St Alban’s Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and enjoy being part of this caring and welcoming school.

They know that staff care about them as individuals. The school makes sure pupils are safe and feel secure.

The school has high ambitions for pupils' academic achievement.

Most pupils meet the school's expectations in reading, writing and mathematics. However, in some other subjects, pupils do not learn all that they should.

Pupils behave typically well during lessons.

Classrooms are purposeful. Pupils trust that staff will help them with any worries or concerns that they may have. They are delighted that their achievements do not go unnoticed by the staff.

P...upils strive to be the best that they can be. They are polite, respectful and well-mannered.

Pupils are proud of the positive contributions that they make to the school.

For example, pupils in the gardening and 'go green' groups have raised money for recycling and growing activities. Pupils have identified charities to support that are close to their hearts. They want to help the world and make a difference.

Pupils benefit from trips locally and further afield that widen their horizons. They enjoy the residentials that help to build their independence.

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

The school provides a broad and ambitious curriculum.

Staff have secure subject knowledge and deliver the curriculum in an engaging way. By the end of Year 6, pupils achieve in line with national expectations in reading, writing and mathematics. In other parts of the curriculum, some subjects are not as well embedded.

For a couple of subjects, the school has not clearly defined the most important knowledge that it wants pupils to learn. This limits the depth in which pupils learn. In addition, some subject leaders are at an early stage of overseeing the implementation and impact of the curriculum in their subjects.

The school's reading curriculum ensures that pupils experience high-quality texts from the early years to Year 6. Teachers use regular assessments to identify any pupils who require further support. These pupils get the help that they need to catch up quickly.

The school matches reading books carefully to the sounds that pupils know. It has trained all staff in the phonics scheme. However, sometimes the teaching of phonics and early writing lacks precision and is not delivered consistently well.

This means that some pupils are not fully confident in remembering sounds and letters and using these in their reading and early letter formation. As a result, some do not learn how to write fluently and form letters as well as they should.

In some curriculum areas, such as phonics and mathematics, teachers carefully check what pupils know.

However, in other subjects, the school does not check sufficiently what pupils have learned and remembered over time. This means that often gaps in learning are not addressed and learning moves on before pupils have secured the knowledge they need.

Children in the early years have a positive start to their school journey.

Effective transition arrangements ensure children settle into school typically well. Children enjoy exploring different themes in their book of the week. Well-planned activities help children to develop important skills and knowledge.

For example, children develop their fine motor skills when making animal homes and bird feeders based on their latest class book.

Skilled staff quickly identify the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). These pupils benefit from well-targeted adaptations to the delivery of the curriculum.

This enables them to follow the school's curriculum successfully.

From early years onwards, pupils learn to follow clear routines. This helps to make the school a settled and focused learning environment.

Attendance rates are high. Where necessary, the school provides appropriate support and encouragement to successfully reduce absence.

The programme to support pupils' personal development prepares them well for life in modern Britain.

Pupils learn to become responsible young people. They value the many differences between themselves and others. Pupils relish opportunities to develop their leadership skills.

For example, older pupils act as buddies, prefects and play leaders. In these roles, they foster a family approach across school. Pupils are humble in the way that they share their talents with others in school, showing great maturity.

Most staff believe that the school considers their workload and well-being well. They appreciate how their time is allocated outside of the classroom for aspects of their roles. The governing body and trust work well with the school.

They provide support and challenge, with a shared focus on continuing to improve the quality of education that the school provides for pupils.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, leaders do not have a clear oversight of curriculum effectiveness.

This means that they do not know if the curriculum is having the intended impact and what changes are needed to improve the curriculum. The school should ensure that subject leaders have the skills and knowledge to oversee their subject areas effectively. ? There is some variability in curriculum implementation.

This includes approaches to checking pupils' learning and opportunities for pupils to recap and practise prior learning. Where this is the case, pupils do not achieve as well as they should. The school should ensure that the curriculum is implemented consistently well across subjects.

• In some subjects, the school is not clear about the most important knowledge that pupils should learn. This means that some pupils do not learn to the depth that they should. The school should ensure that, in these subjects, the most important knowledge is identified so that pupils can deepen their understanding of these subjects over time.

• There are inconsistencies in how early reading and letter formation are taught, even though the school has a systematic and well-planned approach to early reading and writing, including phonics. This means that some pupils do not secure the key knowledge they need to become confident readers and writers. The school should ensure that staff have the skills and knowledge to implement the phonics programme consistently well.

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