St Therese’s R.C. School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

During her first year, the headteacher has established a vision and aims for the school which centre around developing pupils' life skills and positive well-being. All leaders provide strong support to realise the school's aims.

There are warm, respectful relationships between staff and pupils. Teachers manage pupils' behaviour well, resulting in a calm, collaborative culture in lessons. There is a strong focus on everybody's well-being in the school.

Teaching assistants provide valuable support for pupils' learning and social development. The Family Engagement Worker (FEW) supports families very effectively to improve attendance and parental engagement in school life. Most pupils are courteous and welcoming and nearly all... pupils who are new to the school settle in well.

Most pupils feel safe in school, and they know who to go to if they need help. Staff work together to provide a curriculum that engages pupils successfully and meets their learning needs effectively. Most pupils make good progress during their time at the school.

Recent improvements to provision for the teaching of literacy and numeracy have a good impact on the standards pupils achieve. However, the school needs to provide more opportunities for pupils to practise writing at length and in different ways. Teachers enhance the curriculum with interesting trips and visitors to school.

There are opportunities for pupils to hear the Welsh language daily. Although most pupils participate in Welsh lessons enthusiastically, their confidence to speak Welsh in simple conversations is underdeveloped. The school encourages pupils to play an active part in helping others in school and in the local community through the active pupil groups.

These groups influence decisions that affect all pupils in the school, but older pupils do not make enough decisions about their own learning in lessons. There is a range of worthwhile extra-curricular opportunities on offer and regular opportunities to take physical exercise and learn about being healthy during the school day. Recommendations R1 Increase pupils' opportunities to write at length across the curriculum R2 Improve pupils' spoken Welsh around the school R3 Ensure that pupils make decisions about how and what they learn in lessons What happens next The school will draw up an action plan to show how it is going to address the recommendations of the inspection.