St Gabriel’s Roman Catholic Primary School, Rochdale

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at St Gabriel's Roman Catholic Primary come in to school every day with a smile. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are proud of their success.

Pupils consistently meet the high expectations that the school sets for their achievement.

Pupils, including those with SEND, are absorbed in lessons. This is reflected in the work that they produce and how excited they are to talk about what they have learned. Pupils are well prepared for the next stages of their education.

Pupils respect each other. They are extremely polite and well-mannered. Their tremendously positive attitudes mean that there is no disruptio...n to their learning.

Pupils trust staff to deal with any rare incidents of misbehaviour quickly. Pupils value the strong relationships that they have with adults at the school.

Pupils diligently carry out positions of responsibility, particularly their 'paid roles' in Year 6.

They enjoy earning rewards from the school bank for completing their duties such as being computer monitors or sports leaders.

Pupils, including those with SEND, embrace the opportunities to take part in local events. For example, they star in theatre productions with the local amateur dramatic society and take part in sports competitions at a football club in the community.

These opportunities add considerable value to pupils' learning and wider development.

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

The school has ensured that there is a broad, balanced and ambitious curriculum on offer to all pupils, including those with SEND. From the Reception class to Year 6, the school has carefully mapped out the key knowledge that pupils should learn in each subject.

Staff are well equipped to design learning activities that enable pupils to learn the curriculum well. They benefit from the high quality of training that the school provides. This helps them to deliver the curriculum as intended.

Staff are adept at identifying the misconceptions and misunderstandings that pupils have about their learning. In the main, they use assessment strategies well to identify where pupils may have gaps in their knowledge. Staff use this information effectively to shape pupils' future learning.

However, in a small number of subjects, staff do not provide pupils with enough opportunities to revisit their prior learning. This means that some pupils struggle to recall what they have been taught previously and, therefore, cannot build on what they know.The school places reading at the heart of the curriculum.

Pupils, and children in the Reception Year, read widely and often. They talked enthusiastically to inspectors about their favourite books and authors. Staff carefully and systematically check that pupils can remember previously learned sounds.

The school ensures that any pupils that find reading difficult get the extra support that they need to catch up quickly with their phonics knowledge. As a result, most pupils become confident and fluent readers by the end of Year 2.The school has effective systems in place to quickly and accurately identify the additional needs of pupils with SEND.

Staff work well with parents and carers and a wide range of other agencies to secure appropriate support for pupils. Staff skilfully adapt the delivery of the curriculum to meet the needs of these pupils. Staff provide strong encouragement to pupils with SEND so that they become independent young people.

Pupils, and children in the Reception Year, display a real thirst for learning. They demonstrate extremely positive attitudes to their learning. There is a calm and friendly feeling around the school.

Pupils' rates of attendance are high. Where there are any slight dips in pupils' attendance, the school intervenes successfully to minimise any further absence.

The school provides pupils with access to a broad programme of trips and visits that helps them to develop their talents and interests.

Pupils understand how to keep themselves safe online and how to look after their physical and mental health. They benefit from the wide range of enrichment experiences on offer. For example, they enjoy ocarina and football clubs or performing in the school choir at local events.

Pupils have a deep-rooted knowledge of fundamental British values. They pride themselves on making everyone feel welcome in their school, regardless of differences. However, pupils do not learn enough about different religions.

As a result, pupils' knowledge of this aspect is limited.

Governors know the school community well. They provide strong support to the school and hold it to account effectively for the quality of education that pupils receive.

Staff are overwhelmingly positive about the support that they receive to manage their workload. They appreciate the initiatives for pupil assessment that have been introduced to protect their well-being and workload.

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, staff do not provide pupils with meaningful opportunities to revisit their prior learning. This means that some pupils struggle to recall what they have been previously taught. The school should provide staff with the support that they need to help pupils to revisit key information so that their knowledge builds securely over time.

• The school has not ensured that pupils learn enough about different religions. This means that some pupils are not as well prepared as they should be for life in modern Britain. The school should ensure that pupils access a suitable curriculum that fully prepares them for the future.