St Joseph’s RC Primary School
Bonnybridge
Falkirk Council
26 June 2007
Contents
Page
1. Background
1
2. Key strengths
1
3. What are the views of parents, pupils and staff?
1
4. How good are learning, teaching and achievement?
2
5. How well are pupils’ learning needs met?
4
6. How good is the environment for learning?
4
7. Leading and improving the school
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Appendix 1 Indicators of quality
8
Appendix 2 Summary of questionnaire responses
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How can you contact us?
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1. Background
St Joseph’s RC Primary School and nursery class were inspected in March 2007 as part
of a national sample of primary and nursery education. The inspection covered key
aspects of the work of the school at all stages. It evaluated pupils’ achievements, the
effectiveness of the school, the environment for learning, the school’s processes for
self-evaluation and innovation, and its capacity for improvement. There was a
particular focus on attainment in English language and mathematics.
HM Inspectors examined pupils’ work and interviewed groups of pupils, including the
pupil council, and staff. Members of the inspection team also met the chairperson of
the School Board, representatives of the parent-teacher association (PTA) and a group
of parents 1 .
St Joseph’s RC Primary School is a denominational school serving the village of
Bonnybridge. At the time of the inspection the roll was 170, including 29 children in
the nursery class. The proportion of pupils who were entitled to free school meals was
below the national average. Pupils’ attendance was in line with the national average.
The nursery class was inspected at the same time and is the subject of a separate report.
2. Key strengths
HM Inspectors identified the following key strengths.
•
Attainment in English language and mathematics.
•
The positive ethos and partnership with parents and the local church.
•
High quality pastoral care.
•
The use of information and communications technology (ICT) to enhance
pupils’ learning experiences.
•
The commitment of the headteacher and staff to promoting the wider
achievements of pupils.
3. What are the views of parents, pupils and staff?
HM Inspectors analysed responses to questionnaires issued to all parents, P4 to
P7 pupils, and to all staff. Information about the responses to the questionnaires
appears in Appendix 2.
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Throughout this report, the term ‘parents’ should be taken to include foster carers, residential care staff and
carers who are relatives or friends.
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Overall, parents expressed a high level of satisfaction with almost all aspects of the
school. All parents felt that the school was well led. They thought that their children
found school work stimulating and challenging and that staff set high standards of
attainment. Parents thought staff showed concern for the care and welfare of their
children. They liked the opportunities for their children to participate in a range of
clubs. Parents were appreciative of the support that staff provided for pupils. Almost
all pupils were very satisfied with the school. They enjoyed learning and said that they
supported one another well. Most pupils thought that pupils’ behaviour was good.
Teachers also expressed a high degree of satisfaction with the school. They all rated
the school’s work highly. A few felt indiscipline could be dealt with more consistently
but that these instances were infrequent. Support staff were satisfied with most aspects
of the school.
4. How good are learning, teaching and achievement?
Pupils’ learning experiences and achievements
The school’s curriculum provided broad, balanced and varied experiences for pupils.
Teachers made effective use of additional time allocated to mathematics, reading and
writing to develop pupils’ skills. Written guidance for mathematics and English
language provided helpful support to staff. There was an appropriate emphasis on
health promotion and pupils were actively encouraged to adopt healthy lifestyles. ICT
was used effectively across the curriculum and in particular to support mathematics.
Pupils at P5 to P7 were learning French effectively. The music and physical education
(PE) curriculum was supported well by visiting specialist teachers. However, time for
PE was variable across the stages. There was now a need to focus on developing the
school’s approaches for talking and listening and ensure continuity in learning across
classes. Very good links were made with the nursery in developing contexts for play.
The overall quality of teaching was good. Most teachers used positive approaches well
to motivate pupils, particularly at P1 and P7. They ensured that pupils knew why they
were doing their class work and how to assess it. Teachers gave pupils clear feedback
and targets for improving their writing. This good practice was developing in wider
aspects of the curriculum. In the best practice teachers encouraged pupils to think for
themselves and be actively involved in their learning. All teachers provided regular
homework activities to support pupils’ learning.
Overall, the quality of pupils’ learning was good. Pupils were hard working and
motivated to learn. They had made a good start to becoming independent learners and
were increasingly aware of what they had to do to improve. In most lessons, teachers
shared effectively what they expected pupils to learn and the pace of the lessons was
sufficiently brisk. In the most effective lessons, pupils worked well in small groups.
For example, P7 pupils worked well in trios to evaluate their choice and use of
language in their writing. A few lessons were less effective and lacked sufficient pace
and challenge. Overall, pupils’ skills in collaborative work were not developed
consistently enough at the early stages.
The school had successfully focused upon improving the wider achievements of pupils.
At all stages, pupils were developing a very good awareness of their responsibilities to
themselves and to one another. They were given opportunities to make decisions
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within the pupil council and the school’s eco committee. They had brought credit to
themselves and the school by achieving Eco School Scotland Green Flag status. They
were developing skills in enterprise across the school and had attained a silver award.
All pupils took part in a wide range of activities outwith school hours including drama,
guitar and badminton. At P7, pupils developed good relationships through the buddy
system and were involved in organising lunchtime games for the younger pupils. The
school’s positive approaches to behaviour management had contributed to motivating
pupils to succeed. Junior road safety officers promoted road safety at assemblies.
Pupils had become aware of the need for healthy eating and exercise through a whole
school focus on keeping healthy. They had participated in health promoting activities
that encouraged them to eat healthily. At P5 and P6, pupils managed a healthy tuck
shop. A small number of upper school pupils had developed good skills in playing
musical instruments.
English language
The overall quality of pupils’ attainment in English language was very good.
Attainment had fluctuated slightly in recent years but remained high. Almost all pupils
had attained appropriate national levels in listening, talking, reading and writing.
Across all stages, pupils had made very good progress in their coursework. Pupils
requiring support were making appropriate progress. Almost all of them listened
attentively, responded well to teachers’ questioning and were good at following
instructions. At P7, pupils talked clearly about their feelings and expressed their
opinions about texts they had read. Most pupils read widely for enjoyment and showed
good understanding of writers’ ideas. Pupils at P1 were developing very good skills in
predicting unfamiliar words from clues in ‘big books’. By P2, the highest attaining
pupils read aloud confidently with fluency and with expression. Across all stages,
pupils wrote very well for a wide range of purposes and audiences. At P7, pupils wrote
clear science reports on investigations they had carried out on lung capacity. Overall,
their written presentation was of a high standard.
Mathematics
Overall, the quality of pupils’ attainment in mathematics was very good. Attainment in
recent years had remained consistently high and showed signs of further improvement
in the current year. Almost all pupils were achieving appropriate national levels of
attainment in key aspects of mathematics. Across the school, a notable number of
pupils were achieving these levels earlier than might normally be expected. Pupils with
additional support needs were making steady progress in their classwork. Across the
school, pupils were able to present and interpret information accurately from a variety
of graphs and charts, including spreadsheets and databases. Written and mental
calculation skills were well developed. At all stages, pupils could recognise two- and
three- dimensional shapes and describe their properties. Computers were used
effectively across the school to support learning in mathematics. Pupils could identify
some strategies for problem solving and enquiry, but required further opportunities to
apply these to real-life situations.
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5. How well are pupils’ learning needs met?
The school’s approaches to supporting pupils’ learning were good. Teachers were
knowledgeable about pupils’ needs and worked well to meet them. The school had a
systematic and well-developed approach to identifying and assisting pupils with
additional support needs. Working alongside class teachers and support for learning
assistants, the support for learning teacher provided well-judged support. Pupils with
individualised education programmes were following clear learning targets, however
these needed to be monitored and updated more regularly. The needs of some higher
achieving pupils were being well met, notably at P1 and P7. Pupils who were looked
after by the local education authority were supported appropriately and were making
good progress in their learning. Despite this level of good practice, in a few lessons
teachers did not always select sufficiently challenging activities for the highest
attaining pupils.
6. How good is the environment for learning?
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Aspect
Comment
Pastoral care
The school had very good arrangements for ensuring the
care and welfare of pupils. Staff knew pupils well and
responded sensitively to their social, emotional and
behavioural needs. They worked effectively together to
create a climate of mutual trust, respect and confidence.
Staff implemented the school’s procedures for dealing with
any incidents of bullying and racism effectively. The
school’s procedures for dealing with child protection issues
were appropriate and well understood by staff. Pupils felt
they were treated fairly and could raise issues through the
pupil council. Those at the upper stages worked effectively
as buddies to provide support to younger pupils. Supportive
arrangements were in place at points of transfer from
nursery into P1 and at P7 into secondary school. The school
was working towards achieving status as a health promoting
school.
Aspect
Comment
Quality of
accommodation
and facilities
Overall, the quality of accommodation was good. Staff and
pupils had created a warm and welcoming reception area.
Classrooms were well maintained, bright and stimulating.
Pupils and staff had developed well-constructed garden
areas that were used for learning outdoors. Pupils had
access to grassed areas for energetic outdoor play and sport.
The school had appropriate security arrangements. All
areas of the building were accessible to all users. The
nursery was an integral part of the school which encouraged
good relationships between children in the nursery and the
primary classes. The school and education authority should
address the safety measures detailed in the recent Fire
Master’s inspection report. Noise from the hall disrupted
lessons for the class using the upper gallery space.
Climate and
relationships,
expectations
and promoting
achievement
and equality
Pupils and staff identified strongly with the school and all
pupils wore school uniform. Relationships between staff
and pupils were very good. Staff used praise effectively to
motivate pupils and expected them to work hard and behave
well. Weekly assemblies provided regular opportunities for
worship and celebration of achievements. Appropriate
procedures were in place to monitor pupil attendance. The
school promoted positive attitudes to citizenship through
participation in the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund
Initiative and a link to a school in Kenya. Staff had been
trained in anti-racism and were beginning to promote this
through the curriculum.
Partnership
with parents
and the
community
The school’s partnership with parents and the local
community was very good. The school communicated
effectively with parents. Teachers produced helpful written
progress reports for parents each year. They provided
opportunities to explain ways in which parents could support
their children’s learning about sensitive issues within the
health education programme. The parish priest provided
valued support and made regular visits to the school. The
PTA regularly raised funds and actively supported social
activities and events. Pupils, staff and parents had worked
effectively together towards developing the school
environment. The school had established several useful
links with local businesses in support of enterprise projects.
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7. Leading and improving the school
Appendix 1 provides HM Inspectors’ overall evaluation of the work of the school.
Overall, the school provided pupils with very effective education. The headteacher was
very committed to the school and placed high value on wider achievements for pupils.
The quality of teaching was good and in some instances very good. Pupils had positive
attitudes towards learning and were hardworking. Attainment had remained high in
recent years. Parents were actively involved in the life of the school and its
community.
The overall quality of leadership of the headteacher was good. She communicated
effectively with staff, parents and pupils. The welcome she gave parents contributed
significantly to the positive ethos of the school. She managed the school well and
showed concern for the care and welfare of staff and pupils. The headteacher had
gained the confidence and respect of staff. She was well placed to take a focused look
at improving consistency in the quality of learning and teaching. The recently
appointed principal teacher had made a good start to leading developments in
promoting science and effectively fulfilled her remit to deliver French. Several
teachers were delegated a range of responsibilities as coordinators. However, it was
too early in the school year to assess the impact of this on learning and teaching across
the school. The school’s approaches to monitoring and self-evaluation had resulted in
the production of an appropriate development plan. These had been recently
introduced and staff recognised the need to develop a wider range of approaches. The
headteacher, together with staff needed to introduce more rigour to self-evaluation to
ensure further improvements in learning and teaching. The school was well placed to
implement such approaches and had the capacity to continue to improve.
Main points for action
The school and education authority should take action to improve achievement. In
doing so they should take account of the need to improve:
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•
approaches to self-evaluation; and
•
consistency in the quality of learning and teaching and ensure the needs of all
pupils are met.
What happens next?
The school and the education authority have been asked to prepare an action plan
indicating how they will address the main findings of the report, and to share that plan
with parents. Within two years of the publication of this report parents will be
informed about the progress made by the school.
Susan Gow
HM Inspector
26 June 2007
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Appendix 1 Indicators of quality
The sections in the table below follow the order in this report. You can find the main
comments made about each of the quality indicators in those sections. However,
aspects of some quality indicators are relevant to other sections of the report and may
also be mentioned in those other sections.
How good are learning, teaching and achievement?
Structure of the curriculum
The teaching process
Pupils’ learning experiences
Pupils’ attainment in English language
Pupils’ attainment in mathematics
How well are pupils’ learning needs met?
Meeting pupils’ needs
How good is the environment for learning?
Pastoral care
Accommodation and facilities
Climate and relationships
Expectations and promoting achievement
Equality and fairness
Partnership with parents, the School
Board, and the community
Leading and improving the school
Leadership of the headteacher
Self-evaluation
good
good
good
very good
very good
good
very good
good
very good
very good
very good
very good
good
adequate
This report uses the following word scale to make clear judgements made by
inspectors:
excellent
very good
good
adequate
weak
unsatisfactory
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outstanding, sector leading
major strengths
important strengths with some areas for improvement
strengths just outweigh weaknesses
important weaknesses
major weaknesses
Appendix 2
Summary of questionnaire responses
Important features of responses from the various groups which received questionnaires
are listed below.
What parents thought the school
did well
What parents think the school
could do better
•
•
•
•
•
•
School work was stimulating and
challenging.
The school had a good reputation
in the community.
Teachers set high standards of
attainment.
Parents’ evenings were helpful
and informative.
Teachers and pupils had mutual
respect for one another.
There were no significant issues.
What pupils thought the school did
well
What pupils think the school could
do better
•
•
•
•
•
•
Teachers praised pupils when they
did something well.
They were listened to by teachers.
Pupils were expected to work
hard.
Teachers gave pupils feedback on
how to improve their work.
The school helped pupils to keep
safe and healthy.
A significant minority felt that
pupils could improve their
behaviour.
What staff thought the school did
well
What staff think the school could
do better
•
•
•
•
•
•
Staff promoted and maintained
good relations with the local
community.
Time for training and professional
development was used effectively.
Instances of bullying were dealt
with effectively.
Pupils achievements were
celebrated.
Staff showed concern for the care
and welfare of pupils.
A few support staff felt
leadership, communication and
discipline could be improved.
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How can you contact us?
If you would like an additional copy of this report
Copies of this report have been sent to the headteacher and school staff, the Director of
Education, local councillors and appropriate Members of the Scottish Parliament.
Subject to availability, further copies may be obtained free of charge from
HM Inspectorate of Education, Endeavour House, 1st Floor, Greenmarket, Dundee
DD1 4QB or by telephoning 01382 576700. Copies are also available on our website
www.hmie.gov.uk.
HMIE Feedback and Complaints Procedure
Should you wish to comment on any aspect of primary inspections, you should write in
the first instance to Chris McIlroy, HMCI, at HM Inspectorate of Education, Denholm
House, Almondvale Business Park, Almondvale Way, Livingston EH54 6GA.
If you have a concern about this report, you should write in the first instance to our
Complaints Manager, HMIE Business Management Unit, Second Floor, Denholm
House, Almondvale Business Park, Almondvale Way, Livingston, EH54 6GA. You
can also e-mail HMIEComplaints@hmie.gsi.gov.uk. A copy of our complaints
procedure is available from this office, by telephoning 01506 600200 or from our
website at www.hmie.gov.uk.
If you are not satisfied with the action we have taken at the end of our complaints
procedure, you can raise your complaint with the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman
(SPSO). The SPSO is fully independent and has powers to investigate complaints
about Government departments and agencies. You should write to the SPSO, Freepost
EH641, Edinburgh EH3 0BR. You can also telephone 0800 377 7330
(fax 0800 377 7331) or e-mail: ask@spso.org.uk. More information about the
Ombudsman’s office can be obtained from the website: www.spso.org.uk.
Crown Copyright 2007
HM Inspectorate of Education
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