St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at St Patrick's Catholic Primary School benefit from a nurturing and inclusive environment where they feel safe, happy and valued.

The school's strong sense of community is rooted in its ethos, which inspires pupils to show kindness and respect to others. All pupils are welcome, irrespective of their background. Pupils enjoy coming to school and take pride in their achievements, striving to meet the high expectations set by staff.

They achieve well here.

The school is a calm and purposeful place where pupils work hard and show enthusiasm for their learning. They are curious and enjoy asking questions, particularly in subjects such as science and histor...y, where teachers encourage them to think deeply about what they are learning.

Pupils rise to challenges, celebrating their successes and persevering when faced with difficulties.

Playtimes are calm and joyful. Pupils play together happily, supported by the well-organised activities in the playground.

They show care for each other, ensuring that everyone is included in activities. Leadership opportunities, such as becoming school councillors or helping to organise charity events, give pupils a sense of responsibility and pride in contributing to the school community.

Pupils flourish because they are supported socially and emotionally.

The school introduces pupils to a wealth of cultural experiences.

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

The school has an ambitious and carefully designed curriculum that builds pupils' knowledge and skills over time. The school has worked to ensure that the curriculum is broad and engaging.

In subjects such as mathematics and English, what is taught is particularly well sequenced, helping pupils to build strong foundations in their learning and progress confidently through the curriculum.

Teachers are skilled in delivering the curriculum. They explain new concepts clearly and make effective use of subject-specific vocabulary.

In mathematics, for example, teachers model problem-solving strategies, providing pupils with ample opportunities to practise and apply these independently. Similarly, in English, pupils are encouraged to use precise vocabulary in their written work. These approaches enable pupils to consolidate their learning and apply their knowledge with increasing confidence.

The school continues to strengthen the wider curriculum. It aims to ensure that pupils' learning is consistently checked and revisited. By encouraging pupils to recall prior knowledge regularly, the curriculum helps them to embed and retain what they have learned over time.

However, this approach is not applied consistently in some wider curriculum subjects. This reduces how securely pupils remember knowledge in the long term.

The school adapts teaching to ensure that pupils remember what has been taught.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) benefit from tailored support. Teachers and leaders work closely with families to understand each pupil's needs and ensure that pupils can access the full curriculum. Staff training has been pivotal in giving teachers the knowledge and skills that they need to teach the curriculum effectively.

The school's approach to early reading is strong. Staff are well trained in phonics, delivering the school's chosen approach with consistency. Pupils who need extra help are quickly identified and supported to catch up.

Books are carefully matched to pupils' reading ability, ensuring that they experience success in building fluency. Pupils across the school speak enthusiastically about the books that they are reading and demonstrate a genuine passion for reading.

Children in early years access a rich environment that encourages exploration and curiosity.

Adults introduce new vocabulary effectively, helping children to build language and prepare for Year 1. Routines are well established, and children play and learn together harmoniously. Leaders continue to refine practice in the early years, ensuring that the language used by staff is consistently accurate and helps children's understanding.

The school places great importance on pupils' personal development, supported by a thoughtfully planned programme. Pupils are encouraged to live out the school's values, such as compassion, integrity, and respect. This includes, for example, through meaningful contributions to the community and raising funds for local charities.

The school makes full use of the opportunities London offers to enrich pupils' learning and personal development. For example, Year 6 pupils recently visited the RAF Museum, deepening their understanding of historical events linked to their history lessons. Visits to art galleries and museums are thoughtfully connected to pupils' learning in subjects such as science and art, broadening their cultural horizons.

These experiences help pupils develop a strong sense of responsibility and ambition while equipping them with an excellent understanding of the world around them.

Attendance has been a challenge for the school. The school has taken decisive action, working closely with families to remove barriers to regular attendance.

This work is beginning to have positive impact, but levels of persistent absence for some pupils is too high. Leaders remain focused on ensuring that all pupils attend regularly in order to benefit fully from the school's curriculum and opportunities.

Staff are proud to work at St Patrick's.

They value the support and professional development provided by leaders and governors, who are deeply committed to maintaining high standards and securing ongoing improvement across 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)

• Persistent absence for some groups of pupils is too high.

This means that some pupils are missing out on important learning. Leaders must continue to refine their approaches to rapidly reduce persistent absence for pupils, including those who are disadvantaged. ? The wider curriculum is still being developed.

In some subjects, the school's approach to checking and revisiting learning is not consistently applied. This limits pupils' ability to consolidate and retain knowledge over time. The school needs to ensure that teaching checks on and adapts to how well pupils are learning, and that opportunities to revisit prior knowledge are embedded across all subjects.