© Crown Copyright 1999 This report may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that all extracts quoted are reproduced verbatim without adaptation and on condition that the source and date thereof are stated. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied.

The inspection team comprised:

Mrs Elspeth Davis HMI Reporting inspector

Dr Judith Telfer Lay inspector

Ms Jenny Andreae HMI

Mr Barry Tomkins HMI

Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be raised with OFSTED by writing to:

The Corporate Services Group

The Office for Standards in Education

Alexandra House

33 Kingsway

London WC2B 6SE

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

The school serves the parishes of St Andrew's Thornton Heath and St Bartholomew's Norbury. Fifty three children attend the nursery class on a part time basis. Thirty two per cent of pupils are from ethnic minority groups. This is above the national average but has reduced slightly since the last inspection.

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE SCHOOL

St James the Great Primary is a very effective school. It achieves high standards and provides extremely well for the needs of its ethnically diverse community.

The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors' action plan which will be sent to all parents and carers of pupils at the school.

HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE THE LAST INSPECTION

The last inspection in May 1996 found St James the Great to be a good school. Since then the school has continued to improve in many areas. The results achieved by pupils in the national tests at the age of 11 have risen year on year. In 1998, over a third of the pupils achieved a level above the national average in English, mathematics and science. The teaching is much better now than it was at the last inspection. All the key issues for action previously identified have been tackled effectively. In information and communication technology the improvement has been excellent. The school has the people and the expertise needed to continue to improve.

This is an impressive set of results. Evidence from this inspection confirms these high standards for the 11 year olds. Results in national tests for pupils at the age of seven were not as high. Their standards in mathematics are average. They write very well and throughout the school good progress is made in English work. The pupils from age seven to 11 make good progress in mathematics particularly in numeracy skills. By the time they leave school all pupils, including those with special educational needs, have achieved as well as they can.

PUPILS' ATTITUDES, VALUES AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

TEACHING AND LEARNING

Inspectors make judgements about teaching in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory; poor; very poor. 'Satisfactory' means that the teaching is adequate and strengths outweigh weaknesses.

Overall, the teaching in the school is good. In 75% of what was seen, the teaching ranged between good, very good and excellent. The rest was satisfactory. The quality varied between year groups. For under fives in nursery and reception, 50% was very good and 50% was satisfactory. In Key Stage 1, for Year 1 and Year 2, over 80% was at least good. The same was true for about 80% of the teaching in Key Stage 2.

The best teaching captures and holds the interest of the pupils from the beginning of the lessons. The pupils are very clear about what they are doing and why they are doing it. The teachers' enthusiasm shines through in lively presentation and love of the subject. The pupils have a zest for learning so that ideas bounce to and from teacher and learner, developing and deepening knowledge and understanding through the session and beyond. Teachers' questions are penetrating and perceptive. They demand exactly the right amount of intellectual challenge and give pupils the confidence to share their thinking. Because they attend to detail thoroughly and no time is wasted, the way the teachers manage behaviour and organise lessons appears effortless. The comments made to the pupils celebrate their efforts and leave them clear about how to improve further. The pupils retain and build upon what they have learnt before. They help and learn from each other and get through a substantial amount of work.

OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL AND ITS MANAGEMENT

THE PARENTS' VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

There is a strong and racially harmonious community spirit reflecting its Christian Catholic ethos.

1. The community spirit in the school is striking. It is built on the very strong foundations of mutual respect, celebration of cultural diversity and effective partnership between the school, the home and the parish. Courtesy and mutual respect are evident everywhere in the school. Children from different ethnic backgrounds work and play together happily. Pupils in Year 6 help the five year olds to feel secure, to understand school rules, and to settle into aspects of school life such as assembly. The Year 6 pupils look forward to being 'buddies' in this way. The personal development of all pupils involved is enriched. Teachers make good use of opportunities in subjects and events to celebrate cultural diversity . For example, in the comparative study by Year 5 pupils of Thornton Heath and Kingston, Jamaica, and the presentation of 'The Spirit of Africa' at the Croydon Dance Festival.

2. There is a strong sense of effective partnership between the school, the home and the parishes. This partnership is regarded by the headteacher and governors as "central to and inseparable from moral, spiritual and academic growth". The staff and governors have worked very hard to retain a feeling of community as the school has doubled in size over the past few years. They have achieved that aim with great success and the parents appreciate it. Information about what is going on in the school and in the parishes is effectively shared in their respective newsletters. The pupils are helped to see the connections between the different aspects of their life at home, in school and in the church. For example, each class has its own chaplain from one of the local churches who knows the children in all three contexts. People care for one another and offer help and support when needed.

3. The mission statement of the school is very well met in practice. It is a place of learning for children of the community where the gospel values, traditions and beliefs of the Catholic church are evident in all the interactions that take place. High academic standards are effectively combined with other aspects of personal development. The pupils show respect and tolerance for themselves and for others in an impressively mature way. They are well on the way to becoming the responsible adults the school, their parents and their churches want them to be.

4. The results of the 1998 national tests for 11 year olds in English, mathematics and science speak for themselves. Against all schools nationally, and against schools which are similar in intake, St James the Great is well above average. The school attributes the particularly good results last year to the 1998 cohort being the first group of children to have attended the school since their reception year. This meant they were well used to the school's ways of working and the expectations that were held for them. However, the results also reflect the teachers' careful work in analysing and interpreting all the data from the previous year's tests. This usefully identified specific areas of work that needed more emphasis such as data handling and inverse operations in work in mathematics. They also did a very useful analysis of results against ethnicity and gender. They found that pupils achieve equally well whatever ethnic background they come from and that slightly more girls than boys achieve above the national average in English. This thorough work enables teachers to focus their attention on areas that are likely to make a difference.

5. The results for 7 year olds in the national tests in reading, writing and mathematics were not as good as for the older pupils. Compared with all schools nationally, standards in reading and mathematics were average and writing was above average. In comparison with similar schools mathematics and writing were average and reading was below average. The teachers have taken effective action to improve the reading results. More and better reading materials have been purchased and the pupils' individual reading records are checked half termly to ensure that all pupils are making the progress they should. Parent helpers are well deployed to support individuals with their reading. The literacy strategy is also beginning to show a positive impact on standards of reading for the younger children, particularly in whole class work on text and in guided reading sessions. In September 1999 the National Numeracy Strategy will be introduced. Elements of it, particularly mental arithmetic, have already been successfully introduced for the pupils in Years 3 to 6.

6. The school effectively supports pupils who need extra help. The teachers set clear targets for them that take account of their special educational needs. The work done by pupils withdrawn from lessons is well linked to the work of the class and to individual targets.

7. Central to the drive to raise standards is an effective way of assessing pupils' work, judging their progress over time and identifying what they need to do next. This area of the schools' work was found to be unsatisfactory at the time of the last inspection. It has been tackled very effectively. The teachers and support staff have a very good understanding of the levels of work they should be expecting of children. They regularly look at samples of work together and discuss what should happen next for individuals and for year groups. They comment on individual pieces of work for each pupil every half term, giving a clear indication of the present level of work and what the next steps should be.

8. Most important of all in sustaining and raising standards is that the pupils understand how they can move on in their work. A Year 6 pupil summed it up by saying "the teachers here show us how to improve. They help us but without giving us the answers".

9. The teachers regard high levels of skill in literacy and numeracy as fundamental to the pupils' academic success. As such, these subjects receive substantial time each day and a great deal of attention is given to ensuring that all pupils make the best progress they can. The Literacy Hour has been introduced with skill, ensuring that all teachers are confident about what they are doing. Other subjects of the National Curriculum receive appropriate amounts of time and attention.

10. The range of extra-curricular activities and the number of pupils who take part is excellent. Adults and pupils together use this time to very good effect. They enjoy themselves and get to know each other well. Activities range from line dancing to a French club. On Saturday mornings more than a hundred pupils come back to school to take part in football club which is organised and run by parents. The school takes part in local festivals for music, drama and dance and competes very successfully in many local sports competitions. Pupils in Years 4, 5 and 6 take part in residential trips and the school coach is used well for visits by all the classes. There are e-mail links with schools in Sweden and America and the school prospectus is on the Internet. As a result of these links, pupils recently met the mayor of Nanjing in China when he was visiting England. All of these examples reflect a commitment to education in its broadest sense. They make a significant contribution to the personal development of the pupils and help them use the basic skills needed to be able to communicate effectively through well developed skills in literacy, numeracy and information technology.

The pupils behave very well, and get on well with each other; the teachers and other adults provide very positive role models.

11. In classrooms, around the school and in the playground, the behaviour of the pupils is very good. There were no problems of bullying mentioned by parents and only some minor name-calling incidents referred to by pupils. Nonetheless, a simple but effective initiative has been introduced recently for the lunchtime period. It serves two very important purposes. The work of two play leaders provides a group activity for pupils to join if they wish, particularly if they feel vulnerable or shy. It has the added benefit of introducing them to playground games which are part of our cultural heritage and which do not rely on expensive resources.

12. One of the school aims is to 'help pupils develop positive relationships through example'. This aim is well met in practice. All adults who work in the school as well as those who come in to help on a voluntary basis, provide very good role models for pupils. They listen carefully to what pupils say, are interested in them and any problems they may have and demonstrate the courtesy to the pupils that they expect them to show to others.

13. The pupils at St James the Great are confident and highly motivated learners. They observe closely, show good problem solving skills and can analyse their thinking in forming solutions. They have pride in their achievements and they apply what they have learnt to new work. They understand what they are doing and why they are doing it. For example, pupils in a reception class confidently said "we are being authors" and Year 2 pupils in the library "we are developing our reading skills". Many pupils show initiative, for example some pupils in Year 4 had been to the library, without being asked, especially to prepare for the work they were going to do in their Literacy Hour. The pupils listen to each other as well as to adults with careful attention. For example in school assembly, when they shared mathematical work for nearly half an hour. The pupils show great respect for resources. They were particularly impressive when working in the new information and communication technology room. They are willing to 'have a go', to predict, investigate and form hypotheses. All of this helps them to evaluate their own and others' work meaningfully and to present their ideas in a variety of ways, often making very good use of information and communication technology.

14. There is a striking buzz of enthusiasm about the school. All of the adults are committed to looking for ways to build upon and improve what they do. The governors are very focused on the educational and spiritual needs of the children and share the view that "we never think we've arrived". They have high levels of expertise and a flexible approach which means they can make the most of opportunities that arise. Throughout the school there are teachers who teach very well. They bring out the best in children and use their skills to support one another. As a group the teachers are constantly looking for ways to improve the quality of teaching and learning in the school. They challenge themselves as well as the children. The introduction of networked computer hardware has been tackled very effectively because all staff were willing to learn (often in their own time) and to develop their skills for the benefit of the pupils. This attitude of rising to a challenge is reflected in the challenges the teachers set for pupils. For example, in an information and communication technology session, Year 5 pupils were told, "you have five minutes to find out how you can change and move pictures, text and layout boxes in the 'publisher' program". In a Year 2 literacy session pupils were asked, "what do you think poetic licence means?" and in Year 6, the teacher asked pupils to write an article for the local newspaper on why the Montagues and the Capulets were feuding in the story of Romeo and Juliet. Teachers encourage pupils to "think it out" and use their imagination. Not all of the teaching is of this high quality but there is enough expertise within the teaching staff for all to be able to rise to the level of the best.

15. The staff and governors are now working towards the 'Investors in People' standard and intend to participate in the 'quality mark' scheme. The headteacher hopes to become a member of the 'Cohort 2000' programme for existing headteachers and the assistant headteacher is working towards the national professional qualification for headship award (NPQH). A member of the support staff encapsulated this commitment to improvement very well, when she said, "this is a happy place to work, people feel valued and want to give of their best".

16. The headteacher has a clear vision of what the school is about. He wants it to be one of the most successful in the country, not just for academic results but for producing pupils who are well rounded individuals able to relate to others, whatever their background, and contribute fully to their local community and beyond. He sees strength in having "active, questioning and supportive governing and parent bodies". He knows how to delegate effectively. He helps colleagues to set out a strategy for development and lets them get on with it. He stays in touch and up to date through regular briefings and offering support whenever it is needed. A very good example of effective delegation and managing change is the dramatic improvement in information and communication technology.

17. At the time of the last inspection, the use of information and communication technology (ICT) and the standards achieved, were a key issue for action. In less than three years it has turned into a success story. The headteacher and the co-ordinator for ICT worked out a strategy for development together. The coordinator then took up the challenge. She researched thoroughly and took good advice from several sources before getting herself very well trained and effectively auditing the skills of all staff. Training has been well matched to individual needs and staff have been encouraged to try out their new skills as they developed. There has been good feedback to governors, many of whom have been involved in the training. There has been no formal evaluation of the cost effectiveness and benefits of the work as yet, but the standards of work produced by pupils are already impressive and the expectations of the staff of themselves, and of pupils, are high. The scheme of work for ICT is excellent. In a straightforward way it helps staff see how pupils can progress and identifies the ICT opportunities for each subject as well as describing discrete ICT skills.

18. The governors contribute substantially to the effectiveness of the school. They have high levels of expertise and are very well organised and thorough in their approach. They are also open to new ideas and can adapt quickly. This enables them to seize opportunities when they arise, such as bidding for 'seed money' for projects. They have trust in the headteacher but expect him to be fully accountable to them. They, in turn, account well to the parents of the school. The governors are proactive and keep themselves very well informed about what is going on in the school. They make regular visits and report back to meetings of the governing body.

19. Parents are interested in the school and support their children very effectively. This was demonstrated by the large number who attended the meeting prior to the inspection and returned the questionnaires. Parents successfully help in and around the school as well as raising substantial sums of money for projects. For example, they currently have £15,000 towards their target of £22,000 for a school minibus. There is a thriving 'Friends Association' which organises events from 'fill a Smartie tube with money' to an evening of classical music. Not all parents are happy about all aspects of the school but they do have opportunities to be heard and know that their concerns will be acted on.

WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

Strategies are not effective for checking: (i) teaching quality to make it even better, and (ii) whether plans for school development are working properly and providing good value for money.

20. Overall the teaching in the school is good. It could be even better if the existing expertise is used to evaluate teaching in the classroom and set targets for further improvement. The appraisal process has gone a little way towards this and professional discussions have taken place for all staff. As yet, this has not been followed up with formal target setting based on observing the teachers teach. The subject co-ordinators have a good understanding of the standards the pupils achieve in their subjects but are less clear about the strengths and weaknesses across the school in the teaching. The school has recognised this as an area for development and classroom visits by senior staff and subject coordinators will begin shortly.

21. The school development plan is a comprehensive document covering curriculum, premises and management issues. Some parts of the plan are costed, such as the premises section, but this is not the case for other areas. Some sections show what training will be needed, others do not. Measures to judge success are identified but strategies for evaluating if they were worthwhile and provided good value for money are not clear. The headteacher and governors have stated that they want to improve strategic planning, so the need has been recognised. The school is well placed to take this work forward.

22. At the meeting for parents, and on the questionnaires they returned, parents raised concerns about homework. Their understanding of what is required, and when, is not clear to them. The inspection found that there is a good policy in place, most of the pupils understand it well and it is used fairly consistently by staff. Clear information now needs to be communicated to parents.

23. Parents are justified in wanting to know more about what their children are learning in school so that they can support them at home. They are equally justified in requesting information early in the school year about how their child is progressing. The written reports to parents are good. They contain clear information on work covered and pupils' attainment in the subject areas as well as giving information on their attitudes to work and personal development. However, they contain little on the next steps needed to improve and are issued at the end of the school year just as the pupil is about to move to another class, with little information provided in the first half of the year.

ISSUES FOR ACTION

The school should now:

i. raise the quality of all the teaching to the level of the best by implementing classroom observations and monitoring;

ii. improve the evaluation of targets in the school development plan and set up measures for judging whether value for money has been achieved;

iii. improve information to parents about the curriculum, the progress pupils are making and the homework policy of the school.

PARENTAL SURVEY

Responses (percentage of answers in each category):