St Alban’s Catholic Primary School, Walker

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school The headteacher has effectively developed wider school leadership that is leading to improving teaching, standards and progress.

Teachers have responded well to the new national curriculum by securing good progress for the majority of pupils. In Year 6 in 2016, pupils made progress in writing and mathematics at key stage 2 that was significantly above that seen nationally. Thorough planning and effective teaching enable pupils to make good progress at key stage 1.

The proportions of pupils reaching expected standards are in line with those seen nationally. Teachers and adults are committed to the well-being and wider personal development ...of pupils. The school has a clear community ethos.

Teachers promote positive behaviour through good learning routines, strong relationships and the provision of purposeful activities at lunchtimes and after school. Effective leadership and improving teaching have resulted in sustained improvement in the quality of teaching and children's outcomes in early years. The school works effectively in partnership with others, including the local authority, to check on the quality of teaching, learning and assessment.

Governors are committed to the school's ethos. They use performance information to check pupils' progress. Some aspects of their monitoring roles are not defined tightly.

The headteacher has used performance management to develop professional responsibilities and wider contributions to the school, although some of the measures to check on performance are not sharp enough. Despite some improvements, disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities remain more likely to be absent than their peers. The most able pupils do not make consistently strong progress as they are not consistently challenged in all subjects.

Pupils develop appropriate subject knowledge in subjects such as science, geography and history, but they do not develop their skills in these subjects in sufficient depth.

Information about this school

The school does not meet requirements on the publication of information about governors' terms of office or the impact of the physical education and sport premium on its website. This school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.

The proportion of disadvantaged pupils, known to be eligible for free school meals, is average, although this varies between key stage 1 and key stage 2, with much higher proportions in key stage 2. The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is below average. Most pupils are White British.

The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is below average, as is the proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language. The school meets the government's current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress by the end of Year 6. The school runs its own breakfast club and after-school club.