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SIAS REPORT 2011

St_Pauls_Goose_Green_Wigan_03.10.11_106453.pdf

 Below are our past reports for 2003 and 2007

National Society Statutory Inspection of Anglican Schools Report

St Paul’s Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

Warrington Road,

Goose Green,

Wigan,

Lancashire

WN3 6SB

Diocese: Liverpool

Local authority: Wigan MB

Dates of inspection: 26th March 2007

Date of last inspection: 20th – 23rd January 2003

Headteacher: Mrs Alison Jackson

Inspector’s name and number: Graham H Nuttall

School context

St. Paul’s is an averaged sized primary school with pupils coming from a variety of social backgrounds. The vast majority of pupils are of white British heritage although a small number of children are of mixed heritage. The proportion of children eligible for free school meals is average. The number of children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is average and none have a statement of special educational need. The school gained the Healthy School award in February 2007. The headteacher has been in post for fifteen months.

The distinctiveness and effectiveness of St Paul’s as a Church of England school are good

St. Paul’s is a good school with some outstanding features. It successfully fulfils its Mission statement “Learning and Living through Jesus Christ.” Challenging and creative teaching, within a caring, supportive, Christian environment helps pupils to feel secure so they can develop in mind, body and spirit. Collective worship impacts positively on pupils’ personal development. The school community promotes a strong sense of responsibility coupled with a vitality and enthusiasm for learning and moving forwards.

Established strengths

• A clear Christian vision successfully helps to build on the firm foundations and

aspirations set by governors, Headteacher and incumbent.

• Outstanding acts of collective worship impact positively on pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

• An inclusive Christian ethos which values the contribution of each individual and enables children to grow in confidence and self-esteem.

• Very strong links with the parish church and the wider community.

Focus for development

• Establish strategies to monitor and to evaluate the provision for Religious Education.

• Purchase additional resources and artefacts for use within the teaching of RE.

The school, through its distinctive Christian character, is good at meeting the needs of all learners

The school’s Christian family atmosphere is central to its ethos. Children are polite and confident and their behaviour is excellent. Relationships within the school are of a very high order and are characterised by Christian concern and care for all pupils both within classrooms and at play. Well planned provision enables pupils’ personal, social, moral and spiritual development to be very good. Pupils have a strong appreciation of right and wrong, they willingly help each other and readily applaud the efforts of others. The level of pastoral care offered is a strength of the school. Children feel safe and values of respect and

tolerance stem from a positive learning environment. The school demonstrates a strong commitment to inclusion. All pupils at St. Paul’s feel valued and as a result they flourish. A parent described the school as “a place where we know our children will assuredly receive Christian education,” whilst a governor said, “the school and church work closely together to form the bedrock of our community.” The vicar plays a prominent role in supporting the school and sees this as an important and integral part of his ministry. He knows most pupils individually and as a result the parish supports a flourishing Sunday School and a Young

Persons Group. The developing School Council ensures pupils have good opportunities to play a significant role in decision making, for example in the design and construction of a coloured window pane which pupils felt would give them a visual focus during periods of reflection in worship. Pupils talk with pride about their school, they develop a sense of stewardship and they understand the importance of serving others less fortunate than themselves through fundraising for a wide range of charities. Some Christian charities are well supported, for example, “Operation Shoebox”. The parish and school have also developed exceptionally strong links with a school in Palestine and some considerable efforts are made to support this ravaged community. This gives pupils an excellent opportunity to understand world problems and to develop their cultural awareness.

The impact of collective worship on the school community is outstanding

The Headteacher, foundation governors and vicar speak with tremendous enthusiasm and sincerity about the importance of worship in the life of the school which is firmly embedded upon Christian principles and Anglican tradition. Collective worship has an outstanding effect on pupils’ spiritual and moral development because of good planning and a rich and varied content. Assemblies are conducted in a way that creates in children an excitement for worship and skilful delivery ensures that pupils are actively engaged and totally enthralled.

They display enthusiasm, reverence and enjoyment and are confident to participate in worship by reading their own prayers. The vicar’s weekly visits to lead worship are eagerly awaited by the children, “We learn lots from him and realise how important it is to be a Christian.” Worship themes often link to the Christian year, but they are also broad enough in scope to allow for flexibility and spontaneity. The excellent standard of musicianship of both the school choir and recorder group enhances the worship ethos and demonstrates a high level of commitment from both pupils and staff. A Y6 child commented, “we enjoy the

singing and it’s a time when we can talk to God.” Children take part in church services celebrating major festivals and parental support on these occasions is exceptional. Parents and governors upholding the belief in the relevance of family life enthusiastically support the weekly family worship help in school. A well-written book of prayers produced by pupils covers a wide range of topics and clearly illustrates the depth of faith held by many children.

The effectiveness of the religious education is good

Pupils have a good knowledge of Christianity and satisfactory knowledge of other world faiths because of highly effective teaching. They recognise the need for respect and tolerance towards each other and other faith communities. RE lessons make effective use of a range of teaching styles with good emphasis placed on the use of drama and discussion. These two aspects make the subject “come alive”. Pupils in KS1 eagerly acted out the events of Palm Sunday whilst a group of Y6 pupils effectively used information technology to produce

copies of “The Jerusalem Times” reporting the arrest and crucifixion of Jesus. Children are adept at articulating their own thoughts and ideas and are keen to listen to the opinions of others. Teachers demand independent thinking through well-planned lessons and skilful questioning and pupils achieve good standards in their written work, particularly the more able children. The co-ordinator is developing her role well, and she is aware that the subject would be enhanced by the provision of additional resources and artefacts. Assessment arrangements are currently informal and there are no formal strategies to monitor and

evaluate the quality of RE.

The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the school as a church school is good

Christian leadership by the headteacher, her staff and foundation governors is good. This factor impacts significantly on the success of the school as a church school and provides pupils with opportunities to grow and develop within a very effective, caring and Christian ethos. The Headteacher has been in post for fifteen months and because of the dedication, commitment and enthusiasm of both staff and governing body, is in a very strong position to develop and enrich the school even further. The prospectus states that the school seeks to provide challenging and creative teaching situations within a Christian context, and this it

certainly succeeds in achieving. There is a real sense of “togetherness” in the school community and whilst a lack of space in some classrooms causes logistical problems, pupils are offered a vibrant environment within which to work and play. The Senior Management Team and foundation governors used the self-evaluation materials successfully and their judgements are fully supported by the inspector. Many parents recognise that St. Paul’s has a distinctive Christian quality, and whilst not all attend church weekly, they are keen to support and encourage the Christian ethos because of the positive effect on their children’s

personal development. The school successfully promotes an understanding of the meaning and significance of the Christian faith and values through the experiences it offers to pupils.  Governors have addressed all issues raised in the previous denominations inspection report.

SIAS Report March 2007. St Paul’s Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School,

Warrington Road, Goose Green, Wigan WN3 6SB

Below is the 2003 Ofsted Report under the guidance of Mr Ryder.

The following is a summary of the full report which was presented by the Inspector (Mrs. Prowse) to a meeting of the Governing Body on Monday, 24th February.

1. The school's extensive documentation was studied. Religious education lessons and acts of collective worship were examined.

2. The documentation revealed a strong whole-school policy towards denominational education. Good leadership, planning and management of RE and collective worship are evident.

3. A commendable Christian ethos permeates the school's everyday life. Relationships are good. Pupils and adults treat one another with consideration and respect.

4. Pupils throughout school have a positive attitude to learning.

5. There are strong links with the church and the local community. There are valued contributions to the school by parents and friends of the school.

6. The school encourages firm moral development in all its pupils. The clear identification of what the school values as right and wrong provides a sound framework for the children.

7. The pupils learn about their own culture and that of others and show respect for different points of view.

8. Religious Education is taught by a dedicated staff. These lessons make a strong contribution to pupils' spiritual social, moral and cultural development.

9. The pupils' parents express satisfaction with the school's provision of denominational education and its influence upon pupils' spiritual, social, moral and cultural development, and with the school's pastoral care and its links with church and community.

(A copy of the full report may be viewed on request at the school)