St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Main findings

St Patrick's Catholic Primary provides a good quality of education. It is an inclusive school that serves its community well.

Accurate self-evaluation has enabled the school to identify key priorities and actions to successfully enhance the quality of its work. Leaders, staff and members of the governing body have worked effectively to secure improvements, for example to the consistency of teaching and the involvement of additional adults in supporting pupils' learning in lessons. The school has introduced good assessment systems.

Improvements to the curriculum, such as the daily teaching of letters and sounds (phonics) in small group sessions, and a particular focus on developing speaking an...d listening throughout the school, are helping to raise pupils' attainment in literacy. Mathematics themed weeks, numeracy workshops for parents and carers, and information about what their children will be learning each term, are leading to improved outcomes in mathematics. Consequently, the school's capacity for sustained improvement is good.

Children get off to a good start in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Home-visits by staff and opportunities to attend a playgroup at the school before they join ensure children settle quickly and are happy. The outdoor spaces in the Nursery and Reception classes have been enhanced since the previous inspection and children enjoy regular opportunities to develop their learning outside.

Pupils make good progress through the rest of the school. Tracking data is analysed carefully to check the progress pupils are making and identify pupils who need additional support. Teachers use assessment information well to match work in lessons to pupils' learning needs.

Extra help, tailored to pupils' specific needs, ensures all groups of pupils, including those speaking English as an additional language, pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and boys, make good progress. Occasionally, assessment information is not used as consistently to challenge more able learners. Marking and target setting are often used effectively to make clear to pupils what they should do to improve their work.

In a few classes, opportunities are missed to ensure pupils respond to teachers' comments about their work and take responsibility for knowing their individualised targets in order to promote their own progress. The curriculum promotes pupils' positive attitudes to school. Successful enhancements to engage boys' interests include re-enacting the fifteenth century Battle of Bosworth and role play as Roman soldiers.

Pupils in Year 6 are proud of the film they have made based on a Shakespeare play they have been studying. Opportunities to play musical instruments including trombone and guitar, regular singing, a wide variety of popular extra-curricular clubs and specialist sports coaching are all strengths of the good curriculum. Participation in performances at school, in local cultural venues and at the parish church boost pupils' self-confidence.

All pupils are known as individuals and enjoy themselves in the school's safe and caring environment. Relationships are welcoming and friendly. Successful strategies have been introduced to promote regular attendance and good punctuality.

These include a weekly competition between classes for the best punctuality and support to get to school regularly and on time for vulnerable pupils and their families. Pupils' attendance is now average overall.

Information about the school

This is a slightly smaller-than-average primary school with Early Years Foundation Stage children taught in one Nursery and one Reception class.

The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is above average. There is an average proportion of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Most of these pupils have speech, language and communication needs.

The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is above average. Sixty-five per cent of pupils speak English as an additional language. A very small minority are at an early stage of learning English.

The school has achieved the Healthy School's Award. The school operates and manages a breakfast club. There have been a number of recent staff changes.