Our Lady Immaculate Catholic Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Short inspection of Our Lady Immaculate Catholic Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 4 December 2018, I write on behalf of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education, Children's Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in October 2014.

This school continues to be good The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Upon your arrival at this school three years ago, you recognised that the school demonstrated some less effective practice in a number of key areas. Since that time, you have strengthened staff confidence and skills through a st...rong focus upon improving learning.

Your checks on learning help identify underachievement earlier and more clearly. As well as through internal training, you have helped teachers successfully learn from stronger practice in other schools. This has helped raise staff expectations about pupils' capabilities and improved the quality of teaching.

Leaders recognise that there is still some variability in the quality of teaching, particularly in the wider curriculum. Inspection evidence confirms improvements in learning in early years and Years 1 and 2 since the previous inspection. Published assessment information indicates that overall rates of progress within key stage 2 had improved from 2017 to 2018, particularly in reading and mathematics.

Pupils, parents and carers state that leaders have made significant improvements in the learning of these important skills. The differences in rates of progress between different groups of pupils, such as boys and girls and disadvantaged pupils, are small. Other inspection evidence confirms this.

The quality of writing that pupils demonstrate in the wider curriculum is not typically as strong as their work in specific English and mathematics lessons. You and your leadership team have already started to improve this, but recognise that these improvements are at an early stage. The school is an inclusive and welcoming environment.

The development of pupils' personal and social skills and the opportunities for them to be involved in their learning contribute well to their capacity as learners and strengthen their aspirations for future success. These habits and skills of learning are increasingly evident in most lessons, where pupils are actively involved in building their learning. Safeguarding is effective.

The leadership team has ensured that safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose and that records are detailed and of high quality. Regular and up-to-date training and open communication about possible concerns have helped to establish a culture of vigilance. Staff are confident and clear about how to report concerns.

Leaders take prompt and effective action. Pupils understand how to keep themselves safe. For example, they learn about safe and effective use of the internet and computers.

The school's work with managing emotions and anxiety helps pupils learn with confidence and without excessive worry about risks. Governors also have a clear understanding of the school's duty to safeguard pupils. They check how well staff use the school's procedures, and the quality of record-keeping.

Pupils and parents indicate through discussions and surveys that they have no significant concerns about safeguarding, including bullying and other discriminatory behaviour. Inspection findings ? Our first agreed focus for this inspection was to find out how well leaders' actions have increased challenge in mathematics within key stage 2 through the development of reasoning skills and particularly for the most able pupils. In 2017 and 2018, the proportion of pupils who made strong progress in mathematics by the end of Year 6, including the most able pupils, was above average overall compared with other schools nationally.

• Teachers plan lessons collaboratively to provide greater challenge than previously for pupils. Our observations of teaching and work scrutiny show that there are growing and effective opportunities for deeper learning in mathematics. This is underpinned by regular practice of basic mathematical operations to sustain confidence with calculations.

• Not all teachers use assessment information skilfully enough to provide a consistently high level of challenge. Consequently, the progress made by the most able pupils in particular is still sometimes not high enough. ? Opportunities to apply mathematical reasoning skills in the wider curriculum are underdeveloped.

For example, teachers over-supported opportunities for pupils to construct tables independently based on data analysis requirements. ? The second focus of the inspection was to find out how well progress in writing has improved across the school. Published assessment information from 2017 and 2018 indicated that progress has been broadly average for the past two years.

• Inspection evidence, including your own checks on learning, confirms that the quality of writing across the school is typically better than that indicated by published data. In early years, there are increased examples of higher-quality writing. Teachers in all year groups model the different features of writing, and provide effective support for pupils to express their ideas and understanding.

The quantity and quality of writing have improved throughout the school. ? We saw examples of extended writing in numerous classes. More confident pupils can write at length and describe key events and characters.

Writing to meet the demands of different subjects, such as science, history and geography, is less well developed. You accept that you now need to establish more examples of higher-quality writing, particularly by the most able pupils. Next steps for the school Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that: ? teachers use assessment information more skilfully to adjust their teaching and provide more challenge in mathematics and writing for those pupils capable of moving on to harder work sooner ? pupils apply and develop their mathematical reasoning skills and writing skills in the wider curriculum as well as they do in English and mathematics lessons.

I am copying this letter to the co-chairs of the governing body, the director of education for the Archdiocese of Southwark, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children's services for Kingston upon Thames. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website. Yours sincerely Mehar Brar Ofsted Inspector Information about the inspection During this inspection, I met with you and the senior leadership team.

I spoke with three governors including your co-chairs of governors, the vice-chair and a group of nine staff. I also met with a group of pupils. I considered 120 responses to Parent View, Ofsted's online survey, 44 responses from pupils and 20 responses from staff to Ofsted's online surveys.

I visited classrooms, jointly with school leaders, to observe learning and reviewed pupils' work in books. I checked a range of documentation related to safeguarding. I evaluated further documentation, including the school's self-evaluation and improvement plans, monitoring information and the school's own assessment information.

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