St Edward’s Catholic Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils and staff are proud to be members of this school. Together, they ensure that the school's Catholic values of generosity, compassion and curiosity shine through everything they do. The school is ambitious for pupils to achieve well in their academic studies and personal lives.

Pupils enjoy learning and spending time with their friends. They are well prepared for the next stage of their education by the time they leave the school in Year 6.

Relationships between adults and pupils are a strength of the school.

Pupils feel safe and well cared for. They are confident that staff would help them with any worries they have. Pupils behave well and show respect ...for adults and each other.

The atmosphere at the school is calm and purposeful.

Pupils are keen to take on positions of responsibility. This includes some being members of the school council, liturgy leaders or subject ambassadors.

Pupils feel listened to and say that their ideas are taken seriously. Pupils also enjoy opportunities to join sports clubs and take part in many sporting competitions with other schools.

Parents and carers express very positive opinions of the school.

They appreciate the opportunities that the school provides their children.

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

There have been significant improvements at the school because the school has worked hard to enhance the quality of education that it provides. Pupils benefit from an ambitious curriculum that sets out what they are expected to learn and when.

Teachers place an emphasis on teaching the subject-specific vocabulary pupils must learn to read, understand and use. They expect all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to take part in lessons and achieve well. The majority of pupils make strong progress through the curriculum.

The school ensures that pupils have regular opportunities to revisit key information they have been taught before. This helps pupils to remember more over time. Pupils are enthusiastic about the topics they learn and talk confidently about what they have been taught.

In some subjects, such as history, staff expect pupils to apply their knowledge in pieces of writing. Many pupils do this well. Adults make useful checks on what pupils know and remember.

However, in some subjects, the information provided by these checks is not always used effectively. This means that occasionally the tasks teachers set are not well matched to pupils' knowledge or needs.

Staff are suitably expert in teaching pupils how to read.

Children learn to read as soon as they start Reception. Staff have strong subject knowledge and use this well to support pupils who are at risk of falling behind. Pupils practise reading using books that match the sounds they know.

This helps them to become confident readers. Older pupils are beginning to choose a wide range of authors when they read for pleasure.

The curriculum in the early years is carefully arranged to meet the needs of children.

The school works in partnership with families before children join the school. This helps staff to understand the needs and interests of every child. The partnership between school and families continues over time.

For example, parents are invited to workshops to help them to support their children's learning at home.

The school works effectively to identify any additional needs that pupils have. Pupils with SEND are well supported to access the curriculum alongside their peers.

A small number of pupils experience a personalised curriculum that is well matched to their needs. Pupils with SEND are fully included in all aspects of school life.

Pupils have positive attitudes to learning and are proud of their work.

They say that everyone gets on well at school and that any friendship issues are quickly sorted out. Pupils who join the school feel welcomed and make new friends quickly.

The school's approach to pupils' academic and personal development is underpinned by the school's 'Children's Charter'.

This focuses on developing pupils' character traits to help them in their future lives. Pupils are respectful of the differences people have and understand why it is important to treat everyone fairly. The school ensures that pupils gain a secure understanding of what it means to be physically and mentally well.

Pupils learn about safe and healthy relationships from an early age.

Staff enjoy working at the school. They feel valued and supported.

The school supports the well-being of all staff. Governors are deeply committed to the school and are ambitious for pupils and staff. The multi-academy company (MAC) knows the school well and recognises the improvements that have been made in recent years.

It provides effective support and challenge.

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, teachers do not use assessment information well enough.

Sometimes the tasks they set do not match pupils' knowledge or needs. This means that some pupils do not make as much progress through the curriculum as leaders expect. The school should further develop the way that assessment information is used to inform teaching.

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