St Joseph’s Roman Catholic Primary School, Reddish, a Voluntary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

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

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils in this school value the ways in which they are encouraged to care for each other, such as having a buddy bench in the playground. They said that there are trusted adults in school whom they can talk to if they have any worries. On the rare occasions that bullying occurs, leaders deal with it swiftly and effectively.

This helps pupils feel safe and happy.

Pupils are proud of how they contribute to their school community through a variety of leadership roles, including being health champions, digital leaders and prayer friends. Pupils embrace these resp...onsibilities, and take them seriously.

They are keen to support each other.

Leaders have strengthened the curriculum so that all pupils, and children in the early years, access a high-quality education. This helps pupils to meet the high expectations that leaders have of their academic achievement.

Pupils enjoy their learning. Most pupils behave exceptionally well, in line with leaders' high expectations.

Leaders place a strong emphasis on providing opportunities to support pupils' wider development, for example pupils take part in public speaking competitions.

Leaders have also created pupil passports, which suggest age-appropriate activities for pupils to try outside school. Pupils relish such challenges.

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

Leaders are ambitious for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

They have ensured that pupils access a broad and ambitious curriculum. Leaders have given careful consideration to how children in the early years acquire the knowledge and skills that they will need for their future learning.

Leaders have prioritised training that develops subject leaders' curriculum understanding.

Some subject leaders have clearly identified the important knowledge that pupils need to learn in each topic. This means that pupils' learning builds securely over time. However, in a very few subjects, curriculum leaders have not identified so precisely the information that pupils need to learn.

This makes it tricky for teachers to ensure that new learning builds effectively on what pupils already know.

Teachers have the expertise to design effective lesson activities. They also have strong knowledge of the subjects that they teach.

Teachers carefully check pupils' learning and resolve any misconceptions promptly. This helps pupils to achieve highly.

Leaders identify any pupils with SEND swiftly.

Teachers are trained to use a range of strategies effectively so that these pupils receive the additional support that they need to learn well. This enables pupils with SEND to access the same ambitious curriculum as their peers.

Leaders have ensured that staff are experts in teaching reading.

Leaders have a strong rationale for their phonics programme, and they have trained all staff to deliver it effectively. Children start learning phonics from the beginning of the Reception Year. Teachers ensure that pupils are given books which match the sounds that they know.

Pupils regularly participate in reading practice, which develops their ability to decode, read with fluency and understand texts. If any pupils fall behind in their phonics learning, staff take quick action to help them to catch up. As a result, pupils become confident and fluent readers.

Leaders are committed to developing pupils' love of reading. Teachers dedicate time each day to reading a book which is purely for pleasure to their classes. Pupils spoke enthusiastically about these novels and stories.

Leaders have taken steps to expose pupils to a wide range of different books, for example they have created a list of 100 books for pupils to read throughout their time at school. Pupils receive badges when they have read these books, and they wear these badges with pride.

The atmosphere in the school is calm and purposeful.

Pupils respond well to their teachers' instructions. Children in the early years quickly learn to follow the rules and routines that are in place.

Leaders ensure that pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain through a comprehensive programme of personal development.

For example, pupils are knowledgeable about the protected characteristics and about how to look after their physical and mental health.

Staff are very proud to work at this school. They appreciate how leaders actively look for ways to promote staff's well-being, for example through a dedicated well-being group.

Governors are highly committed to the school. They are well informed about school life. Leaders and governors are sharply focused on further refining the high-quality education that they offer.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have established a strong culture of safeguarding in the school. They are tenacious advocates for vulnerable pupils and their families.

Leaders have robust systems to identify pupils who may be at risk of harm. They have developed the capacity within school to offer pupils support, for example they have a school counsellor.

Pupils learn how to stay safe through the wider curriculum.

Pupils learn about online safety and healthy relationships. Leaders also take a proactive approach to teaching pupils about safeguarding concerns as they arise.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a very few subjects, leaders have not finalised their curriculum thinking to identify the precise knowledge that pupils need to know.

This means that pupils are unable to build on their prior learning as well as they should. Leaders should ensure that subject leaders provide clarity around the exact knowledge that pupils need to know in each subject, so that pupils' learning builds securely over time.

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 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 would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which 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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in March 2017.