Introduction

The validation was carried out by a team of four validators, who spent three days in the school observing lessons, talking with pupils and looking at their work, engaging in discussions with staff and parents, looking at school records and other documentation, and scrutinising returns to the parents’ and carers’ questionnaire.

Main findings

The school’s Catholic values are apparent in all aspects of its life and work.  The result is a very happy community where pupils greatly enjoy their time at school and make good progress.  Pupils feel safe in the knowledge that they are well cared for by staff and well treated by their classmates.  Teaching and the curriculum are good, but not in all year groups.  The school is well led and the staff have high expectations of themselves and their pupils.  The great majority of parents expressed positive opinions about most aspects of the school.  One said, ‘I am absolutely delighted at the progress our son is making’ and appreciated the ‘equal emphasis on the spiritual as well as the academic.’  Another commented on the ‘wholeness’ of her child’s experience, the good leadership and the ‘dedicated and caring staff’.

The school’s careful review of its work has resulted in very well-judged priorities for further improvement.  Developments to the way the school reviews it work, uses assessment and plans the topics that pupils study are exactly the right priorities for improvement.  The school has shown its capacity for further improvement is strong.

Outcomes for learners

The pupils’ enjoyment of school is reflected in their high attendance, excellent behaviour and positive attitudes in most classes.  Pupils make good progress in Reception and by the end of Year 6 achieve standards that are well above the island’s averages, notably in the proportions who reach the higher levels in English, mathematics and science.  This represents good progress in their academic skills and knowledge during their time in school.  Pupils grow in self-confidence, develop a strong sense of responsibility and make a good contribution to their school and wider society.  They show marked kindness towards others.  In Key Stage 1, their skills develop satisfactorily but less quickly, because pupils are less clear about their targets and they are not consistently challenged or motivated by their work.

The quality of provision

There is much good teaching in the school and pockets of excellence.  Classroom relationships are generally excellent and form a really good basis for pupils’ learning.  Lessons are interesting and have a clear sense of direction.  Most pupils have a good understanding of their targets and can usually explain how they can improve, although this is not so in all classes and marking could often be more helpful.  Learning is mostly through a good blend of presentation by the teacher and working independently or in groups.  For example, a lesson on the Trojan horse in Year 6 was driven by really good questioning by the teacher, which was followed by pupils discussing in groups their views on what the horse might be for!  Some opportunities are missed for pupils to discuss what they are learning, for example by assessing each other’s work.

The curriculum is well planned and usually links to pupils’ interests.  It provides pupils with a good, rounded education that prepares them well for the next stages of their education.  Work in class is supplemented by an excellent programme of activities and clubs that contribute much to pupils’ all-round development.  The pupils have extremely good opportunities to use modern technology, which they find very motivating.  The school is mindful that in planning its topics it needs to focus clearly on pupils’ skills.  Some pupils are now taught in mixed-aged classes.  The early evidence indicates that they make at least as good, or even better, progress than pupils in single-age classes in both their academic work and personal development.

The staff ensure that pupils are well cared for and they, in turn, show care and consideration for others.  The school is diligent in following all agreed procedures to ensure the welfare and safety of the pupils.  Pupils receive good support when they enter the school and when they move on to secondary school.  The school is making important changes to the ways it monitors pupils’ progress that are giving staff a better grasp of how well the school performs.  It recognises that these new procedures need to be consolidated and extended.

Leadership and management

The school is well led and the staff have high morale and a strong sense of common purpose.  Staff well understand the values and mission of the school and they ensure that all pupils benefit from school life.  They make enterprising use of community partnerships to extend pupils’ opportunities.  Staff work together to review the school’s work, and consult parents and pupils on some matters.  The school is rightly planning to extend its self-evaluation strategies and develop the staff’s skills in using these.  It has identified accurately its strengths and the areas where further improvement is needed.  The school’s track record and sense of direction indicate that it has a good capacity for sustained improvement.

Main areas for school improvement

The validation endorses the school’s priorities for improvement and recommends that it should take the following actions:

• develop the skills and opportunities of leaders and staff at all levels to monitor pupils’ learning and to share good practice

•  consolidate and extend the use of assessment to promote learning

•  ensure all aspects of the Guernsey curriculum are covered.

• accelerate pupils’ progress in English and mathematics in Key Stage 1.