St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to be members of this warm and welcoming school. They behave well and value the positive relationships that they have with their teachers and other staff. Pupils get along well with each other.

They are safe and happy in school.

Pupils enjoy playing their part in the local community. They are learning to be good modern British citizens.

They understand the importance of helping others and of taking on responsibility. For example, pupils are proud to have raised money for different ch...arities and enjoyed taking part in a neighbourhood litter pick.

The school is ambitious for all pupils.

It provides effective support to help pupils achieve well. Pupils who require extra help, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), benefit from the expertise and encouragement provided by knowledgeable and caring staff.

The school has made a priority of providing pupils with a range of enrichment experiences.

Staff and pupils spoke enthusiastically about a recent visit to the theatre. Some pupils were able to take part in an exciting programme with a prestigious university in which they designed a 'school for the future'. Pupils enjoy attending a variety of after-school sports and arts activities.

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

The school faced some significant turbulence in staffing in the previous academic year. Leaders have successfully steadied the ship and have ensured that the school is once again heading in the right direction. They have taken effective action to address further the areas identified for improvement when the school was last inspected.

In spite of changes to the school's class structure, the school has developed a curriculum that provides a coherent and well-structured framework for pupils' learning. Pupils in Year 6 are typically well prepared for the move to secondary school.

The school gives reading a high priority.

Children in the early years and pupils in key stage 1 get off to a good start. Staff deliver the school's chosen phonics programme well. They regularly check on pupils' progress in phonics and put additional help in place to support those who may be struggling with reading.

As a result, most pupils become fluent and accurate readers. Older pupils spoke enthusiastically about how they liked to choose different books from the school library.

The school has set out clearly the skills and knowledge pupils are expected to learn as they move from the Reception class through to Year 6.

Learning is ordered carefully, and staff deliver the curriculum effectively. Children in the early years benefit from an appropriate, well-designed and engaging curriculum which prepares them well for key stage 1. As they move through key stages 1 and 2, pupils develop an impressive level of knowledge across a range of subjects, especially in science and geography.

However, pupils' achievement in writing is less secure over time. This is because they are not consistently given sufficient time to secure fundamental skills in writing before moving on to more complex tasks.

The provision for pupils' personal development is a strength of the school.

Pupils have a strong sense of community and a keen desire to help those less fortunate than themselves. They show real respect and tolerance for people whose backgrounds may be different to their own. They have a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe and look after their own mental and physical health.

Pupils develop confidence and resilience thanks to the encouragement and support they get at St Joseph's.

The school ensures that the needs of any pupils with SEND are spotted early. These pupils receive effective support and so are able to access the same broad and ambitious curriculum as others in their class.

Pupils behave extremely well around school. They talked positively about how friendly their school is. Pupils listen attentively in class and typically focus well on their work.

The school recognises that some pupils are absent from school too often. It is taking appropriate action to support and challenge families where attendance is a concern. There are promising signs that attendance is now improving.

The school and local authority have worked together successfully to strengthen governance. Governors provide effective support and challenge to the school and are proactive in supporting the well-being of staff. Staff are proud to work at the school, and morale is high.

They feel valued and said that the school makes sure their workload is reasonable. For example, staff appreciate the positive impact changes to the curriculum have had on their time.

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 has not ensured that pupils have secured the fundamental skills in writing they need before they move on to more complex writing tasks. This means some pupils' written work is hampered by weaknesses in handwriting, spelling and basic punctuation. The school should prioritise developing and embedding pupils' core writing skills so they are able to write with greater fluency and accuracy 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 May 2015.