Catton Grove Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Catton Grove is at the heart of the local community. Pupils enjoy coming to school. They are happy and safe because adults are kind.

They know pupils as individuals. Adults care deeply about pupils. This means that pupils are well looked after.

Their social and emotional needs are well met.

Bullying is rare. If friends fall out, adults are quick to help them get things back on track.

Pupils know that they are expected to behave well and work hard. Pupils live up to these high expectations, during lessons and around the school.

Pupils take part in many activities outside of the classroom.

Pupils benefit from attending the range of cl...ubs on offer, such as gardening, choir and gymnastics. The recent 'Catton's Got Talent' competition allowed pupils to showcase their individual talents. Pupils have many and varied opportunities to discover the world outside of Catton Grove.

Pupils appreciate that they are shown the possibilities that lie ahead for them.

Children in the Nursery are well cared for, including children who are two years old. These very young children benefit from the nurturing environment that skilled adults provide.

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

Since the previous inspection, leaders have galvanised the staff team to ensure the school goes from strength to strength. The curriculum has been designed with care to give pupils a broad range of knowledge in every subject. Pupils' new knowledge builds upon what they already know.

This helps pupils to deepen their learning across the curriculum.

Pupils learn well because teachers have strong subject knowledge. Teachers explain new ideas and concepts clearly.

Teachers provide pupils with 'lock it in' activities to help them recall and remember their previous learning. In most subjects, teachers use assessment well to identify any gaps in pupils' learning and adapt their teaching. However, in a few subjects, the systems leaders use to check how well pupils learn are still being developed.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive effective support and guidance. Adults carefully adapt the activities these pupils complete so that can they learn successfully.

Leaders are determined that all pupils will become confident and fluent readers.

The school's chosen phonics programme is expertly taught because adults receive high-quality training. They are skilled at supporting those pupils who need extra help with reading. Pupils read books that enable them to practise the precise sounds they learn in lessons.

This helps them to catch up quickly. The well-stocked library provides pupils with a vast array of books to choose to read for pleasure. This, along with regular story times in each class, helps pupils develop a real love for reading.

Children in the Nursery and Reception classes receive high-quality provision. Adults know the importance of helping children to learn and use many new words. They do this skilfully.

The outdoor area provides a wonderful space for children to develop their physical skills, through digging, climbing and running. The emotional and care needs of two-year-olds are well met.

Pupils access a wide personal development programme.

Pupils learn how they can make a difference in their local area, such as by taking part in the annual Lord Mayor's Parade. Pupils develop a rich understanding of people from different cultures and faiths. Many learn musical instruments, such as the ukulele and piano.

Pupils delight in showing their musical talents through the school's many productions. These opportunities help pupils develop their confidence and broaden their horizons as they move through the school.

Pupils' well-being takes high priority.

Their emotional needs are extremely well met, for example through taking time to relax in the Japanese well-being garden or talking about their worries or problems with trained staff. Pupils have a clear understanding of different relationships due to the well-established 'healthy body, healthy minds' curriculum.

Pupils behave well in lessons.

This means they can concentrate on their work without being distracted by others.

The members of the small governing body are committed and work hard in their roles. They receive useful information from leaders to help them see what is working well and what needs to be better.

Despite their commitment, collectively, governors do not have the necessary range of knowledge and expertise to fully hold leaders to account.

Staff are proud to be part of the Catton Grove community. Senior leaders take great care to look after staff and manage their workload.

Senior leaders provide effective training to further develop teachers' leadership skills. This ensures teachers have the necessary knowledge and confidence to oversee their areas of responsibility.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders provide relevant and regular training so that staff know how to spot if a pupil may be at risk of harm. Everyone is vigilant. Leaders act quickly if a pupil needs additional help or support.

The required checks are carried out on all staff before they start to work at the school. However, governors do not always make sure these checks are recorded precisely. Leaders resolved a small number of administrative weaknesses which were identified during the inspection.

Pupils know how to keep themselves safe. Older pupils know the risks, along with the benefits, of using the internet to communicate with others.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a small number of the foundation subjects, assessment practices are not well developed.

Leaders do not have an accurate view of how well pupils learn in these subjects over time. Leaders need to adapt and strengthen their assessment processes in these subjects. This will support teachers to identify any gaps in pupils' learning and plan future lessons that are closely matched to pupils' next steps across all subjects.

• Governors do not always have secure enough expertise to ask sufficiently probing questions about leaders' actions. They do not monitor the impact of these actions as closely as they might. Some systems for checking how well the school is doing lack rigour.

Leaders must ensure that governors receive further training so that they know how to scrutinise the effectiveness of leaders' actions. Governors need to have a clear and accurate view of the school's strengths and weaknesses. This will enable governors to hold leaders to account and ensure that the school continues to improve.