St John Bosco Primary School
Erskine
Renfrewshire Council

16 January 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 Bosco Primary School was inspected in October 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 the chairperson of the School Board, representatives of the parent teacher association (PTA) and a group of parents¹.

St John Bosco Primary School is a denominational school serving west Erskine and the village of Bishopton. At the time of the inspection the roll was 145. The proportion of pupils who were entitled to free school meals was well below the national average. Pupils' attendance was above 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. Almost all parents thought that there was mutual respect between teachers and pupils and that staff showed concern for pupils’ care and welfare. All parents who responded to the questionnaire thought that the school had a good reputation in the local community and almost all thought the school was well led. Pupils enjoyed school and thought that teachers expected them to work hard. They were very positive and proud of their achievements, particularly their work in developing the school grounds through the Eco Schools initiative. Pupils felt that teachers expected them to work hard and helped them to keep safe and healthy. Almost all thought that they got on well with other pupils. Staff were very positive about almost all aspects of the school. All staff enjoyed working in the school and thought the school was well led. They thought that staff showed care and concern for pupils and that pupils were enthusiastic about learning.

4. How good are learning, teaching and achievement?

Pupils’ learning experiences and achievements

The overall quality of the curriculum was very good. The school provided pupils with broad and balanced learning experiences which ensured a very effective focus on the development of pupils’ personal and social skills. Staff were developing the use of play at P1 and P2 to enhance pupils’ learning. They ensured that the development of skills of citizenship, enterprise and creativity were embedded in a very good range of stimulating and motivating learning experiences for pupils. The school had increased the time for energetic physical activity for pupils. They made very good use of information and communications technology (ICT) to enhance pupils’ learning experiences. Overall, the quality of teaching was good with some very good examples of interactive teaching particularly at P6 and P7. Teachers were well organised and planned their work effectively. Most gave clear explanations and made good use of praise to build pupils’ self-confidence and reward their achievements. They shared with pupils what they expected them to learn from their lessons. Most teachers were skilled in using questions to check pupils’ understanding. However, a few did not make consistent use of questions to extend pupils’ responses. Homework was varied and set regularly.

The quality of pupils’ learning was good with some very good features. Almost all pupils were well motivated, hardworking and well behaved. Most were able to organise their own learning and work independently with the minimum of supervision. Pupils responded well to working collaboratively in pairs and in small groups to support one another in a range of learning activities. At P5 to P7, for example, pupils worked well in pairs to look closely at texts and to evaluate their own writing. In most lessons, the pace of learning was brisk. In a few classes, pupils would benefit from more challenging tasks. At most stages, pupils were able to reflect on their own learning, and to take some responsibility for aspects of it.

Pupils were very caring and highly supportive of each other. They displayed a high level of confidence and self-esteem. Older pupils looked after younger ones and acted as buddies and peer mediators in the playground. The school took very good steps to help pupils develop their wider achievements. All pupils were actively involved in the life of the school and contributed very effectively to the decision making process. Members of the school council and eco-council had influenced aspects of school life through, for example, planning improvements to an outdoor classroom and rainbow garden. They had taken the important decision of installing a wind turbine and spoke knowledgeably about the amount of energy it created. Pupils involved in the school nutrition action group had discussed the need for more healthy snacks and physical activity in school. Across the school, pupils participated successfully in a wide range of musical and sporting activities. They had a very good understanding of the needs of others and took part in a range of charitable events which raised significant sums of money. The school community came together weekly to recognise the wider achievements of all pupils.

English language

The overall quality of pupils’ attainment in English language was very good. Across the school, almost all pupils were achieving appropriate national levels of attainment in listening, talking, reading and writing. Most pupils achieved these levels earlier than might normally be expected. Standards of attainment had remained high in recent years. Pupils used their language skills effectively across all areas of the curriculum. They listened very well to staff and one another, and showed very good understanding of what they had heard. Overall, pupils were very articulate and expressed themselves very well in talking. Pupils enjoyed reading and read a wide variety of texts for pleasure. They were confident in describing books that they had read and had a good knowledge of different authors and styles of writing. They used reference books and the Internet effectively for research, for example to support work in their personal topics. Pupils wrote very well for a wide variety of purposes. This included preparing leaflets about anti-bullying and writing reports on school visits and science topics. Standards of handwriting and presentation were very good.

Mathematics

The overall quality of attainment in mathematics was very good. Almost all pupils were achieving appropriate national levels of attainment in mathematics. Almost all pupils were achieving these levels earlier than might normally be expected. Pupils were making good progress with their coursework but a few were capable of achieving even better standards. Pupils could read and interpret information from a range of graphs. They made effective use of ICT to support and enhance their learning in mathematics. Almost all pupils could perform mental and written calculations accurately. At all stages, pupils were developing very good skills in measurement. They could recognise two- and three-dimensional shapes and identify their properties. Pupils had a very good understanding of angles and coordinates. At all stages pupils were developing appropriate skills in problem solving. They were gaining confidence in explaining the strategies they had used to solve mathematical problems.

5. How well are pupils’ learning needs met?

Overall, pupils learning needs were well met. In almost all classes, tasks and activities were appropriate and teachers provided appropriate support and challenge. However, in a few classes, tasks were not always well matched to the range of needs of pupils. Working closely with parents, teachers, external agencies and specialist staff, the senior management team coordinated support for a range of pupils at different stages of the school very effectively. Pupils with additional support needs were very well supported. They were working towards clear learning targets set out in individualised educational programmes. Staff discussed pupils’ progress regularly with parents and were beginning to involve parents and pupils more in setting learning targets. They were developing strategies to challenge higher achieving pupils, for example, through critical skills tasks. These approaches were having a positive impact on pupils’ learning. Pupils, particularly at the upper stages, had a very good understanding of what they needed to do to improve. Support staff supported pupils’ learning well.

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.

The school provided high quality education for its pupils within a very caring and supportive environment. The ethos of the school had some excellent features and partnerships with parents and the local community were outstanding. Overall, pupils were attaining high standards, and making very good progress in their personal and social development. The school encouraged wider achievement which ensured pupils were keen and motivated learners and were achieving very well in a broad range of areas. There was scope for further improvement in developing consistent approaches to learning and teaching.

The headteacher provided very good leadership. She was highly respected by pupils, staff, parents and the wider community. She demonstrated a clear vision for the school and delegated responsibilities appropriately to a range of staff to encourage their involvement in and ownership of school developments. She was very well supported by the depute headteacher and principal teacher who carried out their responsibilities diligently and very effectively. They regularly supported pupils in class and their teaching was a model of good practice. The headteacher involved staff fully in reviewing and evaluating the work of the school. Staff had regular opportunities to take part in working groups which had brought about improvement. Most recently, staff had been involved in developing approaches to education for citizenship and sustainable development. The school had well developed approaches to ensure further improvement. The management team monitored and evaluated learning and teaching using a range of procedures. They provided feedback on teachers’ plans, sampled pupils’ work and made regular classroom visits. They planned to improve their approaches further in line with new guidance provided by the education authority.

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 parents will be informed about the progress made by the school.

Lesley Brown
HM Inspector

16 January 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 Director of Education and Leisure, 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 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.

Footnote

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