St Patrick’s Roman Catholic Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The school places no barriers on what pupils can achieve.

It has high expectations for all pupils. Across the school, pupils live up to these expectations. This is particularly impressive in the early years, where children get off to a very strong start.

They develop the attitudes to learning and solid foundation of knowledge that they need to be ready for the demands of Year 1 and beyond.

Pupils' behaviour and attitudes to learning are exemplary. They arrive each day happy to begin learning.

Pupils take responsibility for their own behaviour and genuinely care about how their actions may impact on others. Highly respectful relationships feature thro...ughout the school. The school knows pupils' needs in detail.

Pupils receive the support they need to behave well. Consequently, learning is rarely disrupted, and pupils do not worry about bullying. Pupils take the lead in ensuring that playtimes are calm and purposeful.

Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the impact that the school has on their children. They praise the individual care and attention that their children receive. Parents appreciate how the school communicates with them.

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

Pupils follow an ambitious curriculum. This begins in the early years, where the school carefully balances children's interests with setting out the important knowledge that they need to know and remember. Children in the early years make exceptional progress from their starting points.

This prepares them well for their future learning. In most subjects, pupils build a rich body of knowledge over time. Staff make precise checks on any gaps in knowledge that pupils have.

They use this information to design learning to support pupils to build on what they already know. In a few subjects, the order that staff introduce key knowledge to pupils does not help them to learn as well as they could. Consequently, in these subjects, pupils do not remember enough of their learning over time.

Subject leaders share their expert subject knowledge with other staff. This means that staff are able to design learning activities that engage and interest pupils. Staff adapt learning well to enable all pupils to take part.

Wherever possible, pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) follow the full curriculum alongside their peers. Staff identify pupils' additional needs well. They carefully consider the support that pupils need to be able to learn effectively.

Staff are tenacious in checking and improving the support that pupils receive.

Pupils develop a love of reading. Children in Reception value books and often read for pleasure.

They learn about the sounds that letters make as soon as they join the school. Children quickly learn to read and write with increasing accuracy. Pupils throughout the school read books that match their reading knowledge.

This helps them to be confident and fluent readers. Staff have the expertise they need to spot if a pupil falls behind the pace of the phonics programme. If this happens, pupils receive the help that they need to catch up quickly.

Pupils know the school rules well. They learn to build resilience, develop their confidence and show self-control. For example, in the early years, children maintain concentration and seek to improve their work without adult support.

Pupils know that it is their responsibility to behave well, 'even when no one is looking'.

Pupils take pride in the school being a friendly and welcoming place. They encourage everyone to do their best.

For example, through the buddy system, the Year 6 'gardeners' help their reception 'seeds' to flourish. In the early years, children start each day and begin their learning activities with a sense of joy. Children know the routines and expectations that staff have of them.

They are proud of their achievements and speak about their learning with confidence.

The school prioritises pupils' wider development. Pupils learn about the different lives that people live.

This includes different types of relationships and different beliefs. Pupils benefit from a range of opportunities to develop leadership skills. For example, 'Pat's pals' look out for others and signpost them to help if they need it.

Pupils know how to keep safe online. They learn how to identify risks and how to report them to adults.

The school has an accurate overview of what is working well.

There are secure plans in place for the school's next steps. Decisions about improvement are carefully balanced with the demands on staff workload. The school ensures that staff have the time that they need to embed new ideas.

The trust provides suitable support and challenge to the school. It checks that the school's actions have the intended impact on the quality of education that pupils receive.

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, the order that pupils learn important knowledge does not help them to build knowledge as well as they could. Consequently, pupils do not remember enough of their learning over time. The trust and the school should ensure that the sequence of learning in all subjects helps pupils to know and remember more over time.