especially for those from vulnerable groups.
• Increase the progress that disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) make in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Reduce the rates of persistent absence of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher leads a happy and inclusive school. Her partnerships with her deputy headteacher and other leaders and managers are strong. Their collective work to amalgamate the previously separate schools into one primary and nursery school has been successful.
• Senior leaders know the school’s strengths and weaknesses well. Plans to develop different aspects of provision focus on the right areas. Leaders and governors have a clear understanding of these priorities. Because of this, they are increasingly successful at bringing about the improvements required to move the school forward.
• The professional development of staff has been of key importance in recent times. This includes improving the quality of teaching across the school. Whole-school approaches to deliver the mathematics and English curriculums are now providing pupils with more consistency in their learning in these key subjects.
• Leaders’ initiatives to reduce teachers’ workload while maintaining a good quality of education are having positive outcomes. New systems to introduce more focused feedback to pupils are effective. As a result, most pupils have a good understanding of how to improve their work, and additional support is introduced in a timely manner.
• The school’s curriculum is constantly evolving. Senior and middle leaders have a strong desire to make learning meaningful and fun. They know that some aspects of the curriculum are stronger than others. Their current focus on developing the teaching of history and science across the school is proving successful.
• Pupils appreciate the extra-curricular and enrichment opportunities the wider curriculum provides for them. They talked to inspectors with enthusiasm about their learning, both in and out of school.
• Additional funding to promote physical education and sport is used well. Pupils understand the importance of keeping fit and maintaining healthy lifestyles. Sports coaches provide specialist support to staff in delivering gymnastics and athletics lessons, for instance. Designing healthy menus to promote a balanced diet are all part of learning at the school.
• The school’s curriculum and religious ethos help develop pupils’ understanding of values such as kindness and honesty. Pupils are prepared well for life in modern Britain. The diverse population of pupils and multi-cultural make-up of the school help with this. Lessons promoting the knowledge of different cultures further develop pupils’ understanding of the similarities and differences in the backgrounds they come from.
• Additional funding to support pupils with SEND is used well. This is particularly the case in the provision to support the social and emotional development of pupils with complex needs.
• Assistant headteachers, and phase and subject leaders are enthusiastic and knowledgeable. Their capacity to help improve the school further is clear to see. This is especially evident in their potential to improve the quality of teaching and learning, and the impact that this has on pupils’ outcomes.

Governance of the school

• Governance is a growing strength of the school. Although many governors are new to their roles, they understand their responsibilities very well. Governors have attended appropriate training and have a relatively good understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses.
• Governors carry out their statutory duties successfully. They have ensured that safeguarding is effective, for instance. Those recently recruited to the governing body have a wider range of experience and skills than was the case in the past. This is having a positive impact on the ability of governors to help support leaders to improve the school.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The culture to keep pupils safe is strong. Staff know what to do if they have concerns and have been trained at levels commensurate with their different responsibilities. This includes those responsible for first aid and those involved in the recruitment of staff, for instance. Policies and procedures are sound, as are safeguarding records and records of pre-employment checks on staff.
• Pupils feel safe at the school. They told inspectors that they know who to talk to if they have problems or are worried. Parents and carers who spoke to inspectors expressed their confidence in the staff’s ability to keep their children safe. The large majority of parents who replied to Ofsted’s online parent questionnaire expressed the view that their children feel safe in school.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good and is leading to positive outcomes for current pupils in the school.
• Teachers’ expectations are high. Relationships in classrooms are respectful. Most pupils display good attitudes to learning because most teaching arouses their interests across a range of subjects.
• In most classrooms, pupils have a clear understanding of what they are learning and why. Teachers make the links with previous learning very clear. Many classroom visits showed inspectors pupils’ high levels of engagement, because staff had planned learning that was pitched at the right level and made sense to pupils.
• Teaching and support staff generally work well together. A new marking and feedback policy has been introduced to the school recently, aimed at reducing teachers’ workload. Early signs are that this is also having a positive impact on the progress that pupils are making. This is especially the case for those pupils in danger of falling behind.
• Visits to classrooms showed that pupils enjoy working together, when required. Although happy to work independently, pupils are equally keen to share their opinions and discuss their learning with others. This is especially the case with older pupils, who are able to debate complicated social issues with a high degree of understanding.
• In the past, teaching has not ensured that pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds or those with SEND made as much progress with their learning as possible. Because leaders have made this a priority across the school, teaching is now better attuned to these vulnerable groups.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. A combination of the school’s distinctive Catholic ethos and the quality of the wider curriculum ensures that pupils’ social and emotional development is strong. Pupils are proud of their school. Playtimes are inclusive events where pupils play happily together.
• There is a high degree of tolerance and mutual respect in the school. Most pupils are confident and pleased to share their work with visitors and with each other. Pupils who read to inspectors were happy to do so in the presence of each other, secure in the knowledge that no one would mind or comment if they struggled.
• Pupils told inspectors that they feel safe in school and that bullying is not a problem. One pupil said that they understand that ‘everyone is similar, but that everyone is also different’. Pupils from different ethnic backgrounds play happily together in the playground and are equally supportive of each other in classrooms.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils understand that they come to school to learn and that learning can be fun if they give of their best. As a result, classrooms are generally purposeful places where pupils work hard and disruptions to learning are minimal.
• Pupils behave sensibly as they move around the school. The physical features of the site mean that pupils have to take care as they go to play, and at the start and finish of the school day. Routines are well established. Pupils self-regulate their behaviour on the stairs, for instance, because staff have high expectations. Those who travel to school on bicycles or scooters know the rules and respond positively if they need reminding.
• Most pupils attend school well. However, the attendance of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds has not been good in the recent past. Most concerningly, their rates of persistent absence have been particularly high. Leaders have been successful in reducing this and have halved it over time. However, rates of persistent absence are still too high for this vulnerable group.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• The large majority of current pupils are making good progress in a range of subjects. This is the case across all phases of the school.
• Leaders track pupils’ progress well. They are aware of where progress is stronger and also where pupils’ progress is less consistent.
• Classroom visits and scrutiny of pupils’ work showed inspectors that leaders’ assessment of the strengths and weaknesses in pupils’ outcomes is accurate. Development plans address the right priorities as far as improving pupils’ outcomes are concerned. This means that staff are keenly aware of the school’s key priorities to improve and that current pupils are doing better than those in the past.
• Pupils’ phonics skills are well developed by the time they reach the end of Year 2. This is because the proportions of pupils achieving the expected standard in phonics during Year 1 compare well to those seen in other primary schools.
• Pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics matches or is better than the national average at the end of both key stages 1 and 2.
• The end of key stage 2 progress measures are broadly average for reading and mathematics, compared to other primary schools nationally. This has been the case over time.
• Progress in writing dropped to below the national average at the end of Year 6 in 2018. Leaders have wasted no time in addressing this. As a result, improving the writing skills of pupils is already a key priority. Evidence gathered during the inspection showed that standards in writing are improving because of this focus.
• Pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds and those with SEND have not made the same good progress as their peers in recent times. Leaders have already prioritised improving the quality of provision for pupils from these vulnerable groups. However, a fresh emphasis now needs to be placed on improving outcomes for these pupils.

Early years provision Good

• The quality of provision in the early years is good. Teaching meets the needs of children successfully because staff know them well. Children make particularly good progress from their starting points in Nursery. By the time they have finished Reception, most are ready for the challenges of Year 1.
• The leadership and management of the early years are a strength. The newly appointed early years lead has quickly evaluated the quality of the provision. Priorities for improvement have been established and are being acted on effectively.
• Classroom visits showed the setting to be a happy and vibrant place where children enjoy learning about the world around them. Staff also ensure that children begin to understand and celebrate the diversity of the different cultures that many of them come from. This lays the foundation for the school’s tolerant and inclusive ethos.
• Staff plan opportunities to learn in and out of the classroom that both interest and engage children. Children enjoy activities that stimulate their sense of enquiry or present them with challenges to overcome. Teamwork is encouraged, helping cement relationships and establish friendships built on trust and respect.
• Procedures to assess children’s progress and plan next steps in their learning are well established, including for children from vulnerable groups, or those that start at levels lower than typical for their age. These groups make strong progress because staff ensure that their needs are well met.
• Partnerships with parents are strong, as are relationships in the classroom. Children feel safe and cooperate with each other well. Their behaviour is excellent because adults’ expectations are high. All aspects of children’s welfare and safety are catered for well in the early years.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 110035 Slough 10058118 This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Voluntary aided 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 650 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Mrs Anne Bishop Mrs Jean O’Keeffe Telephone number 01628 661886 Website Email address www.olopprimary.co.uk post@olopprimary.co.uk Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

Information about this school

• This is larger than the average-sized primary school. The school was formed in April 2016 after the amalgamation of the previously separate infant with nursery and junior schools, which were situated on adjacent sites.
• As a school with a distinctive religious ethos, the school, in its present form as a primary, has not yet been subject to an inspection under section 48 of the Education Act 2005.
• Pupils at the school come from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds.

Information about this inspection

• This was the first inspection carried out by Ofsted since the school became a primary school with a nursery in April 2016.
• The school was selected for inspection under section 8(2) of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was subsequently deemed to be a section 5 inspection under the same Act by Her Majesty’s Inspector and a full section 5 inspection was then carried out.
• Classrooms were visited on both days of the inspection. During classroom visits, inspectors observed teaching and learning, assessed the quality of pupils’ work, and talked to them about the progress that they were making. Some classroom visits were accompanied by the headteacher or deputy headteacher.
• Pupils’ behaviour was observed in classrooms and as they moved around the school. This included at the start of the school day and at breaktime and lunchtime.
• As well as looking at pupils’ work in classrooms, a separate sampling of pupils’ work in mathematics and English was undertaken together with the English and mathematics subject leads.
• An inspector heard pupils read.
• Meetings were held with senior and middle leaders, the school’s bursar, the chair of governors accompanied by four other governors, and a representative group of pupils.
• The lead inspector met with a representative of the local authority. He also held a telephone conversation with a representative of the diocesan board.
• Inspectors talked to parents on the playground at the start of each day of the inspection. Inspectors took into account the 36 replies to Ofsted’s parent survey.
• A wide range of policies and records were scrutinised, including those regarding the safety, behaviour and attendance of pupils. The school’s self-evaluation, development planning and information about pupils’ outcomes were considered. Minutes of governing body meetings and notes of visits from the local authority were also reviewed.

Inspection team

Clive Close, lead inspector Robert Howell Lynn Martin Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Maxine McDonald-Taylor Her Majesty’s Inspector