St Joseph’s RC Primary School Manchester

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

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

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school. The school's motto 'to be the best that you can be' is woven through its decisions and all that happens during the school day. It underpins the strong and respectful relationships that pupils develop with staff and with one another.

Pupils are polite, confident and articulate.

The school has high aspirations for pupils' achievement, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Current pupils achieve well following improvements to the school's c...urriculum.

Equally, they benefit from a very well-designed personal, social and mental health programme.

Routines are established in the early years and embedded across the school. These contribute to a calm and purposeful learning environment.

This allows pupils to do their best in lessons. Pupils are inquisitive and display positive attitudes towards their learning. Pupils say that 'learning is really important to help you thrive in everything you do'.

Pupils have a strong understanding of a range of important issues, including equality and diversity. The school ensures that pupils understand fundamental British values, such as democracy and tolerance. Pupils are proud of the positive contribution that they make to their school, including acting as restorative champions or as members of the school council.

A rich variety of visits and after-school activities enhance pupils' learning across the curriculum.

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

Since the previous inspection, the curriculum across the school has been reviewed and refined. This has ensured that staff have clarity about the content of the curriculum and how best to deliver it.

There is now a consistent approach to the design and implementation of the curriculum from the early years to Year 6. The decisions that the school has taken have been effective. Standards are improving and current pupils are achieving well.

This is not reflected in the outcomes achieved by Year 6 pupils in 2024.

Staff value the curriculum training that they receive. This ensures that they are confident in delivering subject curriculums.

Staff also value the school's commitment to reducing their workload. This helps staff to fulfil their roles effectively and supports their well-being.

The school has recently introduced systems to monitor what pupils know and can do.

In most subjects, teachers now identify and address pupils' misconceptions as they arise. Pupils can explain their current learning, such as equivalent fractions in mathematics and how people in the stone age used mammal furs and bones to support their livelihoods. However, in some subjects, opportunities to help pupils to remember what they have learned over time are relatively new.

Pupils are not confident when recalling or discussing their prior learning in these subjects.

The school uses information well to swiftly identify the additional needs of pupils, including those with SEND. The school then provides pupils with the extra support that they need.

This helps pupils with SEND to feel included, to overcome obstacles to their learning and to achieve well.

Reading is a high priority. Pupils enjoy reading.

They read a wide range of literature and enjoy class texts that are selected to support learning in other subjects. In the early years, staff share stories and nursery rhymes with children to develop their language and communication skills. This continues as children move into Year 1.

Additional training for staff has further improved the delivery of the phonics programme. Those pupils who need more help to learn to read receive this swiftly. For instance, extra teaching is provided before school to support these pupils to secure their knowledge of phonics.

Most older pupils read with accuracy and independence.

The school prioritises pupils' attendance. Despite this, a small number of pupils do not attend school as regularly as they should.

Nonetheless, the school has a clear understanding of the reasons for this absence. It takes swift and effective action to provide support for these pupils and their families. As a result, pupils' rates of attendance are improving.

The provision for pupils' wider development is a strength. The school enriches pupils' learning, for example by providing them with first-hand experiences of theatres, museums and places of worship. Similarly, the school is focused on ensuring that pupils experience a wide variety of inspiring activities.

It selects these activities carefully to complement pupils' life experiences. For example, while younger children visit the local playground, older pupils participate in water sports.The personal, social, health and economic education curriculum supports pupils from the early years to Year 6 to develop an age-appropriate understanding of different relationships.

Pupils show tremendous empathy and compassion for people who are less fortunate than themselves. They take part in different activities to raise money for charity to help where they can.

Governors offer effective support and challenge to the school.

The school knows pupils and their families extremely well. The school, including those responsible for governance, has responded well to changes in its context, such as an increase in the number of pupils with SEND.

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 subjects, the opportunities to recap and recall previous learning are at an earlier stage of development. This means that some pupils are less confident in recalling what they have been taught. The school should ensure that, in these subjects, teachers provide sufficient opportunities for pupils to practise, apply and secure their learning 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 2015.