St Catherine’s Catholic Primary School OFSTED November 2016

Primary League Tables are Released on Thursday Begin at the end….. Year 6 2015 / 2016 St Catherine’s Swindon National % of children achieving expected standard in reading, writing and Maths 60% 44% 53% Reading 70% 65% 66% Writing 58% 74% Maths 80% 69% Grammar 83% 72% Progress Reading 1.60 -0.42 Progress Writing -0.16 -3.59 Progress Maths 3.72 -0.54 Primary League Tables are Released on Thursday

Year 6 Writing Example…

Writing… … the curriculum for writing is too prescribed and the heavily guided writing that pupils produce is not reflecting what they can do independently. As such, the assessment of writing is insecure. Assessment… …Leaders do not have accurate assessment information to robustly evaluate pupils’ progress by year group and subject. Consequently, they are not fully aware of any underachievement.

“No child can fall through the net at St Catherine’s…” Personalised Learning…. “No child can fall through the net at St Catherine’s…” Personalised learning Three formal assessment points ALL children tracked from their original starting points ALL children’s learning is reviewed ANY children not meeting age related expectations are targeted for support

“No child can fall through the net at St Catherine’s…” Leaders do not have accurate assessment information to robustly evaluate pupils’ progress by year group and subject. Consequently, they are not fully aware of any underachievement. Leaders want every child to succeed. They review pupils’ work regularly to see if extra support is needed. “No child can fall through the net at St Catherine’s…”

Areas to improve… Assessment! Teaching Writing Leadership Early Years Boys Children who need to catch up Assessment Writing Open ended writing opportunities Leadership Sharper target setting Governors more demanding Early Years Assessment – more able routines Assessment!

Teaching and Learning Journey As a result of changes to the school’s assessment systems that followed the national changes in assessment since 2015, the quality of self-evaluation has dipped Assessment Journey Teaching and Learning Journey

Projects / structures already in place… Continuity – all staff remained in the same class as last year Allowed us to embed new systems Teachers to reflect on practise Confidence in knowledge of expectations Over the last two years the school has been moderated for Early Years, all areas of Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 writing All reports of moderation spoke of the good practise and accurate assessment judgements External reviews of: Pupil Premium The commitment and determination to obtain the ‘best’ for all pupils was evident throughout my visits to the school and is fully supported by the Governing Body. Governance ‘Achievement for All’ Quality Mark All school judgements validated by the School improvement Partner

Projects / structures already in place… New School Improvement Partner – OFSTED inspector Samuel Partnership “Strong partnerships with other schools enable leaders to check assessments and share good practice. “ (OFSTED) English and Maths research projects with other schools Involves all teachers Swindon Teaching School Early Years Consultant Assessment Re-structuring of the Governing Body

Next Steps… Continue on the School Improvement Journey we are on which is reflected by our School Improvement Plan. Review and update the plan. Produce an action plan as a response to OFSTED recommendations Produce a high level plan to share with parents Governors to work closely with Governors from other schools to share good practise Build on the work with other schools and leaders HMI will revisit in the next 10 weeks to review the work of the school OFSTED will return in two years

Learning Excellence Maximise standards and attainment Ensure that learning is at the centre of strategic planning and resource management Develop partnerships / collaboration Develop exemplary classroom practise Learning Excellence Maximise standards and attainment Build on the creative curriculum at all stages of the learning journey Parents full partners in the learning journey from when the children first start school An ethos of challenge and support where all pupils can achieve success and become engaged in their learning PERSONALISED LEARNING The use of new technology to support and extend learning and teaching Build leadership capacity at every level

We move confidently towards the future… Since the previous inspection, leaders have brought about improvements to the standards pupils reach at the end of key stage 2. Equally, more children are now reaching the expected standard at the end of their Reception Year than was the case in 2014. The standards pupils are reaching in grammar, punctuation and spelling tests are high and pupils across the school have good spelling skills. Behaviour has improved. Leaders have implemented the new curriculum for reading and mathematics effectively, with appropriate training for teachers so that they can assess pupils’ progress accurately. We move confidently towards the future…

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