DIOCESE OF MIDDLESBROUGH Inspection of Religious Education Collective Worship and The Catholic Life of the School School: Address: St Alphonsus R.C. Primary School Cadogan Street North Ormesby Middlesborough TS3 6PX URN: 111715 Email address: eileen_paul@middlesbough.gov.uk Headteacher: Chair: Mrs Eileen Paul Mrs Jane Wordsworth Date: 8/9 th November 01 Inspector: Mr Anthony Hay A Report from The Diocese of Middlesbrough Education Service Section 48 Inspection Team 50a The Avenue Linthorpe Middlesbrough TS5 6QT 1
INTRODUCTION This inspection was carried out under Section 48 of the Education Act 005. The report of the inspection is produced for the Bishop of Middlesbrough (Code of Canon Law 804 and 806) and for the governors of the school. The Inspection reviews, evaluates and plans further improvements in the school s witness to the Catholic faith and Curriculum Religious Education. This process begins with the school s own self-evaluation. The Inspection schedule follows criteria set by the National Board of Advisers and Inspectors. What Inspection Grades mean Grade Judgement Description Grade 1 Outstanding These features are highly effective. An outstanding Catholic school provides exceptionally well for its pupils needs. Grade Good These are very positive features of a Catholic school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well. Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory Catholic school is providing adequately for its pupils. Grade 4 Inadequate These features are not of an acceptable standard. An inadequate Catholic school needs to make significant improvement in order to meet the needs of its pupils. 009 copyright Diocese of Middlesbrough. This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL St Alphonsus R.C. Voluntary Aided Primary School is located in North Ormesby, an area of high deprivation with a considerable number of privately owned rented houses, some of which are used for refugees and asylum seekers. Although the majority of pupils are from white British backgrounds, the number of pupils of African, East European and Asian origin, who are new to the country, is increasing. The number of pupils eligible for the pupil premium is well above average; 45% of the pupils are baptised Catholics. In general, pupils enter the school with low levels of attainment and poor communication skills. The school is now a stable, supportive environment for all.
Pupil Catchment: Number of pupils on roll: 19 plus 5 part time (Nursery) Planned Admission Number of Pupils: 30 Percentage of pupils baptised RC: 45% Percentage of pupils from other Christian Denominations: 38% Percentage of pupils from other World Faiths: 7% Percentage of pupils with no religious affiliation: 10% Percentage of pupils with special needs: 4.5% Teaching Staff: Full-time Teachers: 8 Part-time Teachers: 3 Percentage of Catholic Teachers: 55% Percentage of teachers with CCRS: 5% Support Staff: Full-time Classroom Support Staff: 0 Part-time Classroom Support Staff: 9 Percentage of Catholic Classroom Support Staff: 40% Percentage of learning time given to R.E: 10% in all year groups Parishes served by the School: St Aphonsus 3
1.OVERALL EFFECTIVENESS MAIN FINDINGS St Alphonsus R.C. Primary School is a good Catholic school with some outstanding features. The leaders of the school have created a very welcoming, calm and caring environment, ensuring that Religious Education, worship and the Catholic life of the school continue to develop and to underpin the impressive ethos that is evident in all the school undertakes. The school is very effective in living out its Mission Statement and its duty to show Christ s love to the local community of all faiths and none. The entrance area of the school gives abundant witness of its Christian Mission by its displays and the prominence of the school s Godly Play area. The good standard of teaching, using an appropriate variety of approaches that meet the children s learning needs, leads to the pupils above average attainment. Pupils are lively and interested in their learning. Their behaviour is excellent in all contexts. They show genuine respect and good manners towards their peers and the adults in school who care for them. The well planned worship opportunities created, in both whole school and class group contexts, give rise to a prayerful atmosphere to which children contribute in leadership and in varied roles to produce appropriate periods of calm, reflective prayer and learning. The Catholic life of the school is strong because of its inclusive nature and the extent and quality of its outreach into both the Parish and the local community. The fairly newly reconstituted governing body both supports and challenges the work of the school well through their increasing knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of the school as a Catholic institution. Due to very good leadership qualities and through their rigorous school self evaluation, the school leaders have a very clear shared vision of what they want their school to be and an equally clear picture of the current strengths and future challenges for the school. The school has made good progress in tackling the improvement tasks outlined in the last Diocesan Inspection and has good capacity to continue to make the improvements needed in the future. 4
What the school needs to do to improve further : Maintain and raise the quality of Religious Education by developing the recently introduced Come and See Scheme, particularly through: a) The use of the Godly Play approach to Scripture b) The development of new resources and approaches that cater for the varied needs of pupils. Develop the work of the Chaplaincy Team now in place by: a) Increasing the representation and involvement of all stakeholders b) Establishing clear priorities for its work in the future. Increase the involvement of governors in challenging and supporting the Catholic dimension of the school.. PUPILS OUTCOMES How good outcomes are for pupils, taking particular account of variations between different groups. Children enter St Alphonsus Primary School with well below average attainment and an increasing number leave at the end of Key Stage with above average attainment. This improvement pattern is sustained in Religious Education as it is clearly treated as a core subject with the same rigorous strategies being used in the planning, delivery and assessment of Religious Education as are employed in the other core subjects of Maths, English and Science. Lesson observation and the sampling of children s work showed that the progress in Religious Education is good in each key stage and pupils show a high level of engagement, independence and interest in Religious Educations lessons. It is very clear that they enjoy their Religious Education lessons and want to do well. This was particularly evident in sessions of Godly Play when learning about stories from scripture was particularly effective for children of all abilities. 5
The extent to which the children contribute to the Catholic life of the school and benefit from it is good. They value and show respect for each other and their differences. This is particularly evident in discussion work in lessons and in their excellent behaviour in class, moving around the school and in the playground. They are very proud of their school and have a strong sense of belonging to the community of St Alphonsus. They have some understanding that religious belief and spiritual values are important to many people and are happy to express their own views and beliefs. Pupils contribute enthusiastically to faith activities like the Nativity Crib sets taken home during Advent and fund raising for CAFOD and other charities. This is well linked to the pupils knowledge of development and justice issues. There is a real willingness to celebrate life in praise, thanks and forgiveness. The manner in which the children participate in and respond to the varied programme of Collective Worship in the school is good. They show respect for and interest and enjoyment in what they are experiencing, both in daily prayer in classes and in school Acts of Worship. They show reverence and have good knowledge of the traditional forms of prayer and liturgy. It is clear that their experience of worship makes a real contribution to their spiritual and moral development. They are able to take on varied roles in liturgies, as shown in the Whole School Art of Worship on the nature of true charity that was viewed. They show knowledge of and respond to the needs of people beyond the school. How well do pupils achieve and enjoy their learning in Religious Education? the quality of pupils learning and their progress the quality of learning for pupils with particular learning needs and/or disabilities and their progress in Religious Education pupils attainment in Religious Education To what extent do pupils contribute to and benefit from the Catholic life of the school? 1 How well do pupils respond to and participate in the school s Collective Worship? 6
3. PROVISION How effective the provision is for Catholic education The quality of teaching was good in all the lessons seen and consistently outstanding in the quality of the relationships enjoyed between pupils and with the adults who teach them. This helps ensure good progress. This effective teaching arises from careful planning based on the teachers clear knowledge of the subject and of the capabilities of their pupils, from lively and effectively targeted delivery by the adults responsible. This is greatly helped by good questioning and by clear, shared learning objectives. Effective use is made of good quality resources now being developed to support the new Religious Education Scheme. This major work needs to be further developed. The use of ongoing assessment and tracking grids ensures lessons are well pitched and responsive to pupils needs. The school s tracking systems are now effective in monitoring pupil achievement in Religious Education. Children are keen to learn, concentrate and are given good feedback. The Religious Education curriculum provided meets the Bishop s requirements, being based on the effectively planned delivery of the new Come and See Scheme that is increasingly well adapted to the needs of the children, building carefully on the pupils knowledge and varied life experience. The teaching is stimulating, varied and effective. Religious Education, especially when delivered through Godly Play scripture based sessions, contributes considerably to the children s spiritual and moral development. The use made of Godly Play is also particularly effective in developing the children s knowledge, respect and love of scripture. Support staff are well versed in their role and very effective. Increasingly, pupils are given effective oral and written feedback on how to improve their work. The school works well with other schools in relation to joint training and the moderation of children s work. Acts of Worship held for the whole school, and in individual classrooms, fully reflect the Catholic character of the school and take very good account of the children s ages and religious diversity. They are high profile and well resourced. School Collective Worship is lively and imaginatively planned to actively involve pupils. Parents/carers are regularly involved in a variety of school liturgies, invited to prayer sessions in Advent and the school is regularly involved in the Parish Mass. The school very successfully supports the Parish Sacramental Programme. 7
The quality of the Catholic life of the school is outstanding. The Catholic nature of the school is made very explicit through its displays of pupils work, information boards and its Mission statement which is written both in full and in child-friendly language. The Mission Statement is known and appropriately understood by pupils, and is lived out daily as all are treated as the Mission Statement states; gifted, unique and loved by God, where all are nurtured, valued and safe. This is also increasingly clear in the developing Chaplaincy provision. Retreat Days for both First Holy Communion and Year 6 are a successful annual feature. The school is consistently successful in promoting the highest standards of behaviour. The children are very calm and gentle in their dealing with others due to the example given by all adults in the school, yet they are open and engaging. There is a clear and effective code of behaviour that the children described as good and fair. Interactions are very much based on praise, leading to purposeful and harmonious relationships. There are clear reward systems and extensive pastoral support for the children and their families to help them with both emotional and practical difficulties, which can be considerable. The quality of teaching and purposeful learning in Religious Education The effectiveness of assessment and academic guidance in Religious Education The extent to which the Religious Education curriculum meets pupils needs The quality of Collective Worship provided by the school The quality of provision for the Catholic life of the school 1 8
4. LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT How effective leaders and managers are in developing the Catholic life of the school The school s leadership is very committed to the Catholic mission of the school and enthuses the whole school community with that vision in practical terms. The school leaders promote, monitor, evaluate and plan for improvements with skill, clarity and purpose. The strong team spirit that has been built up in the school, especially over the last two years, is shown in the attitudes and actions of both the staff and children, and particularly in the relationships within the school and with the local community which arise from the school s commitment to the idea of Servant Leadership. The mission of the school is clearly reflected in the school s Improvement Plan which includes tasks relating to the Teaching of R.E., Worship and the Catholic life of the school. Both staff and children have a high regard for the school s chaplaincy provision, which shows great promise. The school s detailed and reliable Self Evaluation Document is based on coherent reflection concerning the results of the regular monitoring of teaching and learning in Religious Education, done by leaders observing lessons, looking at pupils work, and at the learning environment. The central importance of the Catholic nature of the school is shown by the provision of a Sacred Space in each classroom and numerous religiously themed displays both in the classrooms and in all public areas. Some displays highlighted the religious dimension inherent in other subjects, like Art and Science for example. The Governing Body is increasingly knowledgeable about its role and about the school s strengths and challenges. Governors are aware of the views of stakeholders through Pupil and Parent surveys. They have the desire and ability to play an even fuller role in the planning of developments in the future. The school leaders have developed effective partnerships with other schools and services to promote Catholic education, especially with the Trinity Catholic schools pyramid though joint training and moderation tasks. The school is also involved with other local community schools in joint sport and other activities. 9
Community cohesion is seen as very important and is promoted and developed through the clear recognition of similarities and differences both within the school and beyond and by the celebration of cultural and religious difference. This is particularly evident in the school s links to the local Hindu temple. Through well taught units of work on the four non-christian World Faiths, the children have a respect for and some knowledge of other faiths. The diversity and quality of charitable works undertaken by the school are remarkable, showing real commitment to the school s varied local community and to issues of justice. How well leaders and managers promote, monitor and evaluate the provision for the Catholic life of the school, including chaplaincy provision, and plan improvement to outcomes for pupils How well leaders and managers monitor and evaluate the provision for Religious Education and plan for improvement to outcomes for pupils The extent to which the governing body provides effective challenge and support for the Catholic dimension of the school so that weaknesses are tackled decisively and statutory and canonical responsibilities met How well leaders and managers develop partnerships with other providers, organisations and services in order to promote Catholic learning and pupil well-being How effectively leaders and managers promote and develop Community Cohesion 1 5. THE SCHOOL S CAPACITY FOR SUSTAINED IMPROVEMENT The school has been successful in fulfilling the recommendations outlined in the previous Inspection and made progress in improving writing in Religious Education, and good progress in the improvement of assessment and the development of a proactive role in the Trinity Partnership. It has clearly identified the next set of tasks that are needed to continue that improvement through good self evaluation and improvement planning. The school leaders communicate their clear vision for the Catholic dimension of the school well to all and maintain high morale among the staff by a clear vision of the tasks needed for continuing progress and strong teamwork. As a Catholic School at the heart of its community, it is clear that the school s effectiveness will be sustained under its current leadership as the school is committed to improving across all areas of its work though the furthering of Servant Leadership by which all in leadership roles are seen as at the service of others. 10