St Andrew’s Catholic Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The values of faith, unity and excellence are embedded in this warm and welcoming school. Pupils are a delight to talk to, they are proud and happy to attend the school and love to discuss their learning and the wider experiences they enjoy.

Pupils are safe and know that if they have any concerns, they can alert staff by using the classroom 'talk boxes' or talking to a trusted adult.

Bullying is rare. If things go wrong, pupils know staff will deal with it quickly and appropriately.

The school has high aspirations for all pupils from the moment that they arrive, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Pupils enjoy t...heir learning and take part in lessons with enthusiasm. As a result, pupils achieve highly across the curriculum.

Pupils' behaviour is exemplary.

This is because routines are firmly established and pupils know what is expected of them. Pupils are resilient and motivated learners and are polite to staff and to each other.

The school provides exceptional opportunities for pupils' personal development.

There is a rich offer of clubs and trips and pupils engage in leadership roles and activities that support the wider community.

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

Leaders have designed a highly ambitious curriculum to provide pupils with a well sequenced body of knowledge from early years to the end of Year 6.

The school focuses on early reading to ensure that pupils can access learning in other subjects.

As soon as they enter Reception, children start learning phonics. Any pupils who fall behind are quickly identified and staff ensure they receive the support needed to catch up. Staff make sure that pupils read books which match the sounds they know.

The enjoyment of reading is also fostered, for example, by teachers reading to each class every day and the use of the library bus in the school playground.

In some subjects, the school adapts and enhances published programmes of work to enrich pupils' learning. Any gaps and misconceptions in pupils' knowledge and skills are identified and addressed through ongoing assessment in lessons, and by regular revisiting and recalling of previous learning.

Leaders ensure that pupils with SEND are swiftly identified and appropriate support is put in place, including working with specialists, adaptation of activities when needed, and support from additional adults.

A focus on language throughout the school means pupils can express their thoughts and ideas clearly. For example, in mathematics pupils use full sentences to answer questions about bar charts.

Teachers provide opportunities to deepen pupils' learning by linking it across different subjects. For example, in art pupils study a Japanese artist, which also aids their understanding of world geography and volcanoes, and in geography pupils use their knowledge of angles when looking at lines of longitude.

In early years, the curriculum is new and parts of it are still embedding.

Mathematics and literacy development are strong and this helps to ensure that children are well prepared for their next stages of learning. Curriculum thinking clearly links learning in the early years to subjects taught in later years to support pupils as they move through the school. However, for a few areas of the curriculum there is less clarity about the key knowledge that should be learned.

Consequently, there is some variability in how well adults support pupils with their learning and a few activities are not as purposeful as others in the provision.

Pupils' behaviour is excellent. They respect and listen to adults and to each other.

Their attitudes to their learning are consistently positive and they demonstrate an ability to persevere when they find something difficult. Attendance is strong. Leaders act quickly on any identified concerns and offer support to those that need it.

The school provides a wide array of enriching experiences for pupils. This includes after school clubs, such as football, art and chess club. The school enables all pupils to attend clubs if they wish to do so.

A range of trips is planned throughout the school year, for example, to museums and places of worship and the Year 6 residential trip. Pupils are proud of the way they contribute to the school and the local community, for example, by becoming digital leaders and sports ambassadors and donating to local charities and food banks.

Leaders at all levels, including governors, share a strong commitment to ongoing school improvement.

Staff speak highly of the training they receive and know their workload and well-being are considered. Parents and carers are hugely positive about the school and the care and high standards it offers.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.