St Alban’s Catholic Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school. Standards reached by pupils in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 have remained above the national average since the last inspection. In 2014, attainment in reading at the end of Year 2, and grammar, punctuation and spelling attainment at the end of Year 6 were significantly above the national average.

The headteacher and governors are ambitious for the school. Leadership of teaching has been effective and this has improved pupils' learning. Safeguarding procedures are good and as a result, pupils feel safe.

Pupils make good progress because teaching is good. Teaching assistants are highly skilled ...and make a considerable contribution to pupils' learning. Early years provision is outstanding.

Children make exceptional progress because activities motivate and engage them. Attendance has improved and is above the national average. Parents and carers are very positive about the school and say their children are happy in school.

Pupils behave well and enjoy school. It is not yet an outstanding school because : Teaching is not outstanding because the most able pupils are not always consistently challenged and do not always make rapid progress. Teachers do not always check to see if pupils are clear about how their work can be improved and that they use the teacher's feedback to improve the quality of their learning.

Leadership of subjects and year groups is not as effective as it should be because regular, rigorous checks on teaching and learning are not always carried out.

Information about this school

This is an average-sized primary school. The majority of pupils are from White British backgrounds and about two in ten pupils come from Black African heritage.

The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic heritages has increased since the last inspection and is above that found nationally. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is greater than the national average. The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is less than the national average.

The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium has risen since the last inspection but it is still lower than the national average. The pupil premium is additional government funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals or children who are looked after. Children in Reception attend full time.

The school meets the government's current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress in English and mathematics. The school runs a breakfast and after-school club. Six new staff joined the school in September 2013.