St Joseph’s RC Primary School, Halliwell, Bolton

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About St Joseph’s RC Primary School, Halliwell, Bolton


Name St Joseph’s RC Primary School, Halliwell, Bolton
Website http://www.st-josephrcp.bolton.sch.uk
Inspections
Ofsted Inspections
Headteacher Mrs Nicola Rabbett
Address Shepherd Cross Street, Halliwell, Bolton, BL1 3EJ
Phone Number 01204333055
Phase Primary
Type Voluntary aided school
Age Range 3-11
Religious Character Roman Catholic
Gender Mixed
Number of Pupils 230
Local Authority Bolton
Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

St Joseph's RC Primary School, Halliwell, Bolton has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and settle well at this inviting and caring school. They enjoy seeing their friends and teachers each day. Pupils understand the importance of attending school regularly so that they can learn and prepare for their future lives.

For example, they spoke of pursuing careers in sports, design, policing and law.

The school has high aspirations for pupils' achievement. This includes for those who speak English as an additional language and for those with special educational needs and/...or disabilities (SEND).

Typically, pupils achieve well. They appreciate recognition for trying their best, such as by being chosen as 'golden child' and 'star of the week'.

Pupils behave well.

They enjoy chatting and playing with their friends during social times. Pupils have positive attitudes towards their learning. They know what the school expects of them in terms of their behaviour, such as to be kind and helpful to each other.

The school provides well for pupils' wider development. Pupils particularly relish regular opportunities to learn outdoors, which help them to develop their self-confidence and teamwork skills. Trips, including to museums, places of worship, a computing centre and another local school, enhance the curriculum.

Pupils enjoy participating in sports events, including in dance, lacrosse, hockey and swimming. They attend science, art, cooking, drumming and football clubs.

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

The governing body works well with the school.

It provides effective support and challenge, with a shared focus on continuing to improve the quality of education that the school provides for pupils.

The school has adopted a broad and ambitious curriculum that matches the breadth of the national curriculum. Starting from the early years through to Year 6, pupils work towards ambitious curriculum goals.

They learn well across a range of subjects.

Teachers benefit from a well-thought-out programme of training and support. This helps them to develop their knowledge of the subjects that they teach.

For the most part, teachers implement subject curriculums well. For example, they choose suitable learning activities during lessons. However, from time to time, staff's explanations of new concepts and ideas are not clear, and they do not check pupils' understanding of new learning carefully enough.

This means that some pupils develop misunderstandings and make some mistakes that are not corrected.

The school identifies pupils' additional needs early. It has effective strategies to support pupils with SEND.

This includes working closely with a range of external professionals, and parents and carers. Pupils in the 'nurture' classroom benefit from relationships with caring staff, who help them to self-regulate their emotions and to be ready to learn.

Staff foster pupils' love of reading in many ways.

The books in the curriculum reflect the diversity of the school's community. Each class chooses a selection of 'favourite books' to read through the year. The school has a new, well-stocked library and reading areas in classrooms.

In their roles on the 'GIFT' team, pupils read stories to their peers each week.

Pupils begin to learn phonics from the start of the Reception Year. Well-trained staff follow the phonics programme well.

Pupils practise their reading by using books that contain the sounds that they already know. Most develop into assured readers. Nonetheless, at times, some pupils at an earlier stage of learning to read do not receive consistently effective support.

This occasionally slows these pupils in learning to read fluently and accurately.

Pupils are polite, respectful and well mannered to each other and towards adults. They attend school regularly.

For a small number of pupils whose attendance levels and punctuality are not as high, the school works well with families and external agencies. This joined-up approach is helping these pupils to attend school more regularly.

Pupils learn how to be safe and healthy.

Visitors to the school develop pupils' knowledge of important matters such as toothbrushing, puberty and fire safety. Pupils know that they can make a positive difference in school and beyond. For example, they value leading whole-school worship in their roles as 'CARITAS' members.

Eco-warriors help to look after the local environment, such as by litter picking, and prefects help their peers at lunchtime. Pupils raise money for charities and collect provisions for local food banks.

The school supports staff in fulfilling their roles well, for example by providing teachers with additional time to refine subject curriculums.

Staff know that the school considers their views. They value working as part of a close-knit team, which they described as 'fantastic' and 'like a family'.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• At times, staff do not provide clear explanations of new learning, and they do not check carefully enough what pupils have understood. This means that some pupils develop some misunderstandings and make mistakes that go unaddressed. The school should ensure that staff better support pupils to understand new content, to help them to know and remember more.

• The support for some pupils at an earlier stage of reading is not fully effective. This means that these pupils do not become fluent and accurate readers as quickly as they could. The school should support staff in delivering effective early reading strategies consistently well.

Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted's website. From September 2024, graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade.

This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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's work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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 for overall effectiveness in September 2019.

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