St Dominic’s RC Primary School and Nursery Class
Crieff
Perth and Kinross Council

29 April 2008

Contents

1. Background
2. Key strengths
3. What are the views of parents, pupils and staff?
4. How good are learning, teaching and achievement?
5. How well are pupils’ learning needs met?
6. How good is the environment for learning?
7. Leading and improving the school
Appendix 1 Indicators of quality
Appendix 2 Summary of questionnaire responses
Appendix 3 Good Practice
How can you contact us?

1. Background

St Dominic’s RC Primary School and Nursery Class were inspected in January 2008 as part of a national sample of primary and nursery education. The out-of-school care service was included in this inspection. The inspection covered key aspects of the work of the school at all stages. It evaluated nursery children’s and 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 the quality of the children’s experience in the nursery class, pupils’ work and interviewed groups of pupils, including the pupil council, and staff. Members of the inspection team also met the chairperson of the Parent Council, representatives of the parent-staff association (PSA) and a group of parents¹.

St Dominic’s RC Primary School is a denominational school serving the parish of St Fillan’s and the surrounding area of Crieff. At the time of the inspection the roll was 179, including 38 children in the nursery class. The proportion of pupils who were entitled to free school meals was in line with the national average. Pupils’ attendance was in line with the national average.

2. Key strengths

3. What are the views of parents, pupils and staff?

HM Inspectors analysed responses to questionnaires issued to a sample of parents, P4 to P7 pupils, and to all staff. Information about the responses to the questionnaires appears in Appendix 2.

Parents, pupils and staff were very positive about almost all aspects of the school’s work. Parents felt that their children enjoyed being at school and that staff made them feel welcome in the school. They believed that the school had a good reputation in the local community and that the school was well led. A few parents felt there was not sufficient lighting or separation of pedestrians and vehicles to keep their children safe when entering and leaving the school. All pupils enjoyed being at school. They thought that teachers explained things clearly and helped them when they had difficulty with their work. They particularly enjoyed the range of out-of-school hours activities and the opportunity to contribute to the citizenship groups. All staff enjoyed working in the school. They thought that there was effective communication amongst all staff, that pupils were enthusiastic about their learning and that the school was well led. Parents in the nursery class indicated that their children enjoyed being at nursery. They were very happy with all aspects of the work of the nursery class.

4. How good are learning, teaching and achievement?

Pupils’ learning experiences and achievements

Children in the nursery class were learning effectively from a broad range of interesting learning experiences. They responded very well to opportunities for play, made independent choices and showed high levels of motivation. At the primary stages, the overall quality of the curriculum was good. Structured and enjoyable programmes developed pupils’ skills and enjoyment in key areas of learning. For example well-designed activities in science and problem solving enabled children in the nursery class and pupils in P1 to work and learn together. A weekly creativity day developed pupils’ skills in music, drama, art and design and physical education (PE). In line with national recommendations, all pupils benefited from two hours of physical activity each week. The quality of teaching was very good. In the nursery class, staff consistently and effectively used questioning and discussion to extend children’s thinking and involve them in learning. Across the school, teachers had established a purposeful and motivating approach to active learning. They carefully planned what they wanted pupils to learn, and shared with pupils what they needed to do to achieve. Almost all teachers effectively used clear explanations, questioning, group work and an appropriate variety of homework to support pupils’ learning. The very effective visiting teacher of PE had recently introduced "homework sacks" which encouraged pupils and their families to take part in fitness activities.

Children in the nursery class were making very good progress. They were developing curiosity and investigative skills during science activities. They showed enthusiasm and personal satisfaction as they responded creatively to music and stimulating art materials. At the primary stages, the quality of pupils’ learning experiences was very good. Pupils regularly participated in stimulating activities which involved them in working with others. They were all well motivated, hard working and keen to learn. Pupils listened well to teachers’ instructions and responded very positively when given activities for pairs and groups. For example, at P5/P6, pupils worked well together to compose, create and present their music using percussion instruments. At P7, they contributed responsibly in pairs to create a Haiku poem. However, pupils did not yet have enough opportunities to develop their skills as independent learners.

The school had taken some very effective steps to promote pupils’ personal and social development. A wide range of out-of-school hours activities helped promote pupils’ wider achievements. In the nursery class, children were developing caring friendships and could share materials and resources with one another well. They were very confident and were making very good progress in their emotional, personal and social development. At all stages, a wide range of enterprise activities had developed pupils’ confidence and ability to work in teams. At P1, pupils had worked in partnership with a number of people in the local community to develop their knowledge of growing vegetables. They had successfully won the second prize in the Harris Moore Environmental Award. At P4/P5, pupils had started a new playground initiative called "Friendship Stops" and explained it to the rest of the school at assembly. At P7, an annual residential experience further developed pupils’ personal and social skills. At the primary stages, pupils were developing an appropriate awareness of what it means to be a responsible citizen. All pupils from P3 to P7 were members of the recently introduced citizenship groups. These groups met on a weekly basis and pupils had selected their own areas of interest to which they would contribute. This included being a member of the pupil council, the Eco Committee, or fund raising committee, or contributing as junior road safety officers or school library assistants. Pupils felt that staff listened to them and used their ideas to improve the school. Pupils had gained a sound knowledge of environmental issues through Eco Schools Scotland and had gained a silver award. They were very confident contributors and further developed these skills when performing in the school show.

English language

Children in the nursery class were making good progress in developing their communication and language skills. Many children recognised their own name and a few purposefully practised their emerging writing skills during play. In the primary classes, the overall quality of attainment was good. In recent years, overall attainment had remained fairly consistent. Most pupils achieved or exceeded appropriate national levels of attainment in listening, talking, reading and writing. A number of pupils had attained high standards at P2, but made less than expected progress thereafter. Across the school, almost all pupils listened well for information and enjoyment and could confidently and clearly express their ideas in class and group discussions. The school’s approach to talking and listening did not yet sufficiently build on pupils’ different levels of prior achievement. Pupils in P1 and P2 had made a good start to learning to read and write. From P4 to P7, improved approaches to teaching reading had strengthened pupils’ reading skills. Most pupils enjoyed reading and read with understanding and fluency. By P6 and P7, pupils had an appropriate understanding of how different writers achieved their effects. Across the school, pupils wrote regularly for a variety of purposes. By P6 and P7, several pupils were able to produce effective pieces of extended writing. The standard of presentation of written work was high.

Mathematics

In the nursery class, children were making very good progress in early mathematical learning. Children enjoyed playing with numbers and were able to count and recognise numbers up to ten and beyond. Several were able to sort and name simple shapes and solve problems in meaningful role play. In the primary classes, the quality of attainment in mathematics was very good. In recent years, attainment had remained consistent. Almost all pupils achieved or exceeded appropriate national levels of attainment. At all stages, pupils were confident in mental and written calculations. Pupils interpreted graphs accurately and were able to gather and present information in a variety of ways including the use of ICT. Those in P5, P6 and P7 were effectively using spreadsheets and databases. Across the school, pupils had an appropriate understanding of the properties of shape. Almost all pupils could identify problem solving strategies and apply these with confidence. Across the school, pupils enjoyed cooperating with others to use their mathematical skills.

5. How well are pupils’ learning needs met?

Approaches to meeting learning needs were good. In the nursery class, staff knew individual children very well and used this information effectively to monitor children’s progress and to plan next steps in learning. Occasionally they did not provide learning experiences with an appropriate balance between free and structured activities. In most classes at the primary stages, teachers provided appropriate tasks and activities but sometimes these were not always sufficiently challenging. Teachers made effective use of assessment in mathematics to match tasks and the pace of learning to pupils’ differing needs. However, in English language, sometimes the pace of learning did not enable pupils to achieve their full potential. The learning support teacher worked with a number of groups of pupils to support their learning. She made an effective contribution to supporting a group of pupils to make progress in mathematics. The school had rightly identified the need to review the deployment of the support for learning teacher to provide a more effective contribution by working more often alongside pupils and teachers in the classroom. Support assistants provided very helpful assistance to pupils with identified additional support needs. Appropriate coordinated support plans (CSPs) and individual educational programmes (IEPs) were in place. Regular reviews of CSPs and IEPs kept parents informed of their children’s progress.

6. How good is the environment for learning?

7. Leading and improving the school

Appendix 1 provides HM Inspectors’ overall evaluation of the work of the school.

St Dominic’s RC Primary School and Nursery Class provided a high standard of education for pupils within a caring and stimulating learning environment where pupils and staff felt valued. The quality of teaching and learners’ experiences were very good. Pupils were confident, keen, enthusiastic learners who were capable of taking more responsibility for their own learning. They had a very positive attitude to learning. Staff were clearly committed to working as a team and were developing a consistent approach to continuing to improve the quality of learning and teaching.

The headteacher provided strong leadership. She had successfully fostered teamwork amongst staff and encouraged them in leading learning. She had effectively promoted partnerships between home and school. The principal teacher carried out her remit effectively and provided good support to the headteacher and staff. For example, she had encouraged staff in the nursery class and at P1/P2 to develop innovative practice by the introduction of the play and learning project. The school management team had still to put in place a shared understanding and consistent implementation of care and welfare policies. Overall the quality of improvement through self-evaluation was good. The headteacher regularly evaluated the work of the school by monitoring teachers’ plans, observing lessons and sampling pupils’ work. Teachers reflected carefully on their own teaching and had begun to observe colleagues in order to share good practice. Sometimes staff needed to be more consistently rigorous in using information from self-evaluation to plan for improvement and change and to help pupils make progress in line with their potential. Teachers were keen to contribute further to delivering the school’s extensive priorities for improvement and deciding on a manageable pace of change. The school was well placed to continue to improve.

Nursery staff were aware of the implications of the Scottish Social Services Councils Codes of Practice.

At the last Care Commission inspection of the nursery class, there had been three recommendations and three requirements which had all been met in full.

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. HMIE will monitor progress and within two years of the publication of this report parents will be informed about the progress made by the school.

Isabel Robb
HM Inspector

29 April 2008

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.

This report uses the following word scale to make clear judgements made by inspectors:

Appendix 2 Summary of questionnaire responses

Important features of responses from the various groups which received questionnaires are listed below.

Appendix 3 Good practice

In the course of the inspection, the following aspect of effective practice was evaluated as being worthy of wider dissemination.

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 Executive Director of Education and Children’s Services, 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, T1 Saughton House, Broomhouse Drive, Edinburgh EH11 3XD or by telephoning 0131 244 8293. 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 and Communications Team, 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 2008

HM Inspectorate of Education

This report may be reproduced in whole or in part, except for commercial purposes or in connection with a prospectus or advertisement, provided that the source and date thereof are stated.

Footnotes

1. Throughout this report, the term ‘parents’ should be taken to include foster carers, residential care staff and carers who are relatives or friends.