St Augustine’s Catholic Primary School and Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

St Augustine's Catholic Primary School and Nursery continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are well cared for and staff at all levels know them well. Pupils trust adults to listen to them if they have any concerns or worries.

They enjoy coming to school and feel safe.

The school wants its pupils to 'aspire not to have more but to be more.' Pupils rise to this.

They achieve well, particularly in reading, writing, and mathematics. The school is refining some of its curriculum thinking to enable pupils to achieve as highly in other subjects.

Pupils are kind and polite.

Pupils in the higher years cherish every opp...ortunity to help the younger pupils. As children start in Reception, for example, their buddies in Year 6 help them navigate the playground. The school does all it reasonably can to help pupils attend school regularly.

The school is a diverse community where differences are celebrated. Pupils on the equality council gather the views of other pupils on subjects such as the curriculum. The school helps pupils learn about the world of work with visitors from different careers and professions.

Pupils cherish the leadership roles with which they are entrusted. They experience democracy first-hand as they elect their school council representatives.

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

The school places a high importance on teaching pupils how to read.

As soon as children start in Nursery, they are taught to distinguish sounds found in their environment. When they move to Reception, they begin learning phonics right from the start. Staff have received high-quality training in the delivery of the phonics curriculum.

They provide pupils with opportunities to practise their letter sounds. Pupils regularly read books which contains sounds they already know. Assessment information is used well.

For example, pupils who fall behind in their phonics knowledge are identified promptly. These pupils receive effective support and catch up quickly. Pupils have a genuine love of reading and of books.

They enjoy hearing adults read to them daily. As a result, pupils gain confidence to read fluently.

The school has constructed a comprehensive curriculum.

It is ambitious and coherent. Learning is sequenced in a way that allows for pupils to acquire sufficient knowledge over time. For example, in physical education (PE), children in Reception, begin to learn how to throw and catch a beanbag.

This prepares them well for when they learn ball games in Year 1. By the time pupils get to Year 6, they are proficient at using defensive skills when playing football.

The curriculum has built in opportunities for pupils to practise and consolidate knowledge and skills across a wide range of subjects.

Children in the nursery, for example, had been learning the number 5. They were then introduced to activities indoors and outdoors based on the number 5. Similarly, pupils across the school practise their arithmetic skills frequently.

Sometimes however, pupils' understanding of subject-specific vocabulary is not as accurate as it should be. This means that pupils do not understand some subject-knowledge as effectively as they could.

Teachers deliver the curriculum skilfully.

They often give pupils effective models and resources to help them understand what they are learning. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are identified promptly. Staff adapt their teaching and the resources they use to support pupils with SEND to gain similar knowledge as their peers.

Occasionally however, teachers do not ensure that pupils have a secure understanding of the foundational knowledge required for them to make sense of and understand new knowledge and concepts. In these instances, pupils do not reach their full potential.

Pupils work hard in lessons.

They try their best to complete tasks assigned to them. They work sensibly with each other. Disruptions to learning are rare.

These positive attitudes support pupils to learn well.

The school provides pupils with plenty of opportunities to promote their personal development. Pupils are taught about healthy relationships, both online and offline.

The school helps pupils to get to know the about the people they regularly encounter. They are encouraged to get acquainted with the people who look after them in school, at home, and in the community. The school takes advantage of the school's location in enriching pupils' experiences.

This includes organising a varied range of school trips that complement the taught curriculum. There is also a wide range of after school clubs on offer and take up is high.

Staff appreciate the additional time given to them to carry out their assigned responsibilities.

Processes have been streamlined to ensure their workload remains manageable.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Sometimes, pupils' understanding of subject-specific vocabulary is not as accurate as it should be.

This results in pupils not understanding subject knowledge as specifically as they should. Leaders need to ensure that pupils are supported to understand subject-specific vocabulary precisely. ? Occasionally, teachers do not ensure that pupils have the required basic knowledge to understand new learning.

When this happens, pupils struggle to make sense of new concepts. Teachers need to make sure pupils have a secure foundational knowledge upon which they can build before they introduce new ideas.

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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in June 2018.