Notre Dame Primary School
Dowanhill
Glasgow City Council

3 October 2006

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 supported?
6. How good is the environment for learning?
7. Improving the school
Appendix 1 Indicators of quality
Appendix 2 Summary of questionnaire responses
How can you contact us?

1. Background

Notre Dame Primary School was inspected in May 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 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 School Board, representatives of the parent-teacher association (PTA), a group of parents¹ and the parish priest.

The inspection team also evaluated aspects of the school's progress in implementing national recommendations related to improving aspects of school meals provision.

The school is a denominational school serving Dowanhill and parts of Hillhead, Kelvinside, Kelvindale and Anniesland in Glasgow. It is part of the Notre Dame Learning Community. At the time of the inspection the roll was 339. The majority of pupils in the school lived outwith the school's catchment area. English was not the first language of around one third of pupils. The proportion of pupils who were entitled to free school meals was above the national average. Despite the range of strategies which the school used to improve attendance, pupils' attendance was below 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 were very satisfied with most aspects of the school. All thought that their children liked being at school, and that the school had a very good reputation in the community. Around a fifth felt that they would like the school to make clearer the standard of work expected of their children. Pupils were positive about the school. They enjoyed being at school and felt safe and well looked after. They thought that teachers expected them to work as hard as they could, and were good at letting them know when they were doing well. Around a quarter felt that the behaviour of some pupils was not good. All staff enjoyed working in the school and were very positive about the pupils and school community. Teachers were pleased with all aspects of the school. Support staff were very satisfied about most aspects of the school’s life and work but a quarter felt that aspects of their training did not always meet their needs.

4. How good are learning, teaching and achievement?

Pupils’ learning experiences and achievements

The overall quality of the curriculum was very good. Staff provided pupils with a broad and balanced curriculum which helped them to develop a wide range of skills. Teachers had improved many aspects of the curriculum in recent years, particularly in English language, mathematics and the expressive arts. The school had allocated additional teaching time to English language and mathematics and this had helped raise pupils’ attainment in these areas. Pupils used their skills in reading and writing effectively across other areas of the curriculum. They benefited from activities provided to promote healthy lifestyles. Pupils at all stages engaged readily in the range of opportunities to promote their skills in citizenship and enterprise. Teachers were making increasing use of information and communications technology (ICT) to enhance the quality of pupils’ learning experiences at all stages. Across the school, the quality of teaching was good. Teachers were well organised and most gave clear explanations and instructions. They used questioning well to check pupils’ knowledge and, in the most successful lessons, to interact actively with pupils to develop their understanding. The teaching of writing by the school’s writing coordinator was an example of very good practice. Homework was well planned and issued regularly. The majority of teachers shared the purpose of lessons with pupils and concluded lessons with a helpful summary of what they had learned. However, this was not consistent across classes or lessons.

The quality of pupils’ learning was good. In almost all classes, pupils were well behaved and listened attentively to their teachers. They were motivated and worked conscientiously on tasks set. They responded enthusiastically to opportunities to work together and learn from each other. At P1, for example, pupils worked very well together developing their understanding of money. Pupils were developing good creative skills through participating in a wide range of expressive arts activities. At P4, pupils had produced imaginative collages of Glasgow landmarks when working with an artist-in-residence within the learning community. In physical education, pupils at P6 cooperated well together when combining movement and ball skills to play basketball. At P7, pupils demonstrated confidence and a secure sense of pitch when singing as a chorus, in harmony, and individually in rehearsing their musical show. Across the school, pupils were enthusiastic about activities designed to promote healthy lifestyles and showed a good understanding of basic nutrition. Overall, the quality of the presentation of pupils’ work was of a high standard. However, the pace of learning during lessons varied across the school and, overall, was too slow.

The school promoted and celebrated pupils’ wider achievements very effectively. Pupils showed a good understanding of the needs of others by raising funds in imaginative ways to support a number of charities. At P7, pupils willingly supported those at P1 in reading and play activities. At all stages, pupils gained enterprise skills and knowledge of the world of work through well-organised projects and links with local businesses. The school had achieved a Platinum Award in the Glasgow Enterprise Education Scheme. A group of pupils at P6/P7 had won the Glasgow Mathematics Challenge in 2005. Pupils from P1 to P3 showed confidence through presenting a nativity play to parents and friends at Christmas. Older pupils regularly sang and performed at concerts in the school, and to senior citizens in the local community. Pupils were learning and developing new skills at after-school clubs such as dance, drama and football. Pupils serving on the pupil council were able to take decisions which improved aspects of the life of the school, for example, by making decisions on arrangements for playtimes when the weather was inclement.

English language

The overall quality of attainment in English language was good. Standards in reading had declined slightly, but had improved significantly this year. Standards in writing had steadily risen, but there was still room for further improvement. Most pupils were attaining appropriate national levels of attainment in listening, talking, reading and writing. Many were achieving these earlier than might normally be expected. Pupils with additional support needs, including those with English as an additional language, were making good progress and achieving well. Pupils listened very well to adults and, from the very early stages, showed that they had understood what they had heard. They talked well and most were confident in speaking with visitors. The school had plans to develop further pupils’ skills in listening and talking. Pupils read with fluency and could recall the different events and characters in stories they had read. Many enjoyed reading for pleasure. At P7, pupils had a very good awareness of writers’ techniques, and developed their knowledge about language through their reading and writing. Many were able to write skilfully, including developing very effectively characters and settings of stories. Standards of handwriting and presentation were high.

Mathematics

The overall quality of pupils’ attainment in mathematics was very good. Standards of attainment had improved significantly in recent years. Almost all pupils were attaining appropriate national levels. An increasing number were attaining these earlier than might normally be expected. Pupils with additional support needs in mathematics were very well supported by staff and were making very good progress in their learning. Across the school, pupils developed their skills very effectively through practical activities and discussion. They benefited from a wide range of opportunities to work together. At all stages, pupils were able to use and interpret an appropriate range of graphs. They did not yet, however, have a good understanding of how to use computers to organise and display data. Almost all pupils performed very well in mental and written calculations and were developing a very good understanding of number, money and measurement. They had a very sound knowledge of two- and three-dimensional shapes and could discuss their properties confidently. Across the stages, pupils could use a range of problem solving strategies and tackled problems enthusiastically and successfully.

5. How well are pupils supported?

Staff promoted a strong culture of care across the school, reflected in their very good relationships with pupils and the particularly effective inclusion of children with English as an additional language. All staff followed well established procedures relating to pupils’ safety and well being, including child protection. Pupils felt safe in the school and were confident in the school’s anti-bullying procedures. The school promoted a healthy lifestyle, for example through the programme for personal and social development (PSD). It encouraged pupils to participate in health and fitness activities. Pupils at all stages benefited from the fresh fruit and water provided by the school. At P6, pupils received very good training from the Active Schools Coordinator and they organised effectively playground games for other pupils. The school had well established arrangements in place to support pupils transferring from nursery to P1 and from P7 to secondary school. The school should continue to work with parents to improve pupils’ attendance and attainment.

The school had well developed approaches to identifying and assisting pupils with additional support needs. Teachers and support staff worked well together to provide effective support for individuals and groups of pupils in their class work. Teachers ensured that tasks and activities matched the learning needs of most pupils. However, these did not always provide an appropriate level of challenge for all, in particular, for higher attaining pupils. Pupils with English as an additional language benefited from the support of a specialist teacher. The visiting support for learning teacher also made a very effective contribution to pupils’ learning. She liaised well with staff and provided support in preparing for, and dealing with, the specific needs of individual pupils. The depute headteacher worked with parents to prepare and review the individualised educational programmes (IEPs). Pupils, however, were not involved in identifying their learning targets. Pupils with IEPs and Records of Needs were making very good progress towards achieving their learning targets. Pupils who were looked after by the education authority benefited from well managed support. As a result, they were making good progress in their learning.

6. How good is the environment for learning?

7. Improving the school

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

Notre Dame Primary School provided a very caring and supportive learning environment for pupils. Staff were successfully improving the standard of education in the school. Pupils were happy and confident learners and benefited from the broad and well-balanced curriculum. The high quality of support for pupils with additional support needs, including those with English as an additional language, ensured that all pupils were achieving well. Teachers now needed to increase the pace of learning and ensure that tasks and activities provided sufficient challenge for all pupils.

The leadership of the school was very good. The headteacher was committed to providing the highest quality learning experience and care for all pupils. Pupils, parents and staff held her in high regard and appreciated the improvements in climate and relationships. She had successfully led a number of initiatives to improve aspects of the curriculum and raise attainment. In taking these developments forward, she was ably supported by the depute headteacher. They worked well together to support staff and pupils. The depute headteacher effectively coordinated and delivered aspects of learning support. Her teaching was a model of good practice. The school had a clear capacity to continue to improve. The headteacher had introduced a number of approaches to reviewing the work of the school. She had involved teachers in monitoring and evaluating the school’s strengths and priorities for action and in planning for improvement. Senior managers reviewed teachers’ plans, sampled pupils’ work and tracked their attainment. The headteacher observed aspects of learning and teaching and provided helpful feedback to staff. Teachers now needed to be more closely involved in evaluating the effectiveness of their work and in improving further the pupils’ learning experiences.

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.

Eleanor Harkness
HM Inspector

3 October 2006

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. Where any one group had five or less respondees then, in order to maintain confidentiality, the analysis is not provided.

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 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, Europa Building, 450 Argyle Street, Glasgow G2 8LG or by telephoning 0141 242 0100. 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, 4-6 Melville Street, Edinburgh EH3 7NS. You can also telephone 0870 011 5378 or e-mail enquiries@scottishombudsman.org.uk. More information about the Ombudsman’s office can be obtained from the website: www.scottishombudsman.org.uk .

Crown Copyright 2006

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.

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