St Edward’s Catholic Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including children in early years, enjoy coming to this school. Leaders have created a warm environment that helps pupils to feel happy and safe.

Pupils strive to learn together in a caring manner. They live up to the school motto of 'To love, to serve and learn'. Pupils benefit from strong and supportive relationships with staff and their peers.

One pupil summed up the views of many when they said, 'It is hard to be a stranger in our school. It is so easy to make friends.'

Pupils behave well.

They are well mannered and respectful towards staff and each other. Leaders deal with incidents of poor behaviour, such as bullying, swiftly and with ...sensitivity.

Leaders have high aspirations for all pupils, including those pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

However, these aspirations are not fully realised. Pupils do not achieve as well as they should in a number of subjects. This is because, over time, pupils have not benefited from an ambitious curriculum that enables them to know and remember more.

Pupils enjoy the range of clubs that they attend, such as art, choir and cooking. They described how they enjoy spending time with their school fish and Lizzie and Beth, their school hens.

Pupils enjoy taking part in regular music sessions.

They sing enthusiastically. Pupils carry out leadership responsibilities with pride, such as being members of the school council. They relish the opportunity to support charities through their fundraising initiatives, such as selling knitted Christmas baubles and supporting the shoebox appeal.

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

Until recently, the curriculum that pupils followed was not clear enough about what pupils needed to learn. Leaders have begun to devise a more aspirational curriculum for children in the early years and for pupils in key stages 1 and 2. They have begun to ensure that key knowledge is taught in a logical order.

However, this work is at different stages of development. The impact of the new curriculum on pupils' learning is variable.

In some subjects, including reading and mathematics, leaders have identified the important knowledge that pupils will learn and when this will be taught.

This means that pupils, including those with SEND, are able to build on what they have learned before. In these subjects, pupils achieve well.

In many other subjects, leaders are at the early stages of pinpointing what pupils should learn and when this will be taught.

As a result, teachers are not clear about what to teach or the order in which new subject content should be taught. This hinders teachers from designing learning that helps children and pupils to build up their knowledge over time. It also means that teachers are unsure what to assess to check that pupils have remembered their learning.

This prevents teachers from checking on misconceptions and it hampers pupils' achievement.

Staff have been trained well to teach the new phonics programme. They check pupils' progress through this programme carefully and provide effective support to those pupils who are not keeping up.

The books that pupils read allow them to practise the sounds that they know. Teachers read regularly to pupils. This, together with a new library and 'book barn', has helped to foster pupils' love of reading.

Over time, most pupils develop into confident and fluent readers.

Pupils, including children in the early years, behave well in class and around the school. They are keen to learn.

Pupils are considerate of others. They follow routines and abide by the school's rules. This means that disruption to learning is rare.

Leaders have ensured that pupils with SEND have their needs identified in a timely way. Pupils with SEND access the same curriculum as their peers. However, as is the case for other pupils, some pupils with SEND do not achieve as well as they should due to weakness in some subject curriculums.

Leaders have thought carefully about how to promote pupils' personal development. Pupils are taught to value diversity in the world. They develop a mature understanding of the importance of equality.

Pupils develop as active citizens and are fully involved in school life. They have a secure understanding of healthy relationships and are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

Leaders, including members of the governing body, have an accurate understanding of what is working well and what needs to improve.

Staff are proud to work at the school. They appreciate the support that leaders give to their workload and well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders ensure that staff receive regular safeguarding training. Staff understand how to spot if a pupil might be at risk from harm. Staff act on any concerns promptly.

Leaders work closely with parents, carers and external agencies to ensure that pupils get the support that they need.

Pupils know how to stay safe. They learn about the different risks that they may face and how to manage these.

For example, pupils learn about how to stay safe online.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Leaders have not clearly identified the key knowledge that they want pupils, including children in the early years, to learn and when this should be taught in all subjects. As a result, teachers are unsure what should be taught.

This hinders the achievement of pupils, including those with SEND. Leaders should ensure that teachers know what pupils should learn and when this should happen so that pupils can build their knowledge securely over time. ? In some subjects, teachers are uncertain how to check if pupils have learned what they should.

This is because the curriculum does not make it clear what pupils should know and remember. Teachers are not able to check for misconceptions to stop gaps in learning emerging. Leaders should ensure that teachers are able to check that pupils have gained the knowledge that is intended.