Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending this warm and welcoming school. They enjoy their learning and strive to live up to the school's high expectations.

They are helped to do this through a culture of support and encouragement. Pupils achieve well in most subjects.

Pupils behave well during most aspects of the school day.

This is evident in classrooms and in the way pupils move around the school calmly and sensibly. Pupils feel safe at school. They know when and how to seek help.

They trust staff to take them seriously and to sort out any problems if they arise.

Pupils enjoy taking part in the wide range of clubs and activities. They develop a strong sense... of responsibility taking on many different ambassador roles.

Their ideas are valued and acted on. For example, reading ambassadors support the school's 'book swap' and subject ambassadors help staff to reward other pupils for high-quality work.

Recent staffing changes in the early years have led to a period of instability.

Positive changes are being made. However, the curriculum is not delivered as intended in some areas. As a result, children do not get off to the strongest start as they are not fully settled into the school's routines and expectations.

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

The school has developed an ambitious curriculum. The key knowledge and subject specific vocabulary that pupils should learn in each subject has been carefully identified. Parents and carers appreciate the curriculum workshops on offer that help them to understand how to support their children's learning.

In many subjects, pupils secure a strong body of knowledge over time. In these subjects, staff use a range of strategies to check what pupils have understood so that any misunderstandings that some pupils develop in their learning are addressed promptly. This helps pupils to reach high standards in their learning over time.

However, at times, in a small number of subjects, the curriculum is not delivered as the school intends. When this happens, staff do not teach pupils to develop the identified skills in sufficient depth and do not highlight the subject-specific vocabulary pupils should learn. As a result, work is not of the high standards seen in most subjects and pupils' knowledge and understanding are less secure.

Reading is a key area of focus for the school. By the time pupils leave the school, they achieve extremely well. The school has put in place a phonics programme that builds pupils' phonics knowledge well over time.

Staff swiftly identify anyone falling behind with the programme and put in place effective support. This helps pupils to become confident and fluent readers. However, in the early years, this programme is not being delivered as intended.

Some children are not having enough opportunities to practise the new sounds they have learned. This slows down their learning.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported to work on learning tasks alongside their peers.

The school identifies and meets their needs to enable them to achieve well. Teachers make sure that pupils with SEND are aware of what they are learning. This helps pupils to understand what is coming next.

Pupils have access to a range of resources to support their learning. For example, mathematics 'toolkit bags' provide pupils with physical prompts to help them understand their learning.

Pupils are courteous and behave well.

Their positive attitudes to learning are reflected in their high rates of attendance. They follow instructions with thought and care. They have a strong sense of what is right and wrong.

However, in the early years, the routines and expectations for participation have not been fully established. This means that children are not always engaged purposely with learning activities.

The personal development of pupils is well considered.

Pupils have a strong understanding of being healthy, both physically and mentally. They develop a strong understanding of relationship equalities and fundamental British values. There are many effective systems in place that support pupils' pastoral needs.

They know how to keep themselves safe, including online. Pupils learn throughout the curriculum about different careers, and they experience a wealth of educational visits to broaden their horizons. This helps them to be aspirational about their futures.

Governors have the right skills to challenge and support the school. Their work is effective. The school prioritises staff's well-being and considers their workload carefully.

Staff feel listened to. They collaborate on improvements to the curriculum and carry out their roles with enjoyment and pride.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Children in the early years are not well enough prepared for the next stages of their education. The expectations for participation and the learning activities that staff design do not ensure that children consistently practise and apply their new learning. The school should ensure that staff receive training to enable them to implement a curriculum in the early years that helps children to be well prepared for their next steps.

• In a minority of subjects, teachers do not design activities with sufficient depth in order to meet the aims of the ambitious curriculum. This means that pupils do not have a firm enough understanding of important concepts and subject-specific vocabulary. The school should ensure that the work that teachers give to pupils is closely matched to the aims of the intended curriculum.