St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including children in the early years, enjoy coming to this small school at the heart of the community.

They feel safe because of the caring relationships that they form with staff. Pupils explained to inspectors that: 'School is like being part of a happy family.'

Pupils work hard in lessons and play cooperatively with their friends at social times.

They understand leaders' high expectations for their work and conduct. Pupils value the activities on offer at lunchtime. These include dancing, basketball and a movie club.

Pupils explained that leaders do not tolerate bullying of any kind. Pupils understand how to raise concerns using the 'tal...k team' boxes. They trust supportive staff to swiftly resolve any bullying or unkind behaviour.

Pupils can become a school councillor or 'disciple'. These pupils help younger pupils to quickly settle into school life. Pupils support charities such as the local food bank.

Year 6 pupils learn how to manage their finances in the school building society.

Leaders are ambitious for pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). However, pupils do not achieve well in several subjects.

This is because leaders have not ensured that the curriculum is designed and delivered as well as it should be.

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

Leaders have established a broad and balanced curriculum. Some subject curriculums clearly identify in enough detail what pupils, including children in the early years, will learn.

These well-designed curriculums help pupils to build new knowledge on what they already know. In these subjects, pupils achieve well. However, in some curriculums, this is not the case.

Pupils do not achieve as well as they should. Leaders have not identified the important knowledge that pupils will learn from the early years to Year 6 in enough detail.

Many subject curriculums have been introduced recently.

In some subjects other than English and mathematics, leaders have not checked how well teachers deliver the curriculums. As a result, some teachers do not deliver the curriculums as intended. This slows pupils' progress in these subjects.

Teachers check pupils' learning in lessons. This helps pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, to keep up with the intended curriculum. However, teachers' checks do not identify the knowledge that pupils have missed or forgotten.

This hinders pupils' progress through the curriculum.

Leaders involve specialists and use assessment information to identify pupils with SEND. However, some teachers do not consider the needs of pupils with SEND well enough.

These pupils do not progress as well as they should. They do not get the support that they need to access the curriculum effectively.

Leaders successfully promote a love of reading.

Children learn phonics in a systematic way as soon as they start in the Reception Year. Staff deliver the phonics programme well due to high-quality training and ongoing support. Skilled staff quickly identify pupils, including those in key stage 2, who need help to keep up with the reading programme.

These pupils receive effective support that helps them to catch up. As a result, many pupils become confident, fluent readers. However, leaders have not ensured that the curriculum identifies how pupils' knowledge develops over time.

This limits pupils' achievement in reading.

Pupils behave well around school. They listen carefully to adults and each other.

Staff and leaders have established clear and consistent routines. Children in the early years learn to follow these routines quickly.

Leaders ensure that pupils become responsible young members of society.

Pupils respect people from families that are different to their own. Pupils learn how to keep themselves physically fit and about the importance of mental health.

Staff are proud to work at the school.

They reported that leaders are approachable and that their workload is considered carefully.

Governors act swiftly and decisively to hold leaders to account. Governors have a clear knowledge of the school's strengths and weaknesses.

Leaders and governors understand that there is still work to do. They have established a clear vision that is focused on improving the quality of education.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have ensured that the culture of safeguarding is strong. Staff receive effective training so that they can quickly identify any signs of abuse or neglect. Leaders and staff involve suitable agencies to ensure that pupils and their families get help when required.

Leaders have designed a curriculum that helps pupils learn how to stay safe. Pupils learn how to recognise potential dangers when playing and working online, for example when people online may not be who they say they are. Pupils learn about healthy relationships.

They trust staff to support them with any situations that make them feel uncomfortable.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some curriculums do not identify in sufficient detail the important knowledge that pupils, and children in the early years, will learn. This means that in these subjects, pupils do not achieve as well as they should.

Leaders should ensure that the curriculums make clear the important knowledge pupils will learn from the early years to Year 6. ? Leaders have not ensured that the curriculum outlines in enough detail how pupils' knowledge, and reading comprehension skills, will develop from the early years to Year 6. This means that some pupils do not progress as quickly as they should.

Leaders should ensure that the curriculum clearly identifies the knowledge that pupils will learn from early years to Year 6 and that pupils receive improved opportunities to read across the curriculum. ? Many subject curriculums are at an early stage of implementation. Some subject leaders have not had sufficient opportunities to check that teachers deliver these curriculums effectively.

This leads to some inconsistencies in how well the curriculum is delivered and slows pupils' progress. Staff are unclear about how well pupils know and remember the curriculum. Leaders should ensure subject leaders receive suitable support to check how well teachers deliver these subject curriculums.

• Some teachers do not consider the needs of pupils with SEND well enough when delivering the curriculum. These pupils do not achieve as well as they should because they do not get the right support. Leaders must ensure that the information about pupils' needs is clear, identifies appropriate additional support and is used effectively by teachers so that these pupils access the curriculum successfully.