St Joseph and St Teresa’s Catholic Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

St Joseph and St Teresa's Catholic Primary School is a friendly, welcoming school.

The inclusive, Catholic ethos ensures that all pupils fully participate in school life. Pupils are polite, respectful and care for each other.

Pupils say they enjoy coming to school.

They behave well in class and move around the building sensibly. Pupils have positive attitudes to their learning. They participate fully in lessons and take pride in their work.

Pupils feel safe and are safe. Bullying is rare. Pupils are adamant that racism and discrimination hardly ever happen.

They are confident that adults will take any incidents very seriously and deal with t...hese swiftly.

Pupils have a range of opportunities to develop their leadership skills. The members of the pupil parliament are proud of their roles.

They have recently raised money for a local food bank. Pupils enjoy attending extra-curricular activities such as football, dodgeball and multi-skills. A range of visits are built into the curriculum.

Pupils talked enthusiastically about a recent visit to Temple Newsam where they were learning about Tudor crimes and punishments.

Leaders provide opportunities for parents to join in their child's learning through initiatives such as the reading café and mathematics mornings. Parents enjoy attending these events and value the work of leaders and teachers.

Leaders have high expectations and ambition for all pupils.

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

Since the last inspection, leaders have taken rapid action to develop an ambitious curriculum that builds from early years to Year 6. The curriculum is carefully planned and well sequenced.

It maps out the knowledge, skills and vocabulary leaders want pupils to learn over time. Leaders are determined to continue to develop the curriculum. They have identified art and computing as subjects they want to improve further, as staff are less confident with these areas.

In lessons, teachers present information clearly, and regularly check what pupils know and can do. Activities are well matched to the intended learning outcome. Pupils talk confidently about what they are learning and what they have learned in the past.

In history, older pupils can remember what they had learned about Henry VIII and his wives. When asked if they enjoy history, one pupil said, 'I love it!'.

Leaders have carefully considered their approach to the teaching of reading.

Reading is taught from the beginning of early years. Leaders understand the importance of pupils becoming confident, fluent readers as quickly as possible.The books pupils read are well matched to the letter sounds they are learning.

This helps them to practise the sounds they know and become confident readers. Leaders carry out regular checks to see how well pupils are doing. Pupils receive extra help if they start to fall behind.

Staff have regular training to deliver the phonics programme. However, some staff do not always say the letter sounds correctly.

A love of reading is promoted through the attractive book areas in classrooms and the newly refurbished library.

Pupils enjoy reading. They talk excitedly about books they read at home. One pupil said a footballer's autobiography had taught him to succeed in life by not quitting.

Children in the early years get off to a good start. They play well together, share and take turns. When faced with problems, they show resilience and work well together to solve them.

Leaders have thought carefully about how the curriculum prepares children in Reception for Year 1 and beyond.

Leaders have high ambition for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Thoughtful adaptations are made for pupils with complex needs.

Pupils are supported well in class and are fully involved in the life of the school.

There are a range of plans and resources to support teachers with the delivery of all aspects of personal development education such as relationships, sex and health education. However, leaders do not have a clear enough overview of how and when specific elements are being taught.

Leaders have started to create a 'diversity curriculum', which maps out the many aspects. However, this is still in the early stages of implementation.

Pupils are less confident in their understanding of fundamental British values and protected characteristics.

However, they do know that discrimination is wrong, and have participated in pupil parliament elections. Pupils are respectful of other people's faiths, feelings, and values. One pupil said the school is special because, 'Everyone is different, but we go to Mass together.'



Governors contribute fully to the strategic direction of the school. They know what the school does well and what the areas for development are. Governors and leaders have considered staff well-being and workload.

Staff value this. They feel listened to and supported by leaders at all levels.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders make appropriate checks on staff before they start working at St Joseph and St Teresa's Catholic Primary School. During their induction, all staff receive training that enables them to identify and be alert to signs of harm. Staff know how to raise concerns that they may have about pupils' welfare.

Leaders work closely with families. They identify the external help that they may need, as well as continuing to offer additional support when needed.

Pupils learn about how to keep themselves safe online and understand what cyber-bullying is.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Although staff have received regular training, some staff do not model pure sounds precisely enough when teaching phonics. As a result, some pupils do not pronounce sounds correctly, and this impacts on their ability to accurately blend sounds to make words. Leaders need to provide additional training to ensure that all staff use pure sounds accurately and consistently.

• Leaders are unclear on how and when some aspects of pupils' personal development are explicitly taught or promoted. As a result, some aspects, such as the fundamental British values and the protected characteristics, are not explicit enough and pupils do not have an age-appropriate understanding of them. Leaders need to carefully map out all aspects of personal development making links between the variety of plans and resources they use.