St Matthew’s Catholic Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The school fosters a sense of aspiration and entrepreneurship. For example, it encourages older pupils to help operate a tuck shop.

It has also partnered with a local high school to encourage future careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects.

The school has raised its expectations for what pupils should learn. For example, it has made positive changes to its mathematics curriculum.

These changes are helping pupils to improve their mathematical understanding. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), generally achieve well during their time at the school.

Pupils value the posit...ive relationships that they have with staff.

Pupils are safe, feel well cared for and are happy. Most pupils engage well in their lessons. They behave sensibly when they move around school.

Pupils appreciate being consulted on their ideas for extra-curricular clubs. The school councillors regularly collect the thoughts of their classmates before meeting with school leaders to put forward new suggestions. In recent times, the school has arranged numerous sports clubs as well as more novel clubs such as a trading card club and a slime club.

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

The school has designed a broad, ambitious curriculum. It has outlined what pupils are expected to learn by the end of each year group. In most parts of its curriculum, the school has broken down its expectations into small, logical steps of learning.

This helps teachers to deliver curriculum content to pupils in a coherent way.

The school is currently refining some parts of its early years curriculum. In some areas of learning, the school has not made strong connections between the early years curriculum and national curriculum subjects.

In turn, pupils do not routinely build on their prior knowledge when they move into key stage 1.

The school ensures that most curriculum content is delivered effectively. Pupils develop a secure body of knowledge across many subjects.

However, a small number of subjects are not delivered consistently well across the school. In part, this is due to a number of recent staffing changes. However, it is also because the school's oversight of how some subjects are delivered is not incisive enough.

Consequently, the school does not swiftly address some deficiencies in how well these subjects are taught. At times, this impacts on how effectively pupils learn.

The school uses a range of assessment strategies effectively to check on pupils' learning.

In some subjects, the school uses assessment information particularly well to precisely identify and address pupils' knowledge gaps and misconceptions.

The school identifies pupils with SEND early. Staff support these pupils well.

Staff adapt the delivery of the curriculum appropriately to help pupils with SEND to access their learning. Pupils with SEND usually achieve well.

The school is developing its approaches to promoting a love of reading.

It has recently created a new library in the school hall. It also encourages pupils to participate in reading initiatives, such as the local summer reading challenge.

Able staff deliver the phonics programme effectively.

Pupils generally read books that are sufficiently matched to their knowledge of sounds. The school provides highly focused, effective support to help pupils to catch up in their phonics learning. Most pupils leave Year 1 with the skills that they need to read with fluency and confidence.

The school provides well for pupils' personal development. For example, pupils hone their debating skills by discussing topical issues. Pupils engage in charitable activities and community initiatives.

They develop a secure knowledge about how to keep themselves safe, and how to look after their bodies and minds. Pupils value the extra-curricular trips and experiences offered to them, such as the residential visits in Year 2, 4 and 6.

Pupils have a positive attitude to their education.

Most behave well and are attentive in their lessons. This includes children in the early years. The school places a high priority on attendance.

It has effective strategies in place to remove any barriers that prevent some pupils from coming to school. Most pupils attend school regularly.

Governors are effective in their roles.

They know the school well and provide clear strategic direction. The school, including governors, is taking positive steps to respond to the views of some staff, parents and carers. For example, the school recently commissioned external partners to help them to consult staff on ways to improve staff's workload and well-being.

Most staff feel well supported by the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• A small number of subjects are not delivered consistently well across the school.

This means that some pupils do not develop a deep body of knowledge in these subjects. The school should ensure that staff are well equipped to deliver curriculum content effectively. It should also ensure that subject leaders have a secure oversight of their subject so that they can address any issues with curriculum implementation.

The school has not established strong links between the curriculum in the early years and some national curriculum subjects. This means that some pupils do not routinely capitalise on their prior learning when they move into key stage 1. The school should finalise its curriculum thinking in the early years, in order to build connections with the key stage 1 curriculum so that pupils can make the best start to Year 1.