This inspection was carried out by three additional inspectors. Fourteen lessons or parts of lessons were observed involving 10 teachers. Meetings were held with pupils, governors, staff and two parents. Inspectors also spoke to parents and carers individually during the inspection. They observed the school's work, and looked at pupils’ books, school assessments, planning and school policies including those concerning the safeguarding of pupils. Sixty seven questionnaires were returned by parents and carers and read, and 106 pupils' questionnaires were completed, read and analysed. In addition, 17 staff returned a questionnaire.

The inspection team reviewed many aspects of the school's work. It looked in detail at the following.

St Columba’s is an average size primary school in a residential suburb on the edge of Liverpool. Almost all pupils are White British. Just over half of pupils are known to be eligible for free school meals, which is high compared to the national average. The proportion with special educational needs and/or disabilities is well above average. The Early Years Foundation Stage consists of a Nursery class that operates five mornings per week and a class of Reception-age children. The school runs a breakfast club and has a sports and arts building, called SPACE, which is also hired by organisations in the community. The school is a member of a network of local schools called The North Huyton Learning Collaborative. At the time of the inspection, some classes were taught in temporary rooms while building work on two new classrooms was being completed.

The school provides a good education for pupils, who achieve well over time as a result of good teaching. The care, guidance and support provided by staff are outstanding, leading to good outcomes, such as pupils’ attitudes to school and their behaviour. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is excellent.

Pupils’ learning in lessons is good and by the end of Year 6, attainment in English, mathematics and science is broadly average. Overall, pupils have progressed well from low levels of attainment on entry to the Nursery class. However, there are gaps in their basic skills. Many younger pupils have poor speech and language and their listening skills are limited. Basic skills of number also develop slowly. These difficulties hamper the rate of progress of pupils as they move through Key Stages 1 and 2 and mean older pupils are sometimes less confident voicing their ideas and opinions and reading aloud in class. Some have poor recall of basic number facts and multiplication tables, which slow their attempts at solving problems in mathematics.

Teaching is good and staff make effective use of assessment data to help them match work to the pupils’ different levels of attainment. All staff, including teaching assistants, have good relationships with the pupils and contribute well to their learning. Good provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage means the children settle in and make a fine start to school. The curriculum for pupils in Years 1 to 6 is good and has some outstanding enrichment activities, especially project work, visitors and visits out of school, for example, to schools with pupils of other faiths and ethnicity.

The senior leadership team, very ably led by the headteacher, drives forward school improvement at a good pace. Since the last inspection, their actions, together with the teamwork of all staff, have led to a consolidation of the school’s performance as well as significant improvements. These have been most evident in pupils’ much improved attendance and the actions taken to address the key recommendations from the last inspection report. These factors indicate the school has good capacity to improve. Some aspects of leadership and management are outstanding. These are the partnerships with parents and carers, schools and other agencies to promote pupils’ well-being and learning, and the effectiveness of steps taken to promote community cohesion. The governing body meets its responsibilities satisfactorily and supports the senior leadership team well. The impact and challenge of its work, however, are less well developed and the governing body relies too heavily on reports from the headteacher and senior staff.

Pupils’ achievement, enjoyment and learning in lessons are good. The attainment of the great majority of children on entry to the Nursery class is much lower than expected, especially in communication, language and literacy. During their time in school, pupils make good progress. In lessons, they pay attention well and are keen to answer questions, though very often they respond in short sentences or single words. Progress in mathematics is sometimes hampered by pupils' weaknesses in basic mental and calculation skills. Pupils’ writing improves at a good rate, thanks to a school-wide focus in recent years. Consequently, current Year 6 pupils write in an assured manner. This was evident in the empathy they showed when writing a narrative from the viewpoint of an evacuee in the Second World War. There are no significant differences in the rate of progress made by boys and girls. More-able and talented pupils achieve well and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress. They work well with teaching assistants, both in class and in groups withdrawn for extra support.

Pupils have an excellent understanding of how to stay safe, which is the result of a thorough programme of teaching. Pupils’ behaviour is good and at times outstanding in lessons and around school. A few pupils display challenging behaviour and they receive very good support to overcome difficulties from all staff, including the learning mentor when appropriate. As a result, bullying is rare and exclusions are extremely uncommon. Pupils know about the factors which influence their diet and health. They are well known by residents in the local community for their polite and helpful manner. Attendance is in line with the national average for primary schools and punctuality is satisfactory. The highly popular breakfast club makes a very important contribution to helping pupils attend regularly, arrive on time and be well prepared for lessons. Pupils’ social and moral development is clearly seen in the very positive relationships they have with one another and adults. They have a very good understanding of different cultures and religions as a result of the school’s commitment to promoting community cohesion and to helping pupils to understand more about the diversity of modern society.

Almost all lessons observed were good, none were inadequate and several lessons had outstanding features. Key strengths of the teaching include the good management of pupils, the valuable contribution of additional adults in lessons and the very clear planning which takes clear account of the different levels of attainment in classes. On rare occasions, assessment of pupils’ learning in lessons was not rigorous enough to confirm pupils’ understanding or whether pupils were being challenged sufficiently. The tracking of pupils’ progress is regular and robust and means that staff identify when a pupil is not on track to meet the challenging targets set. This leads to additional measures such as the setting up of effective focus groups taught by support staff and visiting specialists. The curriculum is well matched to the needs of pupils. In addition to the emphasis given to literacy and numeracy, an important priority is to provide pupils with a clear understanding of right and wrong, the responsibilities a citizen has in society and how to stay safe and lead a healthy lifestyle. Outside contributors, mainly through projects developed by a local network of schools, make a valuable contribution. A good range of after-school activities and successful visits and residential trips help to widen the experiences of pupils. Procedures to care, guide and support pupils, especially those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and the more vulnerable, are highly effective. The work of the learning and parent mentors has been essential in helping pupils and their families to overcome significant hardship and barriers to learning and to generate very positive relations with school.

These are the grades for the quality of provision

Senior leaders and managers have made a significant impact on the school’s performance by developing thorough systems to track pupils’ achievement and attendance. These have helped staff identify where weaknesses in pupils' performance exist and to put in place actions and strategies to lift standards and raise attendance. They have used specialist advice and the support from the local authority has been particularly effective in this respect. Good financial management has also helped the school to fund staffing levels and projects that add much to the pupils’ good outcomes in school. School development planning is good. In addition, senior leaders have created very valuable partnerships with parents and carers. Not only are parents and carers kept well informed about school life and the progress that their children make, but they are helped individually and through courses to have a role in the children’s learning. Similarly, links with other schools and agencies, including the fire service, police and welfare agencies, have an excellent impact on helping pupils to develop positive attitudes to school and their local community. These activities also help the school tackle discrimination and racist attitudes and promote respect for others. By careful monitoring of the attainment and achievement of different groups of pupils, senior staff promote equal opportunity well. The school’s promotion of community cohesion is outstanding, helping pupils to relate positively to others from different ethnic backgrounds. The SPACE building is a valued resource for the community. Comprehensive risk assessments and child protection measures make for robust safeguarding procedures. There is a good range of expertise among members of the governing body. Individuals, including the Chair of the Governing Body, bring valuable experience to their role, for example, as parents and carers or from a background in education or the legal profession. Their understanding of how the school and the curriculum it offers are performing, however, is more limited and they have few ways to check the views of parents, carers and pupils.

Children are happy and eager to learn. They make satisfactory progress in the Nursery class and good progress in their personal, social and emotional development. The children make good progress in all areas of learning in the Reception class. By the start of the Reception Year, they have developed very good relationships with staff and have become well attuned to the ethos of school. They begin to show curiosity thanks to the good range of activities and opportunities for imaginative and investigative play. By the end of the Reception Year, children’s attainment, however, is still below average, and the speech and language of some children are still very limited. The quality of teaching is good. There is a skilled team of adults in the two year groups. They are very aware of the welfare needs of the children and care for them well. Planning and assessment of how the children are progressing are good. Relationships with parents and carers are promoted especially well so that they can help with their children’s learning at home. The role of the parent mentor has been especially successful in this respect. The Early Years Foundation Stage leader provides a very good role model in her skills of teaching and managing the children. She provides effective leadership for staff, who have a good knowledge and understanding of how children learn and develop. There is a very good range of resources indoors for the children to use. Plans to extend and reorganise the satisfactory outdoor area are in hand.

In terms of the number of questionnaires returned, the response was fairly typical of most inspections of primary schools. Almost all the parents and carers who responded expressed highly positive views of the school. This was true of several parents and carers that the inspection team met. Parents and carers greatly value the work of the school in helping their children to achieve well and understand how to lead a safe and healthy life. They appreciate the work of the headteacher and all staff in helping their children to become well rounded young people. Inspection evidence upholds these opinions and confirm the highly successful partnerships the school has with parents and carers.

Ofsted invited all the registered parents and carers of pupils registered at St Columba's Catholic Primary School to complete a questionnaire about their views of the school.

In the questionnaire, parents and carers were asked to record how strongly they agreed with 13 statements about the school.

The inspection team received 67 completed questionnaires by the end of the on-site inspection. In total, there are 244 pupils registered at the school.

The table above summarises the responses that parents and carers made to each statement. The percentages indicate the proportion of parents and carers giving that response out of the total number of completed questionnaires. Where one or more parents and carers chose not to answer a particular question, the percentages will not add up to 100%.

New school inspection arrangements were introduced on 1 September 2009. This means that inspectors now make some additional judgements that were not made previously.

The data in the table above is for the period 1 September 2009 to 31 March 2010 and is the most recently published data available (see www.ofsted.gov.uk). Please note that the sample of schools inspected during the autumn and spring term 2009/10 was not representative of all schools nationally, as weaker schools are inspected more frequently than good or outstanding schools.

Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100. Secondary school figures include those that have sixth forms, and sixth form figures include only the data specifically for sixth form inspection judgements.

29 September 2010

Dear Pupils,

It was a great pleasure to inspect your school. You were all extremely friendly and helpful and we enjoyed finding out from you how you are getting on. On behalf of the inspection team, I would like to share with you what we found.

Your school is providing you with a good education. Some of the work of the school is outstanding, for example, the way in which the school works in the local community and how it helps your personal development through the excellent care, guidance and support it provides for you. Your behaviour in lessons is good and this means you learn well. You told us bullying is rare and if it happens, the staff deal with it promptly. You look out for one another well. You make good progress in lessons and, by the time you leave at the end of Year 6, most of you reach average standards in English, mathematics and science. This is because the teaching you receive is good and you work hard. You know your targets for learning well and enjoy the activities out of school and visits you make to places of interest. School leaders, such as your headteacher, do a good job. They are constantly finding ways to improve your progress and increase your enjoyment of learning.

Part of my job is to identify how the school can be even better. There are two improvements for staff and the governing body to make.

Please continue to work hard and enjoy school. I send you all my best wishes for the future, especially when the new classrooms are ready and you can all benefit from the extra space.

The inspection was carried out by one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors of Schools (HMI). HMI evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school and investigated the following issues: pupils’ achievement; care, guidance and support; the quality of teaching and learning; and the effectiveness of managers in improving education and care for the pupils. Evidence was gathered by observing lessons, scrutinising school documentation and questionnaires completed by parents, and by talking with pupils, governors, staff and the headteacher.

Other aspects of the school’s work were not investigated in detail, but HMI found evidence to suggest that the school’s own assessments, as given in its self-evaluation, were justified.

St Columba’s is a larger than average primary school, set in an area of significant socio-economic disadvantage. The take-up of free school meals is much higher than average. Although the proportion of pupils with a statement of special educational needs is below the national average, there is a much higher than average proportion of pupils with learning disabilities and/or difficulties (LDD). Pupils are almost exclusively of White British heritage.

Grade 1 Outstanding

Grade 2 Good

Grade 3 Satisfactory

Grade 4 Inadequate

Overall effectiveness of the school Grade: 2

St Columba’s is a good school, with some outstanding features, including the pastoral care it offers to its pupils, enabling them to thrive as individuals and to make good progress in their learning. Most children enter the Foundation Stage with skill levels exceptionally below national expectations. However, by the time they leave the school, the standards they reach are in line with national averages. This means that, overall, pupils make good progress during their time at St Columba’s. Parents and pupils value the dedication of staff, reflected in the good teaching and excellent care at the school. There is an atmosphere of respect and industry as pupils make the most of their time here. The new headteacher is building effectively on the strengths of the past and his impact and energy is evident through further improvements in attendance and in the school’s infrastructure.

Children make very good progress during the Foundation Stage, where the careful adaptation of support and teaching meets children’s needs, enabling them to develop their learning and social skills. Having entered Key Stage 1 with levels of attainment well below average, pupils make good progress there, although performance in writing is weaker than in reading or mathematics. At the end of Key Stage 2, pupils reach standards that are in line with the national average and make good progress overall. Pupils with LDD also make good progress. Pupils make better progress in mathematics and science than in English. Most pupils are keen to learn, know what their targets are and what to do next to reach them. Pupils at St Columba’s reach challenging targets, given their starting points and capabilities.

Pupils’ spiritual, moral, cultural and social maturity is underpinned by the evident Catholic ethos at St Columba’s, their good behaviour and their respect for each other. Pupils’ views are heard here: for example, they led to a revised behaviour policy to ensure that good behaviour is recognised and rewarded, as well as reducing incidents of weaker behaviour. Parents are overwhelmingly appreciative of the work of the school and its staff. The school’s imaginative efforts to improve attendance have borne fruit: it is now in line with the national average. Pupils are ready to share their views with adults, feel safe and have faith in their teachers and their school council (which was involved in the appointment of the new headteacher). Pupils are confident that they would speak to an adult in the school should they have any concerns. Pupils’ enjoyment of school is evident in their demeanour, play and their involvement in lessons. The school’s provision for healthy food and physical exercise is valued by pupils, as they understand the need to keep fit and avoid unhealthy foods and drink. Pupils are well informed about the nature of Britain’s diversity, both through the curriculum and through involvement in such activities as the Knowsley against racism project.

Teaching and learning are good, with well-planned lessons and very good relationships between teachers and pupils. The best lessons are well paced, lively and informative, with a range of interesting activities so that pupils are well motivated and are clear about what they are expected to learn. In satisfactory lessons, a slower pace leads a few pupils to become distracted. The work of skilled teaching assistants provides the pupils with LDD with the confidence to tackle challenging work and other pupils talked of their targets and what they individually needed to do to reach the next level. Marking of pupils’ work is strongest in the junior phase, where it is evaluative and supportive. Assessments of pupils’ work enables effective support to be provided for groups or individuals, resulting in improvements to their progress and attitudes to learning. However, higher attaining pupils commented that, during some lessons, they were set insufficiently testing work.

The work in the Foundation Stage at St Columba’s is outstanding. Children enter with skill levels that are significantly below those typical of their age, particularly in language and social development. They make very good progress as a consequence of the high quality education and care provided. Transition arrangements are very effective. Accurate assessment ensures that specific weaknesses are identified early and support is appropriately tailored to such needs, resulting in pupils making better progress in social skills and in their learning. Productive relationships with parents contribute to that work and to parents’ close involvement in their children’s progress. The curriculum has been shaped to cater specifically for the needs of all learners. It offers a rich range of stimulating activities which provide many opportunities for imaginative play, teamwork and the promotion of speaking and listening skills. The leadership and management of the Foundation Stage is outstanding, combining professionalism and a clear vision of what each child can gain here. Effective teaching and learning means that pupils enter Key Stage 1 having made very good progress.

• Improve achievement in literacy, especially in writing.

Click here to see the report in its original context on the OFSTED Site.

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