St John’s RC Primary School
Rosyth
Fife Council

13 February 2007

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
How can you contact us?

1. Background

St John’s RC Primary School was inspected in October and November 2006 as part of a national sample of primary 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 members of the parent-teacher association (PTA), a group of parents¹ and members of the local community.

The school is situated in the town of Rosyth. St John’s RC Primary School is a denominational school serving the Roman Catholic communities of Rosyth, Inverkeithing, Dalgety Bay, Aberdour, Limekilns, Burntisland and East Dunfermline. At the time of the inspection the roll was 252 pupils. The proportion of pupils who were entitled to free school meals was below the national average. Pupils’ attendance was above the national average. There was no nursery provision in the school.2. Key strengths

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.

HM Inspectors also interviewed staff, parents and pupils during the inspection. The following is an analysis of the views expressed by staff, parents and pupils.

Almost all parents were positive about the work of the school. Parents thought that the school had a good reputation in the community. Almost all reported that their children enjoyed being at school and that staff showed concern for their care and welfare. All parents commented that teachers set high standards for pupils and that the school was well led. Pupils felt safe in the school and stated that the school was good at dealing with bullies. They were pleased that their teachers explained things clearly and told them when they did things well. Almost all staff were positive about every aspect of the school. They liked working in the school, thought that the school was well led and felt that pupils’ successes were regularly celebrated.

4. How good are learning, teaching and achievement?

Pupils’ learning experiences and achievements

Teachers provided broad, balanced and varied learning experiences for pupils. The school’s curriculum gave appropriate opportunities and emphasis for priority areas including citizenship, the environment and enterprise activities. Teachers were developing pupils’ enterprise skills well at all stages. In all classes, teachers made very effective use of environmental studies lessons to provide appropriate cross-curricular work for pupils. They paid good attention to improving pupils’ skills in information and communications technology (ICT). Pupils’ skills in personal and social development (PSD) and citizenship were enriched through participation in the Eco Schools initiative and involvement in a wide range of out-of-school hours’ activities. Creative art activities were a particular strength across the school. The overall quality of teaching was very good. In almost all classes, teachers explained things clearly and shared with pupils what they expected them to learn. Teachers used praise very well to reward pupils’ successes and achievements. They skilfully used a variety of teaching approaches including many examples of very good direct teaching. They used high quality questioning very effectively to challenge pupils to think for themselves. Interactions between teachers and pupils were very positive with pupils actively encouraged to contribute to their learning.

The overall quality of learning was very good. Pupils were very enthusiastic in their learning and eager to succeed. They behaved well and worked hard on the tasks they were given. In all classes, pupils worked very well together in small groups. For example, in P6/P7, pupils discussed creative ways of setting out invitations to the forthcoming book fair. The pace of learning was generally brisk and most pupils worked well on tasks and activities. For example, all pupils in P7 were very enthusiastic in their music when creating a sound story through song. They were able to work independently and within groups with the minimum of supervision.

Pupils participated in a number of activities, which enabled them to develop as responsible citizens. These included acting as playground friends and for P7 pupils, operating a very effective ‘buddy’ system for the P1 pupils. Pupils also took an effective role in the active and productive pupil council, which had recently organised the purchase of new seating for parts of the outdoor area. They also had opportunities to take part on committees and groups, such as the Eco Committee, who were currently looking at ways in which they could achieve their green flag award. All pupils were actively involved in a range of exciting enterprise activities at every stage in the school. These activities included organising the Christmas fair, the Christmas post, grandparents’ days, the healthy tuck shop and displays of knowledge. The latter, exhibiting a very high standard of work. Pupils had very good opportunities to achieve success in the wide variety of after school club activities. Also pupils took part in local authority organised drama and dance festivals as well as the garden festival, which involved working together with other local schools. Last year at Christmas, a group of children performed alongside the Royal Marine band and this is to be repeated again this year, such was the success of the venture.

English language

The quality of attainment in English language was good. Most pupils were achieving appropriate national levels of attainment in listening, talking, reading and writing. At the early stages, almost half of pupils were achieving national levels in reading earlier than might normally be expected. There had been a steady increase in attainment levels in reading and writing over the last five years. However, pupils’ progress in listening and talking had yet to be tracked across the school. At most stages, pupils were making good or very good progress in the development of their literacy skills. At all stages, pupils listened very well, expressed their ideas clearly and were eager to give opinions and views. They talked confidently to adults and to each other about a range of topics and within all subject areas. At the early and middle stages, most pupils read well and demonstrated a good understanding of the texts they were reading. At the upper stages, most read regularly for pleasure and confidently discussed aspects of the books they had enjoyed. At all stages, pupils wrote well for a range of purposes. They presented high quality written work across all curricular areas and demonstrated a very good knowledge about language.

Mathematics

The overall quality of pupils’ attainment in mathematics was very good and had shown a steady improvement over recent years. Almost all pupils were attaining appropriate national levels, with the youngest pupils receiving an excellent start, which enabled most to achieve national standards earlier than might be expected. Pupils, who had not yet attained appropriate national levels, were making good progress. In the upper stages, pupils displayed a sound understanding of number by the way in which they tackled fractions and division work. Pupils were developing skills in information handling. Further extension in the use of ICT in information handling would accelerate their progress in this area. Overall, across the school, pupils’ skills in mental calculation were being developed very effectively, using a wide variety of excellent resources. From the early stages, pupils were aware of strategies used in problem solving. They applied their mathematical skills well in different contexts through a wide range of enterprise activities, including the Eco Committee and the pupil council.

5. How well are pupils’ learning needs met?

The school’s approaches to supporting pupils’ learning were very good. Teachers were fully aware of pupils’ needs and ensured that tasks and activities were well matched to support their learning. All pupils were working well through individualised learning targets set within well-organised personal learning planning. Pupils knew their targets and monitored their own progress along with the class teacher. Pupils with additional support needs were making very good progress and were following appropriate targets. The learning support staff provided high quality additional support to individuals and groups of pupils. This included extended learning opportunities for more able pupils. Support assistants worked very well with teachers and pupils and provided well-judged support in classes. Partner agencies, including educational psychology and therapy staff made an effective contribution to the work of the school. The school had very good arrangements to support pupils at points of transfer from pre-school into P1 and from P7 into secondary.

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 John’s RC Primary School was a very caring and supportive environment which provided a high quality of support for its pupils. Staff were particularly effective in promoting high expectations of pupils’ learning and achievements. They worked well as a team and had developed strong relationships with pupils. Pupils were relaxed and enjoying their learning. Learning and teaching approaches were highly effective in maintaining very good levels of attainment in mathematics and improving attainment levels in English language.

The headteacher provided very good leadership and had a clear vision for the school’s future development. She was well organised, enthusiastic and played a leading role in creating a very strong learning environment within the school. She was well regarded by staff and parents. She had developed an excellent ethos across the school that promoted high expectations and strong teamwork. The acting depute headteacher ensured the smooth running of all infant classes and effectively monitored pupils’ work across the school. She was approachable, enthusiastic and very supportive of the headteacher. Her sound knowledge of additional support needs ensured pupils received high quality support. Two principal teachers made valuable contributions to the work of the school. Each brought important skills and a positive influence to their areas of responsibility. Good leadership was evident in the ways in which the school had pursued continuous improvement. A number of staff took leading roles in aspects of the school’s work including chairing working groups and developing areas of the curriculum. Pupils also showed some important leadership qualities, including their work in the student council and Eco Committee. The headteacher had developed very good systems to monitor and evaluate the work of the school, including regular analysis of pupils’ attainment information and scrutiny of their work. Classroom observations of learning and teaching provided teachers with very good advice on how to improve their practice. Along with staff, parents and pupils were active in identifying school improvement priorities. Parents and pupils were well consulted about aspects of the school and in turn parents were well informed about the school’s improvement priorities. The very strong leadership of senior management was impacting very positively in the overall work of the school. It was well placed to continue to provide high quality education to meet the needs of all pupils.

What happens next?

As a result of the high performance, the strong record of improvement and the very effective leadership of this school, HM Inspectors will make no further reports in connection with this inspection. 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 the education authority, working with the school, will provide a progress report to parents.

Jane Lopez
HM Inspector

13 February 2007

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.

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 Head 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, 1^st Floor, Endeavour House, 1 Greenmarket, Dundee DD1 4QB or by telephoning 01382 576700. Copies are also available on our website www.hmie.gov.uk.

If you wish to comment about primary inspections

Should you wish to comment on any aspect of primary inspections, you should write in the first instance to Chris McIlroy, Acting HMCI, at HM Inspectorate of Education, Denholm House, Almondvale Business Park, Almondvale Way, Livingston EH54 6GA.

Our complaints procedure

If you have a concern about this report, you should write in the first instance to Hazel Dewart, Business Management Unit, HM Inspectorate of Education, Second Floor, Denholm House, Almondvale Business Park, Almondvale Way, Livingston EH54 6GA. A copy of our complaints procedure is available from this office or by telephoning 01506 600258 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. The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman is fully independent and has powers to investigate complaints about Government departments and agencies. You should write to The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman, 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

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.