St Monica’s Primary School
Coatbridge
North Lanarkshire Council

24 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

St Monica’s Primary School was inspected in June 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 representatives of the parent teacher association (PTA), and a group of parents¹.

St Monica's Primary School is a denominational school serving the Kirkwood area of Coatbridge. At the time of the inspection the roll was 264. The proportion of pupils who were entitled to free school meals was above the national average. 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.

Interviews and surveys indicated that parents, pupils and staff were positive about almost all aspects of the school. Parents reported that their children were well cared for and enjoyed being at school. They were pleased that teachers set high standards for pupils’ attainment. A few had concerns regarding the accommodation. Pupils enjoyed being at the school. They felt that the school helped them stay healthy and safe. All staff reported that the school celebrated pupils’ successes regularly. They believed that the school was effective in communicating to parents the standards of work expected from pupils. A few support staff wanted further opportunities to be more involved in making decisions about the school. A minority of staff felt that senior managers did not communicate effectively as a team.

4. How good are learning, teaching and achievement?

Pupils’ learning experiences and achievements

The school provided a broad and well-balanced curriculum which helped develop pupils’ knowledge, understanding and skills. Extra time had been allocated to mathematics and English language to help raise attainment. The school had received national recognition for its work in aspects such as health promotion, enterprise education and the Eco Schools initiative. At P1 to P3, staff made effective use of a wide range of resources in a well-organised programme to encourage pupils to learn through play. Teachers made too little use of computers to develop pupils’ skills in information and communications technology (ICT). Overall, the quality of teaching was very good. Teachers were very well organised, planned their work effectively, gave clear explanations and made skilful use of questioning to check and reinforce pupils’ understanding. In the most effective lessons, the quality of interaction and discussion between teachers and pupils was of a very high standard. In these lessons, teachers provided well-planned opportunities for pupils to work together and learn from each other. Teachers provided pupils with a broad range of homework activities which linked well to class work.

Almost all pupils were very well behaved, hardworking and keen to learn. They reflected confidently on their own learning and that of other pupils. Teachers had developed personal learning planning with every pupil. This was used well by most teachers to encourage pupils to review their learning. Pupils responded well when co-operating with others on a range of practical activities, including writing, problem-solving and science activities. In almost all classes, the pace of learning was good. However, on a few occasions, it was not brisk enough to enable higher attaining pupils to achieve appropriate levels of attainment.

At all stages, pupils were making very good progress in developing self-esteem and confidence. They demonstrated a sense of responsibility by helping younger pupils, acting as pupil council members and serving as class monitors. They raised any concerns and ideas for improvement through the pupil council and Eco committee. These groups had recently worked together to help improve the outdoor environment of the school. Pupils showed understanding of the difficulties faced by others and were very successful in raising funds for charities. At all stages, pupils were actively engaged in enterprise activities. Pupils were knowledgeable about the need to develop a sustainable environment. They had prepared a presentation regarding the environment and this had been part of the school’s successful Eco flag submission. The pupils developed their creative and sporting skills by means of a good range of extra-curricular activities.

English language

The overall quality of attainment in English language was very good. Over the past five years, attainment in both reading and writing had improved. Most pupils attained the appropriate national level for their stage. A majority of pupils achieved these levels earlier than might normally be expected. At all stages, pupils listened well to teachers and each other. Most expressed their views clearly and confidently, particularly at the upper stages. At all stages, almost all pupils read well and for a variety of purposes. Pupils at P1 to P3 were making a very good start to reading. Many pupils at P6/P7 read for pleasure, as well as for information. Some were members of the local library. At all stages, pupils wrote for a variety of purposes. At P1, almost all pupils wrote detailed accounts of their school activities and were confident, independent writers. Pupils from P5 to P7 had a good knowledge of grammar and punctuation. They displayed a very good awareness of the writer’s craft. In the upper school, there was a wide range of writing, including imaginative stories which contained very good descriptive language. Across all stages, standards of handwriting and presentation were very good.

Mathematics

The overall quality of attainment in mathematics was very good. Standards had steadily improved over recent years. Most pupils had achieved appropriate national levels for their stage and were making very good progress in their coursework. Commendably, a majority of P1 pupils and almost all P2 pupils had attained national levels earlier than would normally be expected. Pupils interpreted an appropriate range of graphs. P6 and P7 pupils had carried out surveys regarding class preferences. They presented the information accurately in bar graphs and pie charts. At P1 to P3, pupils’ skills in number and mental agility were developing well. Pupils in the upper stages had particularly good mental calculation skills. At all stages, pupils had a good understanding of position and movement. Pupils from P6 confidently used co-ordinates involving negative numbers. Across all stages, pupils’ knowledge of the properties of two- and three-dimensional shapes was very good. At all stages, pupils had very good skills in problem-solving and enquiry. They had an appropriate awareness of a range of strategies and applied them confidently and creatively in solving mathematical problems. Pupils would benefit from being able to make greater use of ICT to develop further their learning in mathematics.

5. How well are pupils supported?

The quality of pastoral care was very good. All staff were very caring and strongly committed to ensuring pupils’ well being. Staff knew pupils and their circumstances very well and responded sensitively to their social and emotional needs. Staff worked hard to develop pupils’ self-esteem and confidence, with evident success. A project at P1 to P3 was effective in promoting good relationships between pupils and helped raise their self-confidence. Pupils showed care and concern for each other, and older pupils effectively supported those younger than themselves. Procedures and routines for ensuring the care and welfare of pupils, including child protection, were effective and well established. Pupils’ personal and social development was very well supported in important aspects of healthy and safe living, including personal safety, relationships and substance misuse. The school’s range of health promoting activities included a readily accessible supply of fresh drinking water, healthy choices for lunch and a ‘walk to school’ week. A well-established and popular breakfast club was attended by almost 60 pupils each day.

There were several examples of effective work in the school’s approaches to meeting pupils’ needs. Teaching staff worked very well with support staff to meet the learning needs of all pupils. Learning activities and teaching approaches were suitably matched to pupils’ different needs. At all stages, teachers set learning targets for pupils and involved them in creating their personal learning plans. Staff, pupils and parents were closely involved in agreeing and setting targets for improvement, and in reviewing progress. There was a very clear emphasis on ensuring the inclusion and achievement of all pupils. The learning needs of pupils with additional support needs were very well identified and supported. Appropriate individualised educational programmes (IEPs) were in place, as needed. The contributions of a number of support staff were of a high quality. Commendably, several took key roles in developing aspects of provision to support and extend pupils’ learning. For example, classroom assistants supported an identified group of pupils in the middle and upper stages to help develop their reading skills. An early intervention programme, led by a member of the support staff team, benefited younger pupils. Visiting support for learning teachers worked well with individual pupils and advised school staff. There was a need for senior staff to review the timetable for these teachers to ensure that more pupils benefited from their support.

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.

St Monica’s Primary School provided a high quality of education for its pupils. Staff had created a very caring and supportive environment for learning. Pupils were very happy at school. They were keen and motivated learners and were achieving very well in a wide range of areas. Attainment in English language and mathematics was very good. There was a need for the school to develop pupils’ skills in ICT further. Some teachers lacked confidence using ICT and some would benefit from additional training.

The headteacher provided very good leadership and managed the school effectively. She was very committed to the school and its community and had a clear vision for developing and improving provision. She gave appropriate emphasis to continuously improving learning and teaching and had provided staff with a good range of relevant training opportunities. She had successfully fostered effective teamwork amongst staff and had involved them in improving the school and in policy development. The headteacher was supported by a depute headteacher and a principal teacher. The depute headteacher had recently returned to the school following a period of absence. His remit had a limited impact upon the school and aspects of monitoring within his remit were not undertaken with sufficient rigour. The principal teacher was a highly skilled practitioner. She had successfully led initiatives developing enterprise activities across all stages and had led the schools’ approaches to improving pupils’ learning. Overall, the school’s arrangements for evaluating its work were good. A comprehensive range of approaches were used. These included reviews of teachers’ forward plans, regular scrutiny of pupils’ work and questionnaires to parents on a range of topics. The headteacher had undertaken useful class visits to monitor the quality of learning and teaching. She had met with teachers, shared feedback on her visits and promoted a consistently high quality of teaching. The headteacher made good use of an appropriate range of assessment information, including the results of National Assessments, to monitor pupils’ progress. She had used quality indicators developed nationally to evaluate the quality of the school’s provision. Her use of these indicators was mostly helpful in identifying appropriate areas for improvement, but was not always rigorous. Teachers did not consistently use self-evaluation to improve their teaching. The headteacher needed to continue to engage staff in reviewing their practice to ensure consistency and to identify and share effective practice.

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.

Peter Carpenter
HM Inspector

24 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.

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, 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.