St Ignatius Catholic Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Evidence gathered during this ungraded (section 8) inspection suggests that aspects of the school's work may not be as strong as at the time of the previous inspection.

The school's next inspection will be a graded inspection.

The headteacher of this school is Helen Cooke. This school is part of Bishop Konstant Catholic Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school.

The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Lesley Fitton, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Julie Noble.

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a school at the heart of its community. Staff provide a caring and nur...turing environment for pupils.

Pupils understand the school's positive behaviour policy. They know how to enact the code of conduct. Pupils clearly articulate the three virtues of respect, resilience and responsibility that underpin the code.

Pupils understand the significance of these virtues and they apply them in the classroom and at breaktimes.

The school and the trust have high expectations for what pupils can achieve. However, these expectations are not fully realised.

Some pupils do not learn all that they should.

Pupils are safe at the school. Pupils can share any concerns through their class worry box.

They know that adults in the school will respond to their worries and keep them safe.

The school provides pupils with leadership opportunities that enable them to take on positions of responsibility. For example, 'guardian angels' promote friendship and student ambassadors represent pupils' views to staff.

Pupils are proud to support community charity events, such as the local food bank. Pupils enjoy participating in the school's choir and in trust-wide choral events.

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

Subject leaders from across the trust have worked together to develop a broad and balanced curriculum.

It is mapped to ensure that pupils learn the right knowledge in the right order at the right time. However, the delivery of the curriculum is variable across subjects. As a result, pupils do not learn consistently well.

On occasions, expectations for what pupils can achieve are not ambitious enough. Some activity choices are not fully considered to enable pupils to achieve well. In the early years, adult interactions with pupils do not build children's understanding of ambitious vocabulary as well as they should.

The school has a structured approach to identifying pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). However, some learning tasks are not matched to pupils' attainment or needs. Therefore, some pupils with SEND do not get the practice that they need to meet their targets.

There is some variation in how well the school checks pupils' understanding across subjects. In subjects such as phonics and mathematics, staff have a good awareness of how well pupils are learning the intended curriculum. However, these checks are less effective in some areas of the wider curriculum than in core area.

This means that on occasions gaps in pupils' knowledge are not addressed as well as they should be.

Pupils access daily phonics sessions. The school checks the sounds that pupils know.

This ensures that any catch-up sessions consolidate pupils' phonics knowledge. Adults engage pupils in phonics lessons. Pupils are attentive and readily join in reading the sounds aloud.

Typically, Year 1 pupils learn to read well.

Pupils' rates of attendance are high. The school has created a culture where this is celebrated in assemblies.

The school's personal development curriculum provides pupils with important knowledge. It is also flexible enough to respond swiftly to any topics that pupils may need to know about. The school focuses on a different fundamental British value each half term.

Staff enable pupils to relate these values to their lives.

The trust has brought much-needed stability to school leadership after a period of change. It has worked with staff to build subject expertise.

The trust recognises that some aspects of oversight of the school's work could be strengthened and is taking action to address this.

Senior leaders have worked with determination to manage the change from one leadership team to another. Many subject leaders new to their role are keen to develop their areas further.

Staff are positive about how the school takes their workload and well-being into consideration. They recognise that using the trust curriculum reduces their 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 lessons, the checks on what pupils know and remember are not used well to identify misconceptions. This means misconceptions in learning remain longer than necessary. The school should ensure that the checks on pupils' knowledge are used more effectively to improve pupils' understanding.

• Activity choices are not ambitious enough for pupils, including those with SEND. This means activities do not match pupils' needs well enough or help realise the ambition of the curriculum. The school should ensure that tasks are sufficiently ambitious and help secure pupils' knowledge over time.

Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted's website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade.

This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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's work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in June 2019.