St Maria Goretti Catholic Primary School, Preston

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel happy and are proud to attend this school. The school enables pupils to become confident and successful individuals.

Many of them call it a family. Pupils appreciate the staff who help them if they feel upset or worried.

Pupils behave well because staff have a consistent and caring approach to managing their behaviour.

The school has prioritised teaching pupils how to manage their feelings and to make the right choices. The school rewards pupils' good behaviour. Pupils know where the boundaries are.

As a result, pupils are respectful and sensitive to each other's needs.

The school has high expectations for pupils' academic succes...s. The school also nurtures pupils' curiosity and concentration from a young age.

Pupils subsequently achieve well in many subjects.

Pupils enjoy a variety of clubs and trips, which broaden their experiences. Older pupils take up responsibilities in school.

They show other pupils how to play and behave. Pupils are proud of the charity work with the local community.

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

The school has designed an ambitious curriculum which is enhanced with rich experiences.

These experiences help to ignite pupils' interests and broaden their horizons.

In many subjects, the school has designed a curriculum which builds logically from the two-year-old provision in the early years to Year 6. Pupils achieve well in these subjects.

However, in a few subjects, this is not the case. In these subjects, teachers do not have sufficient clarity on what to teach in each year group. As a result, pupils do not build on what they have learned previously and do not progress as well through the curriculum.

Teachers check regularly on what pupils have learned. They use this information to plug any gaps in pupils' learning.

The school identifies pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) early.

Staff are well trained to meet the needs of these pupils. For example, teachers in the early years, including those who teach two-year-olds, access external support and specific training to help them to support children effectively. Pupils with SEND across the school enjoy lessons.

They build positive relationships and achieve well.

The school has prioritised the teaching of reading. Teachers develop children's ability to listen to and recognise sounds in the early years.

They learn familiar songs, routines and rhymes. All teaching staff benefit from repeated training. As a result, the approach to the teaching of phonics is consistent and effective.

This means that pupils become confident and fluent readers.

Pupils demonstrate a love of reading. They use a range of extended vocabulary.

They talked knowledgeably about their favourite books. Pupils can debate with insight about their preferred authors. Pupils enjoy using the well-resourced library.

Pupils enjoy the rewards that they receive for being good role models, such as receiving golden tickets. Pupils behave well. They stay focused on learning.

They demonstrate kindness, good manners and respect to others.

The school has effective strategies in place to manage poor attendance. Patterns in absence are recognised.

Specific classes, groups or families receive additional support when required. Where pupils' attendance is low, the school works effectively to recognise pupils' anxieties and sensitively addresses any concerns so that pupils' absence reduces over time.

The school has ensured that pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

Pupils stated adamantly that all people are equal. Pupils take part in many charity events. They boasted about the number of clubs and sport competitions that they enjoy.

Older pupils take their responsibilities for children in the early years seriously.

The school has an expectation for continual improvement and for all teaching staff to learn and develop together. The school is considerate of staff's work-life balance, for example by bringing changes in gradually over time.

It has created a supportive professional community. Staff are proud to work at this school.

Governors' presence in school helps them to be supportive, for example by attending curriculum training with staff.

This has helped them to prioritise their support for the quality of education on offer.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a few subjects, teachers do not have enough guidance on what should be taught in each year group.

This hinders them from designing learning that helps pupils to build on what they already know. In these subjects, pupils do not achieve as well as they could. The school should develop its curriculum thinking further in these subjects so that pupils are well prepared for future learning.