St Kentigern’s Catholic Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Short inspection of St Kentigern's Catholic Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 11 April 2018, I write on behalf of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education, Children's Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in October 2014.

This school continues to be good. The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. You lead a very welcoming and inclusive school with strong Christian values.

You teach pupils to care for others and to follow the school's motto to 'treat others as you would like to be treated'. As a result, pupils behave w...ell and contribute to society through work with charities and taking part in community and parish events. The governing body shares your ambitions to achieve the best for each and every pupil.

Through regular training, governors keep their skills up to date. They visit the school frequently and keep a careful watch on how pupils achieve. As a result, governors have an accurate understanding of the school's strengths and areas for improvement.

At the time of this inspection, the information published on the school's website, including curriculum information, did not meet requirements. Governors are taking the appropriate steps to make sure the school's website is up to date. You lead an enthusiastic staff who share your determination to let every pupil shine.

Teachers work closely together and with other professionals to share their ideas and to help to improve teaching and learning across the curriculum. Through a wide range of well-planned cultural experiences, such as working with the Royal Shakespeare Company on an English project, you develop pupils' confidence and skills. You and the staff provide effective support for disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities.

Teachers identify pupils' barriers to learning very accurately. You work with other professionals and families to make sure that pupils receive the right level of support. Parents and carers are very positive about the school.

Those who spoke with me at the start of the school day, or responded to Parent View, Ofsted's online questionnaire, said the school is very welcoming. Parents who had moved from abroad told me how quickly their children had settled into school. A typical comment was, 'the school is extremely warm, friendly and community focused'.

Pupils share parents' very positive view of the school. They appreciate the many leadership roles available to them, including membership of the school council and the eco council. Pupils enjoy being involved in school decisions and were proud to have chosen the smart new school uniform.

The pupils' anti-bullying ambassadors help to reinforce high standards of behaviour at breaktimes. You teach pupils to be tolerant of others and to respect each other's differences. Pupils were keen to tell me that they treat everyone equally and all are welcomed at the school.

Since the last inspection, the quality of teaching has improved. You have addressed most of the areas for improvement identified by the previous inspection. Across most subject areas, pupils, including the most able, make good progress.

This is because teachers plan engaging and interesting lessons, which challenge pupils and match their learning needs. Recent improvements in the teaching of writing have started to have an impact, although this is not consistent across the school. Leaders have identified that, in some classes, teachers do not give pupils enough opportunities to develop their writing skills across different areas of the curriculum.

You are taking the appropriate steps to ensure that standards in writing continue to improve across the school. Safeguarding is effective. Leaders have made sure that safeguarding arrangements are thorough, fit for purpose and of high quality.

They carry out statutory checks on the suitability of staff to work with children. Leaders have taken effective actions to ensure that the school is a safe and secure place in which children can learn. Staff teach pupils how to keep themselves safe, both online and in the wider community.

Several staff have qualifications in paediatric and general first aid. Through regular training, staff and governors have up-to-date knowledge of safeguarding. They are vigilant about the potential risks that pupils may face.

Records relating to pupils' welfare are appropriate and meticulously kept. Leaders work closely with parents and other professionals to make sure that pupils are safe. Inspection findings ? The inspection focused on a number of key lines of enquiry, the first of which was how well children achieve in the Reception Year.

I found that staff work well with nurseries to make sure that children get the right level of support when they start school. Staff work closely with parents and involve them in their children's learning. Teachers plan engaging activities which match the development needs and interests of children.

When I visited, children were having fun playing in the travel agent role-play area, booking tickets for their holidays. Other children were enjoying making models from cardboard. Children play cooperatively and with concentration.

I found that, from their starting points, children make good progress through the early years and they are well prepared for Year 1. We agreed that teachers could provide more imaginative and engaging opportunities in the indoor and outdoor classrooms for children to develop their early reading and writing skills across different areas. ? For my second key line of enquiry, I checked how well pupils learn phonics.

This was because, in 2017, the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in Year 1 was below the national average and lower than in previous years. I found that you have taken appropriate steps to improve the teaching of phonics. You have invested in new reading books and staff have attended training to improve their skills.

You have taken careful steps to ensure that teaching precisely matches pupils' abilities. Leaders frequently check pupils' progress to make sure that they are on track to reach the standards expected of them. As a result of the actions that you have taken, pupils' attainment in phonics has risen and pupils read with fluency and enjoyment.

• My third key line of enquiry related to whether pupils receive a broad and balanced curriculum. You recognise that your pupils benefit from a wide range of experiences and cultural opportunities. At the date of my inspection, Year 5 and 6 pupils were very excited about their residential trip to the Lake District.

Pupils in key stage 2 told me how proud they are to play in the school's brass band, performing at local events. In lessons, teachers plan engaging and interesting experiences to support pupils' learning. You have placed a strong emphasis on developing pupils' knowledge of vocabulary through experiences, discussions and frequent opportunities to read with adults.

Through the rich curriculum that you have planned, pupils develop their confidence and their skills across different subject areas. ? During the inspection, I found that subject leaders demonstrate a secure knowledge of the subjects for which they are responsible. They share your determination to raise standards even further across the curriculum.

In mathematics and English, staff check pupils' progress very carefully and identify how teaching can further improve. In other subjects, such as geography and history, you and the staff are still developing ways to measure pupils' progress and to use this information to improve further teaching and learning in these subjects. Next steps for the school Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that: ? children in the Reception Year have more opportunities to develop their early reading and writing skills ? recent improvements in the teaching of writing are embedded so that more pupils reach the expected standard at the end of Year 2 and Year 6 ? the website is compliant and is effectively monitored to ensure that it remains so ? the roles of leaders of subjects other than English and mathematics are further enhanced so that they have a greater impact on teaching and learning.

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the director of education for the Diocese of Lancaster, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children's services for Blackpool. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website. Yours sincerely Elizabeth Stevens Her Majesty's Inspector Information about the inspection During this inspection, I met with you, the deputy headteacher and a group of teachers, including middle leaders.

I also met with four governors, including the chair of the governing body and the vice-chair. I spoke with representatives of the local authority and the diocese. I met with four pupils from key stage 2, and spoke informally with other pupils during lessons.

I visited all classes with you, where I observed teaching and learning, looked at pupils' work and spoke with pupils. I also heard pupils from Year 2 and Year 6 read. I took account of nine responses to Parent View, the Ofsted online questionnaire, including free-text responses.

I looked at a range of documentation, including the school's self-evaluation and school improvement plan, information about pupils' attainment and progress, behaviour logs and teachers' performance management arrangements. I also evaluated safeguarding procedures, including polices to keep pupils safe, safeguarding checks and attendance information. I undertook a review of the school's website.