Blessed Sacrament Catholic Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Blessed Sacrament is a happy school. Leaders are highly ambitious and determined to give every pupil the best possible start to their education. Pupils develop into resilient and independent learners.

They are ready for secondary school and their place in the wider community.

Although this is a large primary school, leaders and staff know every pupil well. They are committed to keeping them safe.

Leaders work closely with parents and carers to improve all aspects of their children's development. For example, staff have worked alongside parents to develop pupils' reading skills and support pupils' mental health and well-being.

Pupils particularly enjo...y attending the activities provided beyond the school day.

These include an extensive range of extra-curricular activities and before- and after-school clubs. The school is particularly proud of those pupils who show an aptitude for music, debating, sports and arts.

Pupils are keen to take part in school life and do so with great enthusiasm.

Pupils enjoy excellent relationships with the adults who teach them. They behave well. Pupils who spoke with us said that there are very few cases of bullying and that, if it does happen, staff sort problems out quickly.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The headteacher, senior leaders and governors are ambitious for all pupils. Since the last inspection, leaders have redesigned their curriculum offer. They have raised expectations for all pupils and improved learning across different subjects.

Pupils are now learning more and remembering more.

School leaders have prioritised reading, writing and mathematics. Teachers have secure subject knowledge and the curriculum in these subjects is well structured.

Those pupils who sometimes lack confidence are well supported. This helps them to keep up with their classmates. The impact of this work is evident in the school's external results.

They show that Year 6 pupils are making much stronger progress in reading, writing and mathematics than they did in the past.

Leaders get children reading as soon as they start in Reception. They train teachers well and make sure that they have strong subject knowledge.

They organise phonics in a way that enables pupils to build their knowledge well. By the time they reach the end of Year 1, a large number of pupils reach the expected standard in the phonics screening check. Leaders have a well-planned curriculum in place.

This helps pupils to get better at reading year by year. Pupils develop a love of reading as they move through the school. One pupil told us that 'Reading lets you get away from reality and enter a world of mystery and magic.'



Leaders have designed a broad and ambitious curriculum. They have given careful consideration to how subjects such as science, geography and history should be taught. In these subjects, teachers order lessons well so that pupils' learning builds up over time.

However, in other subjects, teachers do not use assessment as effectively as they could to check what pupils have learned and remembered. This means that, sometimes, pupils are not as sure as they should be about the knowledge they have gained.

Leaders provide a rich array of opportunities to support pupils' personal and social development.

This is woven throughout the school. Staff in the school's nurture base provide good care and support for pupils whose circumstances make them vulnerable. Through a range of extra-curricular activities and trips, pupils have opportunities to develop resilience and independence.

These qualities help them develop into responsible young citizens.

Leaders have recently reorganised the support provided for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Previously, these pupils were often given additional support for reading, writing and mathematics during times when their classmates were studying other subjects.

This closed down their opportunity to achieve well across the whole curriculum. This has stopped. Pupils with SEND are fully involved in learning across all curriculum areas.

Leaders in the early years have an ambitious curriculum for all children. Staff are well trained and have strong knowledge about the areas of learning that they teach. They focus closely on developing children's language from the two-year-old provision onwards.

They plan plenty of opportunities across all areas of learning to increase the number of words children know. They teach phonics in a sensible order, starting with developing early listening skills. They keep checking that children understand what they are learning.

They give them support when they need it. By the time children leave the early years, the proportion achieving a good level of development is above the national average.

Leaders have worked effectively to improve pupils' attendance.

Leaders recognise that there is still more to do to make sure that fewer pupils are persistently absent.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

There are good procedures in place to keep pupils safe and secure.

Staff work well with a range of external agencies to support vulnerable pupils and their families. Leaders check that this support is making a positive difference to pupils' well-being.Staff receive appropriate safeguarding training.

As a result, they have a clear understanding of their role in keeping pupils safe. Pupils say they feel safe and if they have concerns, staff deal with them quickly and effectively.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

Pupils achieve well in reading, writing and mathematics.

The school's well-planned curriculum also helps them to learn well in science, geography and history. Leaders now need to ensure that, in other subjects, teachers use assessment more effectively to check pupils' understanding and to inform teaching. .

Despite leaders' work with parents, persistent absence remains stubbornly high for some pupils. As a result, their learning suffers and they do not achieve as well as they could. Leaders need to work effectively with parents to improve rates of attendance for pupils who are persistently absent.