Our Lady of the Angels Catholic Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

In accordance with section 13(4) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that the school no longer requires special measures.

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the impact of leaders, including governors on improving pupils’ outcomes by:
  • ensuring that leaders’ checks on the wider school curriculum hold teachers to account so that pupils make consistently good progress in the foundation subjects
  • leaders taking swift action to ensure that pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities make consistently strong progress from their varied starting points
  • ensuring that disadvantaged pupils and boys make consistently good progress so that they catch up
  • ensuring that the persistent absence of disadvantaged pupils is minimised so that this group attend school consistently well
  • ensuring that the governing body is strategic in its challenge to leaders and this results in teaching, learning and assessment, and pupils’ outcomes, that are consistently good.
• Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment, by ensuring that:
  • teachers use their assessments to adapt their teaching so that it consistently builds on what pupils know, can do and understand
  • teaching in Year 1 enables pupils to read independently with accuracy and fluency and pupils’ reading books are closely matched to their ability
  • pupils have sufficient opportunity to practise, consolidate and deepen their learning so that middle-attaining and the most able pupils make consistently good progress.
• Improve the quality of the early years foundation stage by ensuring that:
  • teachers’ assessments of what children can do, know and understand are organised and used well to inform children’s next steps and future teaching
  • provision inside and outside is consistently good, so that teaching enables children to practise and deepen their learning sufficiently well and make good progress from their varied starting points.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

• The interim headteacher and her team of senior and middle leaders, along with internal support of the trust, have brought about considerable improvements in all aspects of the school’s work since the previous inspection. Month on month, the interim headteacher has deployed her steely determination to turn many of the school’s weaknesses around successfully. She recognises that there is still more to do. The school is only part way through its improvement journey to become good.
• Leaders evaluate the school’s current performance accurately. They have an acute understanding of the emerging strengths and remaining weaknesses in the school. Leaders are working systematically on the right aspects to bring about further sustainable improvement. As such, leaders’ whole-school strategies to improve English and mathematics are paying off and pupils’ outcomes continue to improve.
• Leaders’ actions have eradicated inadequate teaching successfully. The school is now providing an adequate education for its pupils. Leaders have secured accurate teacher assessments. However, leaders have not yet ensured that teachers consistently use their assessments precisely enough to ensure that work on offer is closely matched to pupils’ needs. At times learning time is not fully maximised to stretch and challenge the most able and middle-attaining pupils.
• Other curriculum subjects are not delivered to the same high standard as English and mathematics. Teaching in the foundation subjects is too variable across the school. Leaders have not yet deployed sufficient focus on improving the depth and levels of challenge in subjects such as history and geography. Consequently, teaching and activities on offer do not provide enough scope for pupils to extend their thinking or conceptual understanding. The teaching of modern foreign languages and science has also been too inconsistent in the recent past.
• The interim headteacher is direct and consistent in her communication to staff. This helps staff to understand what is required and how to improve their teaching. In equal measure, she is collegiate in her approach. Teachers are working to agreed goals and feel valued. Consequently, staff morale is now high.
• Leaders have raised the emphasis on staff training and development. There has been a comprehensive menu of support and challenge. This has enabled teachers to improve their subject knowledge in the teaching of mathematics and writing. This emphasis is now on reading. As a result, pupils are making much improved progress and in the main, pupils’ underachievement has been successfully addressed.
• Leaders’ systems to check the impact of teaching of core subjects are strengthening well. All teachers have individual plans for improvement and these are leading to high levels of accountability in the school. This is helping pupils because it has bought an incisive focus on their achievement. It also exemplifies that while all pupils’ progress has improved this year, some groups of pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and boys, still need to catch up further. Leaders have not checked pupils’ reading fluency in Year 1 with sufficient rigour. This has resulted in a mismatch between the books that some pupils read and their current reading ability.
• English and mathematics subject leaders have been effective in improving pupils’ outcomes in their subjects. As a result of their monitoring checks and the support they provide to teachers, there is greater consistency in teaching and pupils’ outcomes across the school. However, the leadership of other subjects is not as secure as it could be. As a result, leaders’ checks on teaching and learning in foundation subjects are not yet resulting in pupils working at the depth and making the progress they are capable of.
• Leaders are now applying a more stringent approach to measuring the progress of disadvantaged pupils and the impact of pupil premium funding. However, the use of the pupil premium grant is still not as effective as it needs to be. Support in place is enabling better social and emotional support for this group of pupils. Although the current funding has led to improved outcomes for many disadvantaged pupils, this is not yet consistent across the school.
• Leadership systems and the deployment of SEN funding is much improved. The register for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is accurate. Pupils who were previous wrongly placed on this register due to their prior underachievement have been removed. However, teaching is not yet enabling enough of these pupils to catch up quickly. The progress of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is too inconsistent in a number of classes.
• The sport premium is used effectively. Pupils benefit from a wide range of sporting activities such as the primary key stage 2 athletics festival this term.
• Leaders plan a range of additional learning and extra-curricular activities for pupils. These include educational visits, whole-school curriculum days, such as world maths and book days, and celebrating the Royal Wedding. A range of clubs take place across the week, including sports clubs, website editing and ‘acting up’ club. ‘Mustard seeds’ is a club where children explore a range of moral and ethical issues and take time to pray, and organise and facilitate fundraising for a range of causes. Leaders are building a curriculum around respecting one another, reflection, spiritual development and a love of learning.
• School leaders have done much to bring the school community together. Many parents recognise that whole-school initiatives are paying off. However, parental views remain mixed. Leaders know it takes time to rebuild strong relationships. Leaders show commitment to get this right through their regular newsletters and parental workshops. This work is ongoing.
• Internal support from the trust is proving effective. The nature of this support has shifted from pastoral support to holding school leaders and governors to account for improving pupils’ outcomes. The trust provides a comprehensive menu of support through whole-school monitoring, trust-level training and school-to-school support.

Governance of the school

• Governors’ roles are developing. In recent months, the trust has supported the governing body to address its weaknesses well. There is now a transparent understanding about the shortcomings of governors’ work in the past. Increasingly, governors understand their role in holding leaders to account for improving pupils’ outcomes.
• The governing body is supportive of the improvements that school leaders are making. Governors welcome the more useful and consistent information they receive from the interim headteacher. However, the governing body is not yet as strategic as it needs to be. Governors have embraced additional internal training from the trust. The trust’s attendance at governing body meetings has provided instant feedback to governors about how to improve their challenge and questioning and bolster governors’ capacity. This is beginning to bring about improvement in the way that governors hold the school to account. However, over time the robustness of challenge that governors provide remains too varied; more time is needed for them to establish their working practices further.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Leaders have strengthened all aspects of the school’s safeguarding practice. Policies, procedures and training relating to safeguarding are up to date and in line with current legislation. New staff induction provides staff with the information they need to understand the school’s procedures fully.
• There is a strong coordinated response to safeguarding children. Leaders with responsibility for safeguarding make referrals promptly and work closely with a range of external agencies to minimise children’s risk of harm. They follow up referrals to check that all is being done to support children and families.
• Staff recruitment procedures are fit for purpose. Minor clerical errors on the school’s single central record were rectified during the inspection.
• The school curriculum teaches pupils to safeguard themselves increasingly well. For example, Year 6 pupils benefit from first aid training. Pupils know how to keep safe online. The school provides updates to pupils and parents on relevant and recent issues that their children may experience, such as playing games online, using mobile phones and social media.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• The quality of teaching has improved since the previous inspection. However, teaching requires improvement because it varies too much between year groups. Over the last 15 months some classes have suffered from considerable staff changes. While staffing has now stabilised, this has hindered the progress that some pupils make over time.
• The teaching of mathematics is increasingly strong. All aspects of the mathematics curriculum are taught in depth. The introduction to ‘fluent in five’ sessions at the beginning of mathematics lessons has secured pupils’ fluency and accuracy of number in mathematics well. Problem-solving and reasoning feature heavily in sequences of teaching mathematics. In most classes, pupils are able to reason and solve problems with the confidence and competence levels expected for their age. Workbooks exemplify the breadth of teaching that pupils receive and the strong progress that pupils have made this year. However, some middle-attaining pupils and the most able in Years 1 and 4 do not move onto challenging mathematics quickly enough. This slows the progress that they make.
• The school’s strategy to improve the teaching of writing is paying off. It is used consistently across the school. This strategy has enabled many pupils who have previously underachieved to make obvious improvements to their writing this year. Most teachers have good subject knowledge and apply this well to their teaching. Teachers value using high-quality texts, and text models to support pupils’ understanding of composition. Increasingly pupils write with the accuracy and detail expected for their age. Teaching has raised the pupils’ expectations of the sentence types and vocabulary that they use. Consequently, the proportion of pupils who exceed the expectations for their age in writing is also steadily increasing.
• The high-quality writing seen in English books is not always replicated in other subjects. Teaching in foundation subjects does not require pupils to routinely use and apply their writing skills. In addition, while spelling and grammar work is improving across the school, some pupils further down the school do not yet sustain writing at length.
• Teachers’ assessments are usually accurate. However, in a few classes, teachers do not use their assessments of what pupils know, can do and understand to adapt their teaching quickly enough to maximise pupils’ learning. On these occasions teaching is too often predetermined by teachers’ planning. So when pupils already understand the work on offer or it is too hard, pupils continue to access pre-planned tasks that do not meet their needs. Teachers do not pick this up quickly enough and it slows the progress that pupils make. Conversely, where teaching is at its best, teachers’ questioning allows pupils ample opportunity to extend their understanding quickly and deeply. This has led to some pupils in key stage 2 making rapid progress this year in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Leaders have taken bold strides to improve the teaching of reading in recent months. This continues to be work in progress. In key stage 2, high-quality texts are used to support pupils’ understanding of what they read and provide a stimulus for the teaching of writing. This is enabling pupils to be exposed to challenging vocabulary and discuss plot development and characterisation. An online programme is enabling pupils in key stage 2 to test their understanding of the texts that they read. Pupils spoken to on inspection say that this is helping them read with greater motivation and interest. Teachers’ questioning is usually pertinent and helps pupils to strengthen the understanding of what they read. However, some tasks on offer when pupils read independently are not stretching and challenging enough.
• The school’s strategy to teach phonics is regular and systematic. It enables pupils to tackle their gaps and weaknesses in phonics skills. However, inconsistencies in teaching have not yet been ironed out because leaders’ monitoring of phonics is not yet precise enough. As a result, while teaching enables pupils to read and write words accurately, some books that pupils read in class and independently at home are not consistently matched to their needs. As a result, some teaching in key stage 1 has not yet enabled some pupils to read with the accuracy and fluency that is expected for their age.
• Teaching for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is inconsistent. The leader of special educational needs and inclusion works closely with teachers and other adults to set precise targets for development. However, on occasions these pupils do not receive work in class that is closely matched to their needs and so do make as much progress as they could. Teaching in subjects other than English and mathematics is too inconsistent. Teaching does not stretch and challenge pupils sufficiently in some subjects, including history, geography and, in some classes, science.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare requires improvement. When teaching is not closely matched to pupils’ needs it does not sufficiently engage and motivate pupils to learn effectively. Some pupils do not demonstrate the resilience and perseverance in their learning or they are too dependent on adult support. Pupils’ concentration and work ethic in a minority of classes is not as established in wider curriculum subjects.
• Most parents spoken to on inspection agree that their children are well looked after. However, some parents report that considerable staff changes in the past have stalled their child’s personal development, confidence and well-being.
• Pupils said that they feel safe at school. They say that bullying is rare and that when incidents occur they are dealt with promptly. Almost all pupils are tolerant and respectful to one another. Leaders take prompt action should racist and bullying incidents occur.
• Leaders ensure that appropriate, individualised support is in place for pupils as required. Leaders use external support well to ensure that the right provision is in place. Pupils who find it challenging to concentrate in a class situation are well supported through individual learning packages. This is proving successful in developing these pupils’ self-esteem and well-being. However, these pupils do not yet get full access to teaching by qualified staff. This limits the progress that they make.
• Pupils are well supervised at lunchtimes in the dinner hall and outside. Pupils play happily together and follow adults’ instructions well. Lunchtime club is offered for those pupils who find lunchtimes challenging. There are a wide range of activities on offer for pupils to enjoy.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils requires improvement. Some disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities do not attend regularly enough. When pupils are away from school, some are not supported sufficiently when they return. Consequently, these pupils do not catch up as quickly as they could. Systems in place to challenge poor attendance are thorough and making a positive difference. Pupils’ attendance sits just below the national average overall.
• Occasions of pupils presenting challenging behaviour are reducing considerably. Leaders manage pupils’ behaviour increasingly well. Rates of pupils’ exclusion are decreasing from above national averages.
• Senior leaders have high expectations of pupils’ conduct. Most pupils conduct themselves well, in a calm and orderly manner, in lessons, around the school and at social times. They hold doors open for adults and say ‘good morning’ politely. Some pupils have a considerable distance to travel from the playground to class; they maintain good manners and calmness throughout.
• Pupils say that behaviour has improved since the introduction of the new behaviour system earlier this year. Leaders and teachers demonstrate high expectations and rigour in ensuring the application of the policy. Pupils say that they are treated fairly and teachers apply this policy consistently. Expectations are clearly understood from pupils and staff.
• Pupils present their work well. They have pride in their work and most demonstrate keenness when responding to teacher advice about how to improve their work. Pupils acknowledge that the school’s system to reflect on their work helps them move forwards in their learning. They say that they like this system because it builds up their confidence when learning is new.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• Much better teaching in most classes has raised pupils’ achievement across the school this year. Pupils are making much better progress overall than at the time of the previous inspection when outcomes were inadequate. Pupils now present their work well and show pride in their achievements.
• In 2017 pupils’ outcomes at the end of key stage 2 were poor. Pupils’ outcomes have improved steeply this year. Current performance information at the end of key stage 2 shows consistent improvement. The proportion of pupils meeting and exceeding the standards that are expected nationally has increased steeply in reading and writing, and showed steady improvement in mathematics. As such, current pupils in Year 6 are better prepared for secondary school this year. However, the better teaching they have received has not fully made amends for their prior underachievement caused by weaker teaching further down the school.
• Across the last 12 months many pupils have made strong progress in reading, writing and mathematics. However, pupils make more progress in some classes than others. This is as a result of some inconsistencies in the quality of teaching in a minority of classes and particularly in Year 1 and Year 4. Some pupils are still behind where they should be, given their ages and abilities. However, increasingly more and more pupils across the school have caught up and meet or exceed the standards expected for their age. The proportion of pupils who need to catch up, including those who are disadvantaged, has reduced considerably.
• Children’s assessments in the early years are usually accurate. While the proportion of children reaching a good level of development, the standard expected at the end of early years, has dipped slightly this year, this has come about because of more stringent assessment. School records and work in books show that children have made stronger progress in the second half of the year as teaching has improved. However, children who are eligible for the pupil premium grant have done less well than others.
• The proportion of pupils meeting the required standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check has been in line with the national average for the last two years and increased further this year. Pupils can decode words accurately. However, a minority of pupils, particularly boys, do not read with the fluency and accuracy expected for their age. A more precise focus on the teaching of writing is securing better application of phonics and spelling in key stage 1.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities make too variable progress across the school. Leaders’ current actions to ensure that these pupils get work that is matched to their needs is paying dividends. However, this work is very recent and some inconsistencies in teaching and provision for this group of pupils remains.

Early years provision Requires improvement

• The early years provision is improving. It is not yet good because children do not make consistently good progress across all areas of learning. This is because the quality of teaching is too inconsistent.
• Assessment in the early years is usually accurate. A comprehensive package of internal leadership support has enabled leadership and teaching capacity to be built in the early years. Teachers now assess what children can do, know and understand accurately in core areas of learning. This marks a considerable improvement from last year, when assessments were fragile and learning was not sustained.
• The impact of adults’ and teachers’ support is inconsistent. Some teachers use the ongoing assessments they have with precision to plan appropriate activities to build children’s skills and knowledge well. However, for some adults and teachers this is a new way of working and their observations are not yet allowing children to make the good progress that they are capable of.
• Leaders have eradicated inadequate teaching. However, this created some staff turbulence across the year. As a result children’s progress is stronger in the second part of the year. Plans are in place to overhaul how records of children’s learning and next steps are kept. This work has only just started and needs to become further established. Records of children’s learning are not as well organised as they could be.
• Children enjoy the inside activities on offer. Many children who entered the school with skills and knowledge in line or above their age sustain concentration for extended periods and use and apply their phonics teaching to write words and sentences well. However, some children who started school with skills and knowledge below their chronological age do not yet apply their phonics and letter formation skills accurately when writing. Teachers do not routinely pick this up and so children’s progress falters.
• Provision to learn outside is not yet good enough. There is a mismatch between the rich and inviting activities on offer inside the classroom and the activities outside. Children do not access outside learning as avidly as they might.

• Safeguarding and welfare requirements are met.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 140745 Torbay 10026863 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 Academy converter 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 169 Appropriate authority Board of trustees Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Angie Baldwin Amelia Harding 01803 613095 www.queensway-primary.torbay.sch.uk admin@queenswayprimary.co.uk Date of previous inspection 11–12 October 2016

Information about this school

• Our Lady of the Angels Catholic Primary School is a smaller than average primary school. It is part of the Plymouth CAST. The trust formed in April 2014. The work of the trust is overseen by a board of directors. The trust is responsible for one nursery, 32 primary schools and two secondary schools across seven local authorities in the south west region.
• Our Lady of the Angels Catholic Primary School has changed its name from Queensway Catholic Primary School. Queensway Catholic Primary School was judged to be inadequate in October 2016. Since this time the school has seen many staff changes, including leadership.
• The interim headteacher has been in post since February 2018 and has a long-term contract to lead the school.
• Internal support from the trust has been wide-ranging in the last year. There have been changes to the way the school improvement function is implemented in the trust this year. A specialist leader of education for early years has supported the school this year. Education standards officers have provided a comprehensive menu for training and support for governors.
• The school has one class for each year group.
• The proportion of pupils who are supported through the pupil premium funding is above the national average. The proportion of pupils who have SEN/and or disabilities is above the national average.
• In 2017 the school did not meet the government’s floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress at the end of Year 6.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors took into account parents’ views through informal discussions with them at the start of the day and responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View. Inspectors took account of the views of members of staff through formal and informal discussions.
• Inspectors met with pupils during lessons and in meetings to gather their views of the school and their learning. Inspectors also listened to the views of pupils during breaktimes and lunchtimes. Inspectors listened to pupils read.
• Inspectors observed pupils’ learning in lessons across the school. Many visits were carried out jointly with senior leaders.
• Meetings were held with the director of education and standards and deputy director of education and standards from CAST, the interim headteacher, deputy headteacher and middle leaders in the school. An inspector met with representatives of the local governing body.
• The inspection team worked in close partnership with leaders to review pupils’ progress and provision overtime. Inspectors scrutinised a number of school documents, including: the school’s action plans; the school’s view of its own performance; pupils’ performance information; governors’ minutes; records relating to behaviour; checks on teaching and learning; pupils’ attendance information and a range of safeguarding records.
• Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons, at lunchtimes and breaktimes and around the school.

Inspection team

Julie Carrington, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Matthew Shirley Ofsted Inspector