St Martin De Porres Catholic Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

St Martin De Porres Catholic Primary School continues to be a good school.

There are two co-headteachers of this school. They are Annette Barnaville and Hayley Gallagher. This school is part of St Thomas Catholic Academies Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school.

The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Joe Richardson, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Catherine Davies.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are notably happy at this school. They talk excitedly about how much they enjoy it here.

There is a culture of respect. Pupils embody the virtues the school teaches. For in...stance, pupils learn about service.

They help at food banks, and support peers in class.

Staff have high expectations for what pupils will learn. Pupils enjoy learning and take pride in what they do.

Consequently, they produce impressive work and achieve well. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). These pupils receive the support they need to succeed.

Behaviour is purposeful throughout the day. Pupils concentrate and work hard. Children in the early years learn how to manage their feelings well and develop independence.

Pupils are kind to each other. They are confident that any unkindness will be addressed swiftly by staff. In this safe culture, pupils become friendly, polite and confident.

Pupils come from diverse backgrounds. The school regularly celebrates this. At special events, pupils and parents champion their various cultures and ethnicities.

Pupils learn a lot about those from differing contexts, such as other religions. They demonstrate humanitarian as well as Catholic values. This prepares them well for life in a changing world.

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

The curriculum is broad and ambitious. Its aims are well defined. Pupils learn skills such as critical thinking, leadership and teamwork, ready for secondary school.

Subject leaders plan pupils' progress step-by-step from the early years. In most areas, this means pupils develop detailed knowledge. In mathematics, pupils are assured with calculations, and in using these to solve a range of different problems.

That said, in a few areas the school has not effectively identified and taught the most important content pupils need. In history, for instance, pupils know somewhat disconnected facts rather than having a web of connected knowledge. The school has begun to address this, but they have plenty to do to improve it as they wish.

Staff teach the curriculum well. They receive high-quality training from the trust and subject leaders. Teachers explain new content clearly.

In most lessons, they make sure misconceptions are addressed before moving forwards. Consequently, pupils know and can do more over time, for example those in Year 2 use conjunctions, and in Year 4 use these in more complex sentences. While this is the case, sometimes tasks are not well adjusted for pupils' different levels of prior knowledge.

Where this happens, some understand the learning quickly, but others get stuck. Staff generally pick up on this, but some pupils do not learn as well as they might.

Staff teach reading consistently well.

Pupils quickly learn to read with fluency. This includes those for whom English is an additional language. Pupils use their phonics knowledge to write, such as well-structured sentences in Year 1.

The love of reading is a focus across the school. Older pupils talk with enthusiasm about the library and the books they read.

Pupils with SEND receive strong support.

The school has seen needs rise sharply. The 'hub' helps children with complex SEND to access the curriculum. For instance, they learn to sit still, develop their language skills and do tasks independently.

In class, teachers adapt learning well for pupils with SEND. These pupils build up their knowledge, such as their writing and mathematical skills. Consequently, they do well and are proud of what they achieve.

The school culture supports very positive behaviour. Clear routines help children in the early years to behave calmly. Pupils respond well to the frequent rewards and celebration of their success.

They benefit from nurturing relationships with staff. Pupils want to be in school so they attend regularly and enthusiastically.

There is a well-considered programme for personal development.

The curriculum teaches pupils how to stay safe. For example, pupils learn how to avoid online risks. They praise the lengths the school goes to safeguard them, such as regarding road safety.

Pupils enjoy a range of leadership opportunities. They suggest many of the clubs which take place, such as ballet. These experiences help pupils build their characters, such as their resilience and independence.

Staff value the collaborative ethos. They see how they are part of a team that helps pupils succeed. Workload is manageable because the curriculum is well planned.

The trust gives the school effective support. For instance, it has supported the new co-headteachers' role and development. Trustees and governors keep a close oversight of provision.

This has helped improve areas such as support for SEND.

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 areas of the curriculum, the school does not identify and teach the most important knowledge effectively enough.

This means that, in these areas, pupils remember disconnected facts rather than developing a connected web of knowledge. The school needs to ensure it identifies the most important knowledge pupils need to know in all areas of the curriculum and teaches this in a way that helps pupils build up deep and rich knowledge. ? Teachers do not always adapt what they teach successfully according to pupils' levels of prior knowledge.

This means that some pupils can struggle to understand the learning. The school should make sure teachers get the guidance and support they need to pitch learning more precisely to differing levels of knowledge, so that pupils make better progress.

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 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 would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which 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 in 4–5 December 2018.

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