Holy Trinity & St Silas Church of England Primary School

Transcription

1 Holy Trinity & St Silas Church of England Primary School Statutory Inspection of Anglican Schools Inspection Report School address Hartland Road London NW1 8DE Acting Headteacher Miss Kirsty McCreadie Type of School Primary Status Voluntary Aided Unique Reference Number Diocese London Local Authority London Borough of Camden Date of last inspection March 2007 Inspection date 24 th April 2013 National Society Inspector Miss Gladys Vendy (NS 299) The Education Act 2005 (Section 48) requires the governing body or foundation governors of Church of England Schools to appoint a person to undertake the inspection of denominational education and collective worship in schools with a religious character.

2 Context Holy Trinity and St Silas CE School is a small one form entry primary school. It is situated in an area of high social and economic deprivation. A significant proportion of pupils are from a range of non-white British backgrounds. The number of pupils speaking English as an additional language, eligible for free school meals or with special educational needs or learning disabilities is above the national average. The school s much loved Head Teacher died suddenly in December The Deputy Head Teacher is on maternity leave. A considerable number of children are from practising Christian families. The distinctiveness and effectiveness of Holy Trinity and St Silas CE School as a Church of England school are outstanding. The vibrant and stimulating learning environment impacts strongly on the social, cultural and spiritual development of the children. Established strengths The role of the church, supported by the regular and active presence in the school of the parish priest, is firmly embedded into the life of the school. The high expectations of the school governors who clearly support the staff leadership and management team has placed children at the centre of school life ensuring that the challenges of this academic year have been met through the shared Christian vision. Prayer and worship is a flourishing and integral part of school life which impacts upon the whole school community contributing strongly to spiritual and moral development. Focus for development Develop the assessment strategies so that level descriptors for the two attainment targets are used in all classes. Establish a regular programme of visits and visitors to support the teaching of other faiths. The school through its distinctive Christian character is outstanding at meeting the needs of all learners The vision of the school the pursuit of excellence is clearly explained through the mission statement, the church statement and the aims of the school. Christian values which are lived out every day by the whole community are woven through all policies and practices. Children make excellent progress after entering school with skill levels below the national expectations. At the end of Key Stage 2 children s achievement is in the top 20% nationally. Attendance is well above average because school is such an exciting place and we do not want to miss a moment. Rigorous tracking procedures, review meetings and intervention strategies enable the needs of all groups of learners to be met. Members of staff include a learning mentor and a family support worker meaning that care and pastoral support including transition to secondary schools is carefully managed. The golden rules based on Christian values are shared with parents. Children understand the importance of forgiveness, reconciliation and endeavour. Behaviour is excellent. The courtesy and respect shown by members of staff is replicated by the children. Parents speak warmly of the inclusive nature of the school where everyone is valued and listened to. The school has recently been awarded the Inclusion Mark. Community cohesion is effectively promoted through a network of connections with the church. The school choir sometimes accompany the parish priest to a day centre for people suffering from Alzheimer s. Children say they enjoy this chance to understand that there are people who are different from us. The school s commitment to the creative arts through music, art and drama provides a richly rewarding curriculum where everyone can achieve. This is also reflected by the vibrant and stimulating environment, from the jungle in the school playground beneath the railway arch to very high quality displays of RE and other subjects inside the school. Cross curricular links with RE make a major contribution to the Christian character of the school. A wide range of extra-curricular activities provide opportunities for spiritual, social and cultural development and are led by members of staff and the parish priest.

3 The work of the school council enables children to make a positive contribution to school life through their decision making. Children choose which charities to support and initiate fundraising. Children have developed a good understanding of global issues through strong links with an overseas school that resulted in exchange visits of staff. Because of circumstantial changes the school is now developing new links with a school in Africa. The impact of collective worship on the school community is outstanding Prayer and worship is a flourishing and integral part of school life which impacts upon the whole community and makes a strong contribution to spiritual and moral development. Worship is distinctively Christian. It is planned thoroughly by the worship co-ordinator and the parish priest. The very close and mutual links with the church are facilitated through the active role of the parish priest, who is also the Chair of Governors. The collective worship policy helpfully includes a clear structure for worship and a scheme of work. Themes are planned in line with the Christian calendar. The weekly theme is developed by the Key Stage leaders. Church festivals are celebrated in church with a Mass and children enjoy taking an active part in the liturgy through drama, readings and prayer. Masses are also held for the Key Stage groups. Each junior class regularly has its own Mass. Through these celebrations children develop a good understanding of the cycle of salvation. In the Mass attended with the youngest junior class the feast of St Mark was celebrated. The children came into church silently. Before the service began pupils were reminded about the pattern of the consecration and practised the responses. Excellent use of visual aids helped children understand about the life of St Mark. During the service the children responded very well, listened attentively and helped to prepare the altar. All the children received a blessing during the distribution of communion. Afterwards children returned to their class room where a candle was lit and they calmly reflected on what they had learned about St Mark. This was a moving occasion as they expressed their faith and their feelings. Children have the opportunity to prepare for baptism and confirmation and children take a pride in those who are being confirmed. The junior and infant praise and worship sessions observed followed similar patterns. The adults including meal time supervisors who arrived for their duties joined in with the tuneful singing which the children clearly enjoyed, The younger children suggest actions to the hymns which they then teach to the older ones who really value their contribution. Each class compiles its own book of prayers which is used regularly. Worship in school is coherent with that in church. The effectiveness of Religious Education is outstanding Religious Education has a very high profile in the school linking effectively with worship and helping children to develop a thorough understanding of Christianity. RE is properly timetabled, resourced, budgeted and regularly reviewed. The RE co-ordinator is knowledgeable and enthusiastic. Very good support through in-service training means teachers are secure in their subject knowledge. The scheme of work which is predominantly Christian was introduced two years ago. Opportunities to learn about other world faiths have increased. A regular programme of visits and visitors would enhance this aspect. RE is well monitored by the subject leader and Senior Management Team. Lesson observations are carried out as part of the whole school cycle of monitoring and show that the teaching of Christianity is extremely good. Scrutiny of planning has led to an improvement in further differentiation. Book audits show that all work is recorded weekly often through photographs and comments. Children s progress is very good and is monitored through on-going assessment and levels of attainment at the end of the Key Stage. An RE and worship action plan rightly identifies the need to use level descriptors for the two attainment targets in all classes. Standards of attainment in RE are in line with or better than those in other core subjects. A learning walk through the school showed that the quality of learning and teaching observed was outstanding. Pupils showed very good prior knowledge, understanding and use of religious vocabulary. Time for reflection is built into all lessons. Children clearly enjoy learning through a range of creative teaching methods. Younger children were learning about God as our guide through song and role play using the outside area. Others were developing an understanding of the Holy Trinity through drama. One child produced three intertwined hearts when they were asked to create their own symbols. Drama plays an important part in RE lessons and children performed impressively in groups when re-telling the story of St Paul or considering Jesus leadership. A full range of visual and aural resources, including visits to both Holy Trinity and St Silas churches, as well as video clips and photographs of paintings are used to stimulate children s thinking. Attainment targets of learning from religion and learning about religion are well balanced. A portfolio of work from across the school demonstrates the high standards achieved.

4 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the school as a church school are outstanding The vicissitudes of this academic year have been met by a resilient determination underpinned by the faith of those who lead and manage the school. The death of the much loved and respected Head Teacher just before Christmas when the Deputy Head Teacher was on maternity leave meant that teachers who were relatively inexperienced in leadership had to shoulder unexpected responsibilities. This they have done most successfully because of the support and trust of other members of staff, governors, children and parents and because of the strong infrastructure, culture of professional development and succession planning. Their work in successfully and positively leading the school forward has truly manifested the school motto Fortis in fide and is a tribute to the late Annie Williams. The Governing Body feel an inherent part of the school culture, have high expectations, are ably led by the parish priest and accurately evaluate the school s performance. Governors are linked with classes, as well as curriculum areas, moving up with them each year thus giving continuity and building very good relationships with staff and children. This year has seen three newly qualified teachers begin their career at Holy Trinity and because of careful mentoring, nurturing and encouragement staff morale is high. All NQT s receive RE training as part of their support programme run by a local consortium of church schools. The high expectations for collective worship and the teaching of RE are supported through a professional approach, very good induction procedures and in service training, sometimes led by the parish priest. His regular and active presence in the school means that he knows and is known by children and parents alike. The school s relationship with the church is a distinctive and important feature. Pupils and parents views are taken into account through regular surveys and acted upon as appropriate for example the introduction of a text service to improve communication. The school joins with other church schools in the area for worship, social events and in-service training offering opportunities for spiritual and social development for different groups of staff and children. The school is very well supported by the diocese and members of staff regularly attend their courses. The judgement of outstanding in the previous denominational inspection has been maintained. The school has very good capacity to develop even further. SIAS report, Holy Trinity & St Silas, NW1 8DE. April 2013

5 Judgement Recording Form (NSJRF) Name of School: Holy Trinity & St Silas Church of England Primary School Address: Hartland Road, London, NW1 8DE Date of inspection: 24 th April 2013 Type of Church school: Voluntary Aided Phase of education: Primary Number of pupils: 210 URN Number: NS Inspector s Number: 299 Rating 1-4* How distinctive and effective is the school as a Church school? 1 How well does the school, through its distinctive Christian character, meet the needs of all learners? 1 What is the impact of collective worship on the school community? 1 How effective is the religious education? 1 How effective are the leadership and management of the school, as a church school? 1 The school meets the statutory requirement for collective acts of worship Yes The school meets the statutory requirement for religious education * Yes * Ratings: 1 Outstanding; 2 Good; 3 Satisfactory; 4 Inadequate