St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, Wrightington

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Wrightington continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending the nurturing environment that staff and leaders have created at St Joseph's Primary School.

Pupils are friendly and get along well together. Year 6 buddies enjoy looking after their younger peers in the Reception class. Pupils told inspectors that they feel happy and safe in school.

They said that name-calling and bullying are rare. Should these issues arise, staff deal with them quickly.

Leaders want pupils to follow the school motto of 'live life to the full'.

To this end, leaders provide pupils with many differ...ent opportunities to widen their experiences. Pupils can choose from an extensive range of after-school activities, including sports, singing and computing. Older pupils recently learned how to perform CPR and operate a defibrillator.

They also benefit from going on different trips and visits. Pupils spoke with enthusiasm about their trip to London, to the zoo and to a residential activity centre.

Teachers have high expectations of pupils' behaviour and achievements.

Pupils' behaviour is positive. Parents and carers, staff and governors share this view. Pupils work hard in class to achieve their goals.

They achieve well in a range of subjects. Pupils are motivated by the different rewards on offer, including the star of the week certificates.

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

Leaders have created a curriculum that is broad and ambitious for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Pupils told inspectors that they find the curriculum engaging and fun. Teachers prepare pupils well to move on to their next stage of education.

Leaders have thought carefully about the essential knowledge that they want pupils to learn.

Curriculum leaders have ensured that this knowledge builds from the early years. This enables children to build on what they already know as they enter Year 1. In lessons, staff check what pupils have learned and are able to address any misconceptions quickly.

In most subjects, pupils achieve well. They can talk confidently about what they have learned. For instance, Year 4 pupils spoke knowledgeably to inspectors about their learning in science.

They could clearly explain the difference between incisors and molars, omnivores and carnivores.

Pupils remember less in a small number of subjects. This is because, previously, leaders did not make clear the key knowledge and skills that pupils needed to learn.

Leaders have recently taken action to revise these curriculum areas. Teachers now understand what pupils need to know and remember. However, these curriculum changes are at an early stage of being implemented.

Staff have been trained to identify pupils with SEND quickly. They are skilled in supporting pupils with SEND. This ensures that pupils with SEND can access the same opportunities as their peers.

Leaders place great emphasis on the teaching of reading. Pupils across the school spoke enthusiastically about the books that they have read and that their teachers have read to them. In the early years, staff read carefully chosen texts to help children develop their love of reading.

They use books that closely match the sounds that pupils are learning. Those pupils who struggle with reading are given additional opportunities to help them catch up.

Children are taught phonics as soon as they enter the Reception class.

Leaders have very recently introduced a new phonics curriculum. Staff have had limited training so far. This leads to some variability in how well the phonics curriculum is delivered.

As a result, some pupils in key stage 1 do not gain the body of phonics knowledge as quickly as they could.

Pupils are polite and courteous. They pay close attention to their teachers in class.

Learning is rarely disrupted. Pupils believe that everybody should be treated equally. They understand the importance of democracy in society.

Older pupils talked about the injustice of women's right to vote only being granted just over 100 years ago.

Governors know the school's areas of strength and know what needs to improve. They support and challenge leaders to achieve their goals.

Governors and leaders are mindful of the well-being and workload of staff. Staff feel well supported and are proud to work at the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have ensured that staff have received appropriate training that enables them to safeguard the pupils in school. Staff have a clear understanding of their safeguarding responsibilities. They know the importance of quickly reporting any concerns that they may have, no matter how small.

Leaders' records detail the timely actions taken to safeguard pupils. This includes the involvement of outside agencies where necessary.

Leaders use the curriculum to help pupils learn how to stay safe.

Pupils learn about the dangers of speaking to strangers and learn how to keep themselves safe online.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, pupils struggle to recall their previous learning. The revised curriculum is too new to have made a difference to what pupils know and remember of their learning.

Leaders should ensure that teachers are supported fully to implement the revised curriculum so that gaps in pupils' learning are addressed and pupils build on what they already know and can do. ? Leaders have very recently introduced a new phonics curriculum. Staff have received limited training so far.

This leads to some variability in how effectively this curriculum is delivered. Leaders should ensure that staff are suitably trained to deliver the phonics curriculum with expertise and confidence so that pupils build their phonics knowledge in line with the curriculum intent.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called a section 8 inspection of a good or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in December 2012.