Our Lady of the Rosary RC Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and feel safe at the school.

They are proud of their learning in a range of subjects. Pupils enjoy and gain much from extra activities that are available to them. For example, they enthusiastically play netball, use the school zipwire or explore in the woodland area.

Almost all pupils benefited recently from weekly, after-school sessions to play a range of games led by staff.

Pupils undertake many roles to care for one another. They act thoughtfully to support other pupils' behaviour and learning.

Pupils said that it is easy to make friends at school. Older pupils make sure that younger children and pupils have friends too. Pupils ar...e kind and helpful towards people in the local community, such as elderly people.

Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve well. This is because leaders have high expectations for their learning.

Pupils at the school are polite to adults and to one another.

They respond to leaders' high expectations by behaving thoughtfully and sensibly. Pupils said that any bullying is sorted out immediately by leaders and staff.

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

Our Lady of the Rosary is a calm school.

A gentle hubbub of pupils' keen discussions in their learning activities can be heard throughout. Low-level disruption in classes is rare, which means that staff focus on teaching the curriculum. This is because of pupils' excellent behaviour.

In some subjects, such as mathematics, English and science, pupils achieve highly due to the carefully planned curriculum. However, in some other subjects, including in the early years, children and pupils do not always know all the essential knowledge that they should. This is because leaders do not identify the small chunks of knowledge that staff will teach pupils.

This leads to gaps in pupils' knowledge and understanding by the end of key stage 2. Leaders are acting to further improve the school's curriculum. For example, they are making prudent use of outside experts to assist staff as they revise their curriculum subject planning.

Teachers are able to check pupils' learning effectively in those subjects where the curriculum is well planned. Teachers at the school inspire pupils' thirst for new knowledge by planning interesting and worthwhile activities for pupils to complete. In mathematics, for example, staff inspire pupils to think and talk about their new learning.

Children in the Reception class can explain the many ways in which the number three can be represented by a group of objects or symbols because staff have taught them to do so.

Pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, quickly learn the sounds that letters represent. They gain the knowledge and skills that they need to become confident, fluent readers.

Well-trained staff give effective support to those pupils who need extra help with their reading. Teachers and teaching assistants enthuse children and pupils about stories, rhymes and poems. Older pupils read challenging texts that teachers recommend, or that they discover themselves in the school's many well-stocked library areas.

Children and pupils at the school enjoy books that stretch their reading skills, expose them to fascinating new words and fire their imagination.

Staff, including those in the early years, quickly identify children and pupils with SEND. They teach all pupils in each year group the same curriculum.

Where needed, staff teach information to pupils in smaller chunks. Leaders and staff make extensive links with other professionals, parents and carers to coordinate support for pupils with SEND.

Leaders and staff teach pupils to be responsible citizens.

For instance, pupils can explain the need for clean, renewable energy in buildings and cars. Leaders' and staff's work to give pupils high-quality learning beyond the academic subjects is first rate and a significant strength of the school. For instance, they carefully plan activities, events and extra opportunities to develop pupils' attitudes and character.

Pupils learn to care about elderly people through organised, doorstep visits to speak with those who may feel lonely. Pupils gain detailed, first-hand insight into the lives of homeless people in Manchester. They raise funds for charities that support people in need.

They learn much about the important contributions of people of different backgrounds to advances in human development, such as Mary Jackson in space exploration and Barack Obama in politics.

Leaders manage staff's workload effectively. They ensure that all staff feel valued.

Governors are committed to their roles. They are supportive of leaders. However, they do not have a clear understanding of which aspects and subjects of the school's curriculum leaders should improve further.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff, including those in the early years, listen carefully to children's and pupils' views and concerns. Leaders train all staff to understand the risks to pupils' safety in the local area, as well as nationally and online.

Staff check for any signs that pupils may be at risk of harm. They teach pupils to stay safe online, including about the dangers of using social media. They also help pupils to know how to stay safe when visiting parks or walking near roads.

Leaders work effectively with other agencies where necessary to safeguard pupils. Governors carefully check the school's arrangements for safeguarding.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Leaders' plans for some subject curriculums do not make clear the components of knowledge that children and pupils will be taught.

This means that they do not develop all the knowledge that they need. Leaders should make certain that all curriculums, including in the early years, precisely identify the small building blocks of knowledge that staff will teach. ? Governors do not have a precise understanding of which aspects and subjects of the school's curriculum need further work by leaders and staff.

This weakness holds back their ability to challenge leaders about pupils' education. Governors should ensure that they fully understand the strengths and weaknesses of the school's curriculum so they can better hold leaders to account for the work of the school. ? The transition arrangements were used on this inspection to confirm that pupils benefit from a good-quality education.

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