St Austin’s Catholic Primary School and Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Main findings

St Austin's is a good school.

It has improved considerably since the last inspection under the dynamic leadership of the headteacher, who is well supported by an able senior leadership team. The school provides a caring ethos for all pupils. It is a welcoming and nurturing place where they feel safe and secure.

This is reflected in the above average attendance of pupils. A parent summed up the feeling of the community by saying that, 'The school creates a loving and caring environment for my children.' Pupils are polite, courteous and happy.

Their good spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is demonstrated in the way they work and play together. Pupils are proud of their s...chool and make a good contribution to it. Children make a good start in the Early Years Foundation Stage.

The transition into Year 1 is not as smooth as it should be. Nevertheless, the pupils make good progress in Key Stages 1 and 2. They reach average attainment in mathematics and English by the end of Year 6.

All groups of pupils achieve well. A rich range of extra-curricular activities contribute to pupils' good understanding of how to adopt a healthy lifestyle and develops their knowledge of the world around them. Teaching is good but pupils are not always given the opportunity to be independent.

The use of assessment has improved and is now good which allows the teachers to provide a curriculum that meets the needs of all groups, particularly those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Lessons move at a good pace but marking is not yet consistent in providing all pupils with a clear indication of their next steps for learning. In addition, pupils are not always given enough time to respond to the teacher's comments.

The senior leadership team, staff and governing body are all motivated and ambitious. They are all committed to bringing further improvement and raising pupils' achievement. They have a clear understanding of the school's strengths, and have compiled robust action plans to address weaknesses.

All of these features underpin the school's good capacity to improve further. The senior leaders now monitor, evaluate and provide a clear direction for the school. However, although some middle leaders manage the subjects they lead effectively, others are relatively new to the role and are yet to take the lead in planning and implementing activities that will bring further rapid improvements to the outcomes for pupils.

Information about the school

The school is smaller than the average primary school. The proportion of pupils known to eligible for free school meals is slightly below average. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is broadly average, although the proportion with a statement for special educational needs mainly due to learning difficulties, is below average.

The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups and the proportion who speak English as an additional language are above average. A high number of pupils join or leave partway through their primary school education. The school holds the following awards: Anti-Bullying Pledge Plus, Healthy Schools status, Eco Schools Award, Full Dyslexia Friendly Status and the ActiveMark.

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