St Joseph's RC Primary School in Newport has been placed in Estyn special measures after inspectors identified inconsistent teaching and too much low-level disruption in classrooms.
Inspectors said the low-level disruption "has a negative impact on pupils' progress" at the school. Combined with other issues, this has led the inspectorate to place the school into special measures.
Although just 8.1% of St Joseph's 206 pupils are eligible for free school meals, compared with a national average of 21%, too many of them do not attend school regularly, Estyn said.
Teaching inconsistencies identified
"By the time they leave school, a majority of pupils make suitable progress from their starting points. However, due to inconsistencies in the quality of teaching a minority of pupils do not make enough progress during their time at school," inspectors said after visiting the primary.
"Leaders and teachers do not have a strong understanding of how well intervention strategies support these pupils to progress," the report went on.
"Although they plan for a range of interesting learning activities, leaders and teachers do not focus sufficiently on the progressive development of pupils' literacy, numeracy and digital skills. As a result, too many pupils do not make the progress of which they are capable."
Leadership and behaviour concerns
St Joseph's leaders and governors do not hold each other accountable enough for the quality of provision or pupils' progress, inspectors added.
On the upside, they found that many pupils enjoy coming to school and generally engage with learning. "However, approaches to behaviour management are too variable across the school. This means that there is frequent low-level disruption in lessons that hinders learning. In addition, too many pupils eligible for free school meals do not attend school regularly enough."
The school's management does not evaluate teaching and learning well enough and has not identified weaknesses in teaching, assessment and curriculum progression with sufficient precision, the inspectorate, which has just published its report, found. This means that "improvement planning is not focused sharply enough on securing better outcomes for pupils."
Positive findings and recommendations
On a more positive note, inspectors said that St Joseph's has positive relationships with parents and carers and has created "a welcoming community where families feel valued."
Staff celebrate the diversity of cultures in the school community effectively, and support for pupils' smooth transition to high school is effective. Provision for pupils' spiritual development is described as "a notable strength."
"Staff provide regular opportunities for reflection and encourage pupils to appreciate the natural world while considering wider aspects of their own lives and those of others," inspectors said.
The report adds: "Leaders at St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School are committed to creating a happy school that celebrates its place in the local community and in Wales. This contributes to an important sense of belonging where many pupils feel safe and respected at school. They are developing a sound understanding of their sense of place through learning about their locality as well as being a citizen of Wales."
Putting the school in special measures, Estyn made the following recommendations. They said the school should:
- Strengthen the strategic leadership of teaching and learning through effective self-evaluation and improvement processes.
- Improve the quality and consistency of teaching and assessment to ensure that all pupils are supported and challenged effectively.
- Ensure that teachers plan systematically for the progressive development of pupils' skills, in particular writing, mathematics and digital.
- Improve attendance for pupils eligible for free school meals.
The school will now draw up an action plan to show how it is going to address the recommendations. Estyn will monitor the school's progress, usually every four to six months.
