St Joseph and St Theresa Catholic Primary

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, staff, parents and carers are all proud to be part of the school community. Leaders have created a school which values all individuals and provides support for those who need it.

Staff know pupils and families very well. Pupils feel happy and safe here. They have a range of adults who they know will help them if they need it.

Leaders have high expectations, and support pupils to achieve them. This helps pupils to achieve well. Pupils' behaviour and attitudes to learning are exemplary.

They welcome everyone and treat them equally. As one pupil said, 'In this school, people get on with each other and show respect.' Pupils are polite to visitors, staff a...nd fellow pupils, and they behave well.

If bullying does happen, adults deal with it quickly and effectively.

Leaders offer many wider opportunities for pupils. Pupils take on different roles and responsibilities across the school, including being part of the digital leadership team.

They recognise the importance of their work to the school and the wider community. Events such as singing for local residents and charity fundraising provide opportunities for pupils to play an active role in the wider community.

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

Leaders have designed a curriculum that is ambitious for all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

They have ensured that pupils' learning is well sequenced, starting in the early years. Teachers are clear about what to teach.

Teachers use a range of different ways to check what pupils have understood.

This includes 'do it now tasks'. However, in a small number of subjects, teachers do not provide pupils with work that helps them to remember the key knowledge. When this happens, pupils find it hard to recall their learning.

For example, some pupils found it difficult to recall key learning in geography and confused it with work completed in history.

Leaders have trained staff to enable them to identify pupils with SEND quickly. Teachers provide these pupils with well-planned support to help them access learning.

Leaders check the support pupils with SEND receive to make sure that it helps them to make progress. As a result, pupils with SEND achieve well.

Leaders have prioritised reading.

Pupils talk positively about the books they read. Pupil reading ambassadors support younger pupils to develop a love of reading through shared reading time. Recent staff training has supported most staff to teach phonics well.

However, the subject knowledge of a very small number of staff is not secure. They do not identify opportunities to embed pupils' learning. This means that some pupils do not make as much progress as they could when learning to read.

Leaders use assessment well to check that the extra support provided for pupils at the early stages of reading helps them to develop into confident and fluent readers.

Leaders place a high emphasis on including pupils in all aspects of school life. Pupils know that the job of the school council is to 'make decisions to make school better'.

They talk maturely about their roles, and value kindness. Teachers model their expectations of pupils well. Other responsibilities, such as 'Mini Vinnies', support pupils' understanding of their role as a citizen in modern Britain.

Pupils involved in roles such as these take their responsibilities seriously. They enjoy attending the wide range of clubs on offer, such as netball, gymnastics and archery. Older pupils value the trips offered to them, such as overnight residential visits.

Leaders have high expectations of pupils' behaviour. Pupils behave well, and this means that learning is rarely disrupted. They understand the importance of rules and understand the consequences if their behaviour falls below expectations.

Leaders offer well-planned support for pupils with low attendance. This helps pupils to attend school regularly.

Staff enjoy working here and value leaders' support, especially when it concerns workload.

Staff value the way that leaders promote their well-being and appreciate that decisions made are in the best interests of the pupils. Governors are fully involved in the life of the school. Leaders provide governors with a range of information about the school.

This enables governors to have a detailed understanding of the school's effectiveness.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders ensure that all staff, including governors, receive safeguarding training.

All staff know how to identify any concerns they might have about pupils. Staff report concerns promptly, and leaders act quickly to address these. Leaders challenge external agencies if they feel that support is not meeting pupils' needs.

Pupils understand how to keep themselves safe, including when online. They know the importance of not sharing information online. They also know that adults at school will help them if they need it, including responding to any worries they have.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, teachers do not consistently provide activities that help pupils to embed and remember key knowledge. As a result, pupils find it hard to remember what they have learned. Leaders should ensure that teachers provide pupils with work that enables them to know and remember key knowledge in all subjects.

Some staff's subject knowledge in phonics is not secure. This does not enable them to identify when learning needs to be further embedded. Leaders should provide further training and support to enable all staff to teach phonics well.

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