Our Lady of Grace RC Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Our Lady of Grace RC Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy belonging to this school community.

Leaders have created an atmosphere of welcome and calm. They ensure that pupils learn to treat each other kindly. Pupils value this and enjoy participating in a kindness challenge.

They said that they help each other and that they are encouraged to treat everyone with respect.

Children in the early years develop strong relationships with staff as soon as they arrive in the school. This helps the children, including those in the Nursery Year, to settle quickly into routines that promote learning.

Leaders... are ambitious for all pupils to do well. Leaders have designed a high-quality curriculum that is delivered effectively. Pupils said that they enjoy their learning.

They achieve highly.

Pupils behave well, in accordance with leaders' high expectations. They said that bullying is rare.

If it happens, it is dealt with decisively by leaders. This helps pupils to feel safe and happy.

Leaders provide a range of extra-curricular opportunities for pupils, such as art club, gardening club and computing club.

Pupils feel that they have a voice in this school. Members of the school council spoke with pride about decisions that they had been involved in. For example, they requested and received equipment for pupils to use at breaktimes.

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

Leaders have created an ambitious curriculum for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders have established a collaborative approach to curriculum development. This strengthens teachers' understanding of how the curriculum is organised so that they know what pupils have learned before and what they will learn next.

This helps teachers to ensure that pupils' learning progresses logically over time.

Subject leaders have thought carefully about what pupils should learn in their subjects. They have identified the important knowledge that pupils should know.

In most subjects, teachers ensure that pupils regularly revisit this learning. This helps pupils to build their knowledge securely. Leaders have designed the curriculum so that other subjects have focus weeks.

Pupils enjoy these learning experiences. They said that they are memorable. Pupils revisit their learning in these subjects.

However, teachers do not ensure that this revisiting has a sharp focus on the important knowledge that pupils should learn. As a result, some pupils do not remember the key facts that they need for their future learning.

Teachers have strong subject knowledge.

They explain new ideas clearly to pupils. Teachers are swift to identify and address any misconceptions that arise. When they detect gaps in pupils' learning, they provide support in a timely way to help them to keep up.

Leaders have thorough systems in place to identify the needs of pupils with SEND. Staff provide appropriate support to these pupils to ensure that they can access the same curriculum as their peers.

Leaders promote a love of reading across the school.

They ensure that pupils practise reading every day. This helps pupils to become fluent readers. All pupils, from the early years to Year 6, visit the school library regularly.

Older pupils support younger pupils by listening to them read.

Pupils begin learning phonics from the start of the Reception Year. They have daily phonics sessions when they are introduced to the sounds and their corresponding letters.

Teachers know precisely which sounds pupils should know and when they should learn them. Any pupils who are struggling to keep up are identified quickly. They receive the support that they need to catch up.

This helps pupils to develop into confident readers.

Learning is rarely disrupted by poor behaviour. Pupils are attentive and respectful to their teachers during lessons.

During breaktimes, pupils enjoy being with their friends. Leaders provide a range of spaces for pupils to use in their free time, such as the library, the computer suite and the yard. This means that pupils have access to quiet spaces if they want them.

Leaders provide a wide-ranging programme to support pupils' personal development. This prepares pupils for life in modern Britain, for example by teaching them about different religions and the rule of law. Leaders emphasise positive mental well-being through a programme that helps pupils understand the brain, how it works and how it impacts on their emotions and behaviour.

Governors are committed to supporting leaders to provide a high-quality education that inspires pupils and is relevant to their lives. Staff appreciate actions that leaders have taken to reduce their workload, particularly through their approach to working collaboratively. Staff spoke positively about the ways in which leaders support their well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders know pupils well. Staff understand how to identify pupils who may be at risk.

Leaders have ensured that there are clear processes in place for staff to report any concerns that they have about pupils. Leaders work well with external agencies to get appropriate support for the pupils who need it. A good example is the employment of an art therapist.

Pupils learn about how to stay safe through the wider curriculum. This includes learning about practical safety, such as road safety, as well as learning about how to stay safe online.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, the activities that teachers use to revisit learning do not focus effectively on the key information that pupils should know.

This means that some pupils do not remember the important knowledge that they have learned. Leaders should ensure that teachers provide timely opportunities for pupils to revisit key knowledge, so that pupils' prior learning is secure before they move on.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called an ungraded inspection and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in October 2012.