St Joseph’s Roman Catholic Primary School, Hurst Green

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy at school.

They described their school as a welcoming place where people take good care of each other. Pupils value the encouragement and support that they receive from staff.

Pupils look forward to spending time with their friends.

They enjoy learning during lessons and relaxing together at social times. Pupils' positive behaviour and attitudes contribute well to the calm and purposeful atmosphere around the school.

Pupils were keen to tell inspectors about the impressive range of activities provided by the school which enhances their personal development.

For example, pupils carry out numerous roles of responsibility dilig...ently. These include belonging to the eco-council, acting as an ambassador or being part of the chaplaincy team.

The school also provides a vast array of clubs and trips.

These support pupils exceptionally well to develop new talents and interests. Pupils embrace the opportunities available to them to support their local and wider community.

The school has high expectations for the academic achievement of all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Pupils typically achieve well across the curriculum. They become avid readers. The school makes sure that pupils receive extra support when they need it.

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

The school provides a well-crafted and ambitious curriculum that captures pupils' interests. Through their learning, over time, pupils build up a rich and secure body of knowledge in most aspects of the curriculum.

The curriculum is an effective vehicle through which the school enhances pupils' personal development.

The school skilfully weaves opportunities for pupils to learn and wonder about the world around them. This begins in the early years and builds successfully as pupils progress through the school. Pupils benefit from the range of thought-provoking topics that they study.

By the end of key stage 2, pupils demonstrate a mature understanding of how their choices and actions impact on the natural world and on other people.

The school has defined the key knowledge that it expects pupils to learn. It also makes sure that teachers know the order in which learning should occur.

Typically, teachers deliver the curriculum well. Most of the time, pupils can recall important facts with ease. This makes it easier for them to learn new information.

The school expects teachers to check that pupils have a firm understanding of their learning before moving onto something new. In many subjects, teachers do this successfully and pupils build securely on what they know already. Occasionally, in a small number of subjects, teachers do not do this rigorously enough.

When this happens, some pupils do not build up their knowledge as well as they could. From time to time, some pupils' recall of their learning is not as secure as it could be.

Reading is at the heart of the curriculum.

Teachers expertly incorporate the use of high-quality texts across the school to strengthen and extend pupils' reading and wider knowledge. Pupils recognise how important reading is in helping them to learn new information. They read widely and with enthusiasm.

Pupils told inspectors that they enjoy times when they can immerse themselves in their favourite books.

Children begin to learn how to read words using phonics in the Reception Year. This builds on the firm foundation laid in the Nursery Year where children develop their understanding of sounds through songs, rhymes and well-loved stories.

Staff are well trained and deliver the school's phonics programme effectively. Pupils benefit from practising their reading knowledge with books that are carefully matched to the sounds that they know. The school ensures that pupils who find reading more difficult benefit from additional support.

As a result, most pupils can read accurately and fluently by the end of key stage 1.

The school does not ensure that teachers have a shared understanding of how to accurately identify different types of SEND. The school is not consistently proficient at discovering the underlying reasons why some pupils struggle to learn.

At times, this reduces the timeliness and effectiveness of the support that teachers provide for these pupils. As a result, some pupils with SEND do not achieve as well as they could.

Pupils behave sensibly during lessons and as they move around the school.

Most pupils rarely miss a school day. Pupils respond well to the support provided by the school if they need to improve their attendance or focus during lessons.

Governors support the work of the school well.

They ensure that the school remains committed to providing a high-quality education for all pupils. The school makes sure that staff are not overwhelmed when improvements are being planned or implemented.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• There is variation in how well the school identifies the needs of pupils with SEND. This makes it more difficult for teachers to provide the most effective support for these pupils so that they achieve as well as they can. The school should ensure that teachers receive all the support that they need to identify pupils' additional needs accurately and swiftly.

In a small number of subjects, at times, teachers do not check pupils' understanding well enough. This means that sometimes, pupils do not learn and remember the key information that they need to be ready for their next steps in learning. The school should ensure that teachers are fully equipped to check that pupils' knowledge is secure before introducing new learning.