St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, Thame

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils treat each other with kindness. This helps them feel happy and safe. Good manners underpin everything.

From the minute they join the school, children learn how to share equipment and how to wait patiently for their turn. Staff have high expectations for pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). As a result, everyone is encouraged to do their best.

Achievement throughout the school is improving.

Pupils behave consistently well and have positive attitudes to study. Lessons buzz with discussions about learning.

In English, pupils learn vital debating skills through text and character analysis, and in math...ematics, pupils discuss the best method for solving complex calculations. Corridors are calm. Breaktimes and lunchtimes are a blaze of activity.

The wider personal development of pupils is a strength. Pupils benefit from a wide range of leadership opportunities, such as Student Council members, Prayer Leaders and Sports, House and Eco Captains. These opportunities teach them vital leadership skills, such as time management and responsibility.

Older pupils relish the opportunity to organise their own Play Leader rota for children in Reception. A group of Year 6 pupils formed 'The Bookworms'. They organise activities for the whole school and raise funds for good causes.

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

The school joined a new multi-academy trust and has undergone many changes since the last inspection. Some staff, parents and carers found this an unsettling period. However, this has now been resolved.

The school benefits from strong support from the trust. Leaders at all levels provide the school with stability and expertise. Throughout the changes, the school has remained resolute in its high ambition for pupils.

The curriculum has been reviewed extensively. The school has identified critical knowledge and skills that pupils need to know. Staff present information clearly.

In some subjects, such as mathematics and English, teachers check carefully that pupils know and remember crucial information before they move on. However, in some of the other subjects, the approaches for checking that pupils' learning has been securely retained are not yet firmly embedded. Where this is the case, sometimes pupils may develop gaps in their knowledge or have misconceptions that remain unaddressed.

Children thrive in the vibrant early years provision. Early reading is taught well. As soon as they join, children learn to read.

This unlocks other crucial areas of learning. Children read books that are matched to the sounds that they know. This ensures that knowledge builds carefully step by step.

Children learn to read with fluency and comprehension. Those who fall behind receive specialist support to catch up quickly. Older pupils read widely.

The library contains a range of engaging texts. The school has firm plans in place to make this a more purposeful and vibrant space.

The support for pupils with SEND is strong.

Pupils' needs are identified accurately. Staff use this information to provide highly skilled support in lessons. This benefits all pupils and especially those with SEND.

The school identifies pupils' needs accurately, including pupils with SEND. These pupils benefit from the high-quality support that meets their individual needs very effectively.

Behaviour is strong throughout the school.

Attitudes to learning are extremely positive. There has been improvement in the attendance of pupils overall. However, a small number of pupils still miss too much school, particularly disadvantaged pupils.

The school is doing all it can to work collaboratively with parents to address this.

A thoughtfully designed personal, social and health education curriculum supplements the age-appropriate relationships education programme that pupils receive. Pupils learn vital knowledge and skills, such as how to keep themselves safe, including online.

Fundamental British values are promoted comprehensively. Older pupils relish debating relevant current topics and contributing to the local community. Trips and visitors bring the curriculum to life.

Pupils benefit from a myriad of opportunities designed to develop talents and interests, such as singing in the popular school choir, street dance, sports clubs and learning a musical instrument.

The school is mindful of the improvements it is bringing about and the impact of this on staff. The interim education board (IEB) has improved oversight of the school during this period of change.

It provides appropriate support and robust challenge to the school. Planned changes to reinstate a local governing body will begin imminently. New policies and changes are implemented in a timely way.

This enables staff to remain focused on improving pupils' outcomes and experiences. As a result, staff feel valued and are extremely loyal to the school. Many staff and parents describe the school as having a 'family feel'.

One parent, whose comments were typical of many, said, 'My children are incredibly happy at the school and relish going in each day. All the staff are friendly and supportive and really get to know the children well.'

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The school's work to refine approaches to assessment in the wider curriculum is not firmly embedded. This makes it difficult for the school to know if pupils have learned and remembered critical knowledge and skills in these subjects. The school should ensure that approaches for checking pupils' knowledge and skills are firmly embedded.

• Not all pupils attend school regularly enough, particularly disadvantaged pupils. This means they miss vital work and may fall behind their peers. The school must continue to engage with parents to ensure that attendance improves, and persistent absence decreases, particularly for disadvantaged pupils.