St Helen’s Catholic Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school. Pupils make good progress from the Nursery through to Year 6.

Pupils' achievement has improved strongly throughout the school over the last year. All groups of pupils have made good progress. The headteacher inspires all staff to aim high and work together for the good of the school.

The quality of teaching is consistently good. It is stimulating and challenging. Pupils behave well and are polite and respectful.

Those from different backgrounds and heritages get on well together. The school promotes pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development successfully. They develop strong values.

The school keeps pupil...s safe and teaches them effectively how to keep themselves safe. The Nursery and Reception classes give children a good start. They learn well through carefully planned play activities.

The school successfully promotes reading. Pupils throughout the school do better in reading now than in the past. The school is well led.

Leaders, including middle leaders, and governors know their school well. Their plans cover the right priorities. Leaders have improved ways of checking pupils' progress.

As a result, no group falls behind. It is not yet an outstanding school because : Marking does not always help pupils understand how to improve. Parents and carers do not always receive sufficient information about what their children are learning.

Consequently, they cannot always effectively support their children.

Information about this school

St Helen's is an average-sized primary school. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium, which in this school provides additional funding mainly for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, is higher than the national average.

Almost all pupils are from minority ethnic heritages, and this proportion is much higher than average. The two largest groups are Black African and White groups other than British. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is much higher than average.

The proportion of pupils who receive extra help in class (school action) is lower than average. The proportion who need more help than this (school action plus) or who have a statement of special educational needs is higher than average. The school meets the government's current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress.

The headteacher took up his appointment in September 2013. There is currently an acting deputy headteacher. A new deputy headteacher has been appointed for September 2014.

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