St Joseph the Worker RC Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

St Joseph the Worker RC Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy every aspect of school. They feel happy, valued and safe.

Parents and carers have trust in staff to keep their children safe from harm. Pupils know that if they do have any concerns, adults in the school are ready to listen and help.

Leaders and teachers expect all pupils to work hard and achieve well.

Pupils respond positively to these high expectations. They succeed and take pride in their work. In class, they listen with rapt attention when teachers explain work, give instructions or read stories.

Pupils enjoy working together coope...ratively in groups or pairs to discuss their ideas and help each other to improve their knowledge.

Pupils live up to leaders' expectation that they will be 'kind, caring, polite and friendly'. If bullying occurs, teachers are quick to deal with issues, so that it does not happen again.

Staff give pupils many opportunities to take on responsibility. Roles such as being digital champions and members of the school council ensure that pupils contribute actively to the life of the school and that leaders take their opinions into consideration.

Pupils are proud of the school's important place in the life of the local community.

They enjoy learning about the area's rich culture and history. In this way, teachers and leaders develop in them a strong sense of belonging.

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

Leaders have worked with governors and staff to develop a curriculum which is set out in a logical order from the early years to Year 6.

They are ambitious for all pupils, including those who are disadvantaged or have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to develop important new knowledge while at the school.

In the early years, staff make sure that children settle quickly and begin to develop the skills and routines that ensure that they make a good start to their further learning in Year 1. Staff have created an environment in which children have frequent opportunities to develop their knowledge of language and mathematical concepts alongside other areas of learning, such as knowledge of the world.

Teachers are confident in teaching subjects in the way that leaders expect. They make links between learning across a series of lessons particularly well, so that activities build on each other and help pupils to make progress through the curriculum. In most subjects, pupils achieve well.

Teachers quickly identify the learning needs of pupils with SEND and put in place effective strategies to ensure that they achieve as well as they can.

In some subjects, teachers routinely revisit what pupils have learned in previous years and build on their knowledge. However, this is not the case in other subjects.

Although pupils remember what they have learned recently, they have difficulty recalling knowledge that they gained earlier in their school career.

Leaders ensure that reading is central to pupils' learning in school. Staff and pupils celebrate and enjoy reading in many worthwhile ways.

Pupils read widely from the vast range of books available in the school's multiple libraries. A typical pupil comment was 'There are so many books in our libraries that there is always something new and exciting to choose.'

Leaders have established an effective curriculum for phonics and early reading.

From the start of the Reception Year, children enthusiastically and confidently explore letter sounds and patterns. As they move into Years 1 and 2, they learn to read fluently, accurately and with confidence. Teachers and teaching assistants are well trained in early reading.

Those pupils who fall behind are swiftly identified and helped to catch up. A strong consistency in teaching approaches and routines helps pupils to move easily between groups after regular formal and informal assessments of their learning.

Staff feel supported and valued by leaders.

They said that through a period of many changes to the school, including the disruptive impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, leaders have put in place strategies to make sure that workload is not unmanageable.

Children in the early years, and pupils in the rest of the school, behave well. Learning is rarely disrupted by poor behaviour.

Pupils are encouraged to develop as rounded individuals with a mature understanding of their roles and responsibilities in the world. They enjoy learning about cultures, religions and lifestyles which are different from their own. They are well prepared for the next stage in their education.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

There is a strong culture of safeguarding in the school. Leaders' systems to manage safeguarding issues are comprehensive, well devised and well managed.

Staff at all levels and governors, undertake regular training. They know how to spot if a pupil may be at risk of physical or emotional harm. Staff carry out and record all safeguarding procedures with attention to detail.

They work well with parents and external agencies to ensure that pupils quickly receive the help that they need. Staff make sure that pupils are safe at school. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe from harm, including on the internet.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, pupils do not remember enough of what they have learned at school in the past. Leaders should ensure that teachers systematically revisit previous knowledge, so that pupils remember more of what they have learned 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 a section 8 inspection of a good or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in May 2017.

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