Good Shepherd Catholic School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Ensure all groups of pupils make consistently strong progress across a wide range of subjects, including English and mathematics by:
  • making sure teachers challenge the most able pupils appropriately
  • making effective use of the pupil premium, so that the progress of disadvantaged pupils improves towards that of other pupils nationally
  • eradicating weak teaching as quickly as possible.
• Ensure all teachers provide work that challenges the most able pupils by:
  • expecting these pupils to produce work that shows their greater depth of understanding
  • spotting evidence in pupils’ work that shows what they can already do
  • using this information to plan activities that move pupils’ understanding on quickly enough so that they make strong progress.
• Ensure that the work of leaders and managers leads to a consistently strong quality of teaching by:
  • enabling staff who have oversight of a subject or phase to keep a close check on the quality of teaching and on pupils’ progress
  • checking that actions taken to improve the quality of teaching are making the desired difference to pupils’ learning.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

• Since it became an academy, the school has experienced a great deal of upheaval and turbulence. Many teachers have left. Leaders have had difficulty in recruiting suitable replacements. As a result, staffing was, until recently, unstable and the quality of education declined. Pupils in some year groups have had frequent changes of teacher.
• Leaders have halted the rapid turnover of staff and stemmed the decline in teaching quality. Nevertheless, weaknesses remain. The quality of teaching is not strong enough at this point to ensure that all pupils make the good progress that they should.
• Leaders and governors are aware that teaching remains weak in some classes and are working to overcome this. However, the impact of this work is limited. Teaching is improving, but not as quickly as it should. As a result, some pupils’ achievement is held back.
• Leaders have not used pupil premium funding effectively to raise the achievement of disadvantaged pupils. Disadvantaged pupils have made slower progress than other pupils nationally in recent years. Leaders commissioned a review of their use of the funding to identify how they might use the money better. This has happened very recently. Leaders are changing their strategy as a result. However, it is too soon for these changes to have made much difference.
• Phase and subject leaders, along with the co-ordinator for special educational needs (SEN), provide high quality advice and guidance to their colleagues. This is why some teaching has improved notably. They are well supported in this by advisory staff deployed by the multi-academy company (MAC). However, these senior and middle leaders hold multiple areas of responsibility. They are also class teachers. This means that they do not have sufficient time to address the weaknesses in all teachers’ practice. Consequently, weaknesses remain.
• Leaders monitor pupils’ progress more closely now than in the past. As a result, they have a sharper view of which pupils need to make better progress. This is leading to more-effectively targeted action. However, some groups have not benefited from leaders’ use of data. For example, the most able pupils still do not make good enough progress.
• The curriculum covers all the skills set out in the national curriculum. Leaders have combined some elements to form themes and topics. This helps pupils make meaningful links between subjects. Some subjects, such as science, are taught separately. This ensures pupils are taught relevant skills.
• Some pupils apply their skills confidently across subjects, for example by writing in history or religious education. However, most pupils’ work in history, geography, science and other subjects is not of the same high quality as in English and mathematics. In this way, the links in the curriculum are not promoting the high achievement anticipated by leaders.
• Leaders have used the primary school sports funding well. As a result, the quality of teaching of physical education has improved. Pupils have the chance to take part in a wide range of sporting activities outside school and at lunchtimes. As a result, they are physically active for a notable part of the day.
• Strong Catholic values underpin the school’s work. Pupils are deeply thoughtful and reflective. They show a considerable degree of empathy and concern for those less fortunate than themselves. They can explain articulately why it is important to learn about religions other than Catholicism. Pupils are socially and emotionally well prepared for adult life in British society.
• The leadership of SEN is strong. The co-ordinator knows well the needs of each pupil who has SEN and/or disabilities. She uses the funding received for these pupils effectively to provide appropriate additional support.
• Support received from the MAC is becoming more effective. In its early days as an academy, the school needed substantial help to urgently improve the quality of education. At that time, the MAC did not have in place the systems and staff needed to provide that support. As it has become more established, the MAC has built better capacity to provide school improvement advice. As a result, leadership has improved. Senior leaders now have the skills to identify and address weaknesses in teaching. They are making a difference to pupils’ outcomes. Nevertheless, the impact of leaders’ work is capped by the limited time available for some to carry out the multiple roles they have. Leaders of the MAC are striving to address this issue and to provide greater capacity to the school. However, difficulties in recruiting suitable staff have prevented them being as proactive as they wish. Improvement has stalled as a result.

Governance of the school

• Local governance is provided by a local academy committee that reports to the MAC’s board of directors. Governance has improved notably since the school became an academy. New members appointed to the local academy committee (LAC) are highly skilled. They challenge senior leaders rigorously about the quality of education and take decisive action to tackle weaknesses. For example, dissatisfied with leaders’ strategy for using the pupil premium, the committee commissioned an external review of use of the funding.
• The LAC is held to account well by the directors of the MAC. This happens through:
  • a link director who oversees the work of the LAC and reports directly to the board
  • the school improvement board that meets termly with the principal and the LAC to challenge them about the rate of improvement.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Staff are well trained to spot signs of possible neglect or abuse. Issues are followed up appropriately so that pupils are protected. Some historical weaknesses in paperwork are being rectified. Pupils are not at risk, but leaders are keen to strengthen systems further.
• Designated senior staff work in close partnership with families and appropriate outside agencies to make sure that families are supported and receive the help they need to keep their children safe.
• Leaders are vigilant about safeguarding concerns within the local community. For example, in the past year, leaders have sought support from the Prevent team in the local police force because they were aware of an active extremist group in the local area and felt that pupils were in danger of becoming radicalised.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• The quality of teaching requires improvement because it is inconsistent. In some classes, it is strong and pupils make good progress. However, that is not universally the case. As a result, some pupils do not make the progress they should.
• Teaching is now improving because of the increasingly effective support provided by leaders. Teachers now understand what they have to do to ensure that pupils produce the quality of work they should for their ages. This is why standards are rising. However, teachers are less skilled at challenging the most able pupils to work beyond the minimum expected standards. Consequently, much of the work set for these pupils is too easy. As a result, these pupils do not make progress as quickly as they could.
• Teachers assess the work in pupils’ books and give helpful pointers to show pupils how they can improve. Teachers are quick to spot errors and help pupils to overcome the misunderstanding which led to the mistake. Teachers are much less skilled at noticing when an able pupil has readily grasped an idea and needs to be challenged further. This also contributes to underachievement.
• In the past, pupils did not achieve well in mathematics because teachers lacked confidence in teaching the subject. Substantial training has taken place. This is making a difference. The quality of teaching of mathematics has improved notably. Pupils are now able to apply number knowledge much more confidently to mathematical problems and challenges. However, teachers follow the guidance given too rigorously. They persist in setting work that is too easy for the most able pupils because they are following the plans set out in the textbooks. They do not adapt the tasks to make them challenging enough.
• Teachers across the school take great care to ensure that pupils write accurately and neatly. As a result, pupils’ spelling, punctuation and grammar are increasingly correct. This is why the proportion of pupils whose writing is appropriate for their age is increasing. However, teachers do not spot where pupils are ready to learn skills that are above those typical for pupils of their age. Consequently, some of the more able pupils do not write as well as they could.
• In most classes, teaching assistants make a big difference to pupils’ learning. Some are very skilled at noticing when a pupil is starting to struggle. They step in quickly to help the pupil keep on working. In a few classes, teachers do not provide enough guidance to teaching assistants about what they need to do. Where this happens, teaching assistants’ time is not used as effectively.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities make good progress in some classes, but not in all. This is because the quality of teaching is much stronger in some classes than in others. Stronger teachers understand how to support these pupils. They set work at the right level. Less-skilled teachers do not know how to set appropriate work for SEN pupils. Their pupils make slower progress as a result.
• Teachers of younger pupils teach phonics well. As a result, pupils learn to read and spell words confidently. Teachers make sure pupils learn to form their letters correctly. However, sometimes teachers ask pupils to write in ways that are uncomfortable or do not help them present their work well. For example, a group of young pupils were lying on the floor to practise their letters. This was clearly not easy to do as they struggled to form their letters neatly.
• Teachers and teaching assistants use questions effectively to unpick pupils’ understanding. Some impressive examples were seen during the inspection. For example, a teaching assistant was discussing mathematics work with a pupil who had been struggling. The teaching assistant skilfully asked the pupil how she had tackled the problem. Little by little, the questions helped the pupil see where she had gone wrong. Very quickly after that, the error was corrected and the pupil carried on working much more confidently.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Strong Catholic values underpin the school’s work. As a result, care, respect, tolerance, empathy and charity are key characteristics of the ethos. Pupils are sensitive to one another’s needs and genuinely understand that some people are less fortunate than they are. They are very proud of the considerable sums they have raised for charity and understand how this will benefit the recipients.
• Pupils are deeply respectful of each individual’s right to be unique. They enjoy exploring differences between themselves and others. They are curious about other ways of life, cultures and beliefs. One pupil summed up this characteristic completely when he said to an inspector, ‘We need to learn about other religions, because there are people in this school who are not Catholic. If we don’t learn about their religion, we won’t understand them.’
• The school’s supportive, caring environment promotes pupils’ confidence and self-esteem. As a result, they enjoy learning. They willingly accept advice and make improvements to their work. This has a positive impact on the progress they make.
• Pupils feel well supported in school. They learn how to keep themselves safe and know what to do if they are worried. Pupils know about the risks of online activity and can describe strategies to protect themselves. Pupils do not feel that they are likely to experience bullying in the school, but are confident they could turn to any adult for help if it happened.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• The school is a calm, orderly community. This is because pupils move around sensibly and quietly. They follow instructions quickly and without fuss.
• In lessons, pupils settle quickly to their work and need few reminders to get on. As a result, lessons proceed smoothly and pupils work productively. On the rare occasions when a pupil behaves inappropriately, teachers swiftly manage the situation so there is minimal disruption to others’ learning.
• At breaktimes, pupils play happily together. The activities on offer at lunchtime keep pupils occupied. Older pupils act as play leaders, helping younger pupils get the best out of their time in the playground.
• Pupils’ enjoyment of school is reflected in their attendance. Few are absent often. Overall, pupils’ attendance has risen in recent years and is now at least in line with the national figure. There are minimal differences in the attendance of different groups of pupils. All attend equally well.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• Outcomes require improvement because pupils do not make consistently good progress in all classes. Some groups of pupils make considerably less progress than others. As a result, many pupils do not attain as highly as they could. This is particularly so for the most able pupils.
• In recent years, disadvantaged pupils have underachieved considerably. They are beginning to catch up. However, the picture is mixed in different classes and subjects. Some disadvantaged pupils are making strong progress. Their attainment is now closer to that of other pupils nationally. Nevertheless, some are not catching up. Some are making slow progress currently. This means they are falling even further behind.
• Attainment is rising overall because pupils are making stronger progress than they have in recent years. More pupils are now working at appropriate standards for their ages. However, this is not so for all pupils. This is because the quality of teaching varies between classes. Where teaching is strongest, most pupils are working in line with the expectations for their age. Where teaching is weakest, the quality of pupils’ work is declining. For example, a few pupils’ books show that they are not currently writing to the same standard as they were at the beginning of the academic year.
• Most pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities make strong progress as a result of the effective additional support they receive outside lessons. For some pupils, this is replicated in lessons. This is not the case for all, as the quality of teaching varies between classes.
• Lower-attaining pupils are catching up on lost ground in most classes because they now make quicker progress. This is because teachers and teaching assistants provide high-quality support in lessons, which is supplemented by effective additional sessions.

Early years provision Requires improvement

• The early years provision requires improvement because the good teaching that exists within it is not replicated consistently. This leads to uneven progress for children across their time in the Nursery and Reception classes.
• Children start school with skills that are broadly typical for three and four-year olds. The uneven quality of teaching means that they make steady gains in their learning by the end of the Reception Year, rather than the swift progress they could make if teaching was consistently effective. Consequently, although most children reach a good level of development by the time they start Year 1, not many exceed the expected goals for the end of the Reception Year.
• Leadership of the early years requires improvement because, until recently, it was carried out by a senior leader who had many other responsibilities. This gave too little time for leadership to drive up the quality of teaching. Leaders of the MAC have recognised this and appointed a leader who will be responsible for early years only. This leader is not yet in post.
• Some teaching in the early years really excites children. In these activities, children apply a great deal of effort and show tremendous pride in their achievements. A lovely example of this was seen in the Reception class. When children found out they were about to read a new ‘tricky’ word their excitement almost bubbled over. Not all teaching is this captivating. Some is more mundane and does not capture children’s imagination to such an extent.
• Children’s progress is recorded in books called ‘learning journeys’. These show that children make impressive progress in writing. Children’s progress is not as strong in mathematics. This is because teachers have focused very closely on improving children’s English skills and less so on developing their knowledge of number.
• Children settle well into school life in the early years classes. They learn to follow routines, sit quietly, listen to their teacher and follow instructions. They behave well and get on with one another. They learn to play sensibly together, to share, take turns and show respect for one another’s feelings.
• All adults in the early years promote children’s communication skills effectively. They are careful to model correct spoken English at all times. Adults patiently help children to respond in the same way. They support children to speak in full sentences and use correct grammar. This lays the foundations for the strong progress children make in their writing.
• Parents and carers speak highly of their children’s experiences in the early years. They feel that their children are happy and are taught well. They appreciate the frequent opportunities they have to discuss their children’s progress and to learn how they can support their children’s learning at home.
• Staff in the early years ensure that they take all possible steps to keep children safe. All the statutory requirements of the early years foundation stage are met.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 142197 Coventry 10043998 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Primary Academy converter 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 208 Appropriate authority Board of directors of the Romero Multi Academy Company. Chair of the board of directors Chair of the local academy committee Principal Telephone number Website Email address Dean Kavanagh Sarah Boyle Yvonne Clarke 02476 689 392 www.shepherd.coventry.sch.uk headteacher@shepherd.coventry.sch.uk Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

Information about this school

• The school opened as an academy on 1 August 2015 as part of the Romero Multi Academy Company. The company is made up of seven primary schools: Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School, Good Shepherd Catholic Primary School, Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, St Peter and Paul Catholic Primary School, St Gregory’s Catholic Primary School, St John Fisher Catholic Primary School and St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School; and one secondary school, which is Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School.
• The MAC is governed by a board of directors. A local academy committee oversees the work of Good Shepherd School. This committee reports directly to the board of directors.
• Support is provided to the school directly by the MAC. Sacred Heart is a teaching school. It provides support for school improvement and is the registered centre for initial teacher training through the School Direct programme. Trainee teachers from this programme are placed at Good Shepherd School.
• There is currently no substantive leader of the early years. A new leader has been appointed. She has visited the school several times and is becoming familiar with the setting. She is due to take up the post full time after the Easter holidays.
• The school does not meet the current government floor standards, which are minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.
• The school meets the Department for Education’s definition of a coasting school based on key stage 2 academic performance results in 2015 to 2017.
• When Good Shepherd’s predecessor school was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good overall.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed pupils’ learning by visiting lessons in all classes and looking at the work in their books.
• Inspectors met with: the principal and senior leaders; the executive principal; other school staff; the link director; members of the academy committee; a group of teachers and support staff; and two groups of pupils. Inspectors spoke informally with other staff and pupils as they moved around the school.
• Inspectors took account of the 11 responses to the online survey Parent View and spoke to parents as they brought their children to school.
• Inspectors heard pupils read and observed an assembly.
• Inspectors scrutinised a range of documents including: leaders’ checks on how well the school is doing and their plans for improvement; minutes of meetings; information about pupils’ progress and attainment; and records relating to pupils’ attendance, behaviour and safeguarding.

Inspection team

Sandy Hayes, lead inspector Jo Evans Rachel Davis Her Majesty’s Inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector