St Bernard's Primary School

Overview

This monitoring inspection evaluated how leadership uses self-evaluation to drive improvement, specifically focusing on numeracy. However, because half the teaching staff did not cooperate due to industrial action, the inspectorate could not fully assess the quality of education. Consequently, the report states it is “unable to assure parents/carers... of the quality of education being provided for the children.”

Strengths

• The school development plan is based on “effective analysis of a range of data sources” and includes strategies to address barriers to learning in numeracy.
• “Very effective withdrawal groups,” provided by a specialist teacher, have a positive impact on children’s attainment in mathematics.
• The mathematics development programme is “linked strategically to the priorities in the SDP” and involves key staff in sharing best practice.

Areas to improve

• The “unsafe, temporary structure” of the rear boundary fence and incomplete building site works represent a risk to health and safety.
• Some teaching rooms have “insufficient vision panels.”

Safeguarding

The report states that safeguarding arrangements are “satisfactory” and reflect government guidance, with Year 7 pupils reporting they feel safe and know who to contact, though the inspectorate was “unable to evaluate fully the outworking of the arrangements for safeguarding across the whole school” due to the industrial action.