St Helen’s Catholic Infant School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Main findings

The school provides an outstanding education for its pupils. It has gone from strength to strength since the last inspection, and excellent teaching ensures high attainment for all groups of pupils. Pupils make outstanding progress in their learning, and greatly enjoy all aspects of school, because work is matched very closely to their needs and interests.

The exciting curriculum greatly enhances pupils' enjoyment of lessons, and excellent care, guidance and support mean that they feel extremely safe and secure in school. Behaviour is excellent and pupils have extremely good relationships with each other and with staff. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding.

B...oys and girls from different ethnic or social backgrounds all play and work together exceptionally well, so the school is a harmonious and happy community. It promotes community cohesion extremely well within the school and in the locality. However, pupils have relatively few opportunities to interact with and learn about different communities in the United Kingdom.

They do learn about the wider world, for example in geography, religious education and personal and social education. They are successfully encouraged to apply the school's mission statement to 'love one another' broadly. Following the floods in Pakistan, for example, it was at the instigation of a pupil in Year 1, and reflecting pupils' great concern for others, that the school held a 'non-uniform day' to raise money for flood victims.

Pupils in Years 1 and 2 are helped to build very effectively on the excellent start they make in their learning in the Reception classes. Attainment at the end of Year 2 has been consistently well-above average in reading, writing and mathematics for a number of years. A slight weakness in mathematics identified at the last inspection has been overcome, and progress in mathematics is outstanding.

A key strength of teaching and learning is the pupils' extremely positive response to teachers' very high expectations. Pupils are continually urged and helped to analyse their own and their classmates' achievements, and to strive to improve. Pupils in Year 2 commented that they, 'work hard.

..try your hardest.

..do your very best.

..don't give up, and try to make your teacher proud.'

The headteacher provides very clear direction to the work of the school, and is supported extremely well by colleagues. Subject leaders make a major contribution to the monitoring of teaching and achievement. The school's very thorough tracking of the progress of individuals and groups means that if any do not make good progress they are quickly identified and prompt action is taken to help them catch up.

This process, together with very regular and effective monitoring of different aspects of provision, contributes to the school's excellent self-evaluation. Along with the maintenance of very high standards, and pupils' excellent personal development, this demonstrates the school's outstanding capacity to sustain and build upon its many strengths.

Information about the school

This is a large infant school which draws its pupils from a wide area of the town and beyond.

About three quarters of the pupils are White British, with the rest coming from a large number of different minority ethnic heritages. Since the last inspection, the school has moved into new, purpose-built accommodation on a different site, on the edge of town. A below-average percentage of pupils have special educational needs and/or disabilities.

The percentage who have statements of special educational needs is also below average. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is below average. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language has risen since the last inspection, and is now greater than in most schools.

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