St Peter’s Catholic School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

St Peter's provides exceptional education, care and guidance from the time pupils start at the school to the end of the sixth form for the many who stay on. Pupils are very happy at the school, which lives out its stated values of 'love, service, reflection, justice and courage'. Staff are caring and committed.

They have very high ambitions for all pupils' academic success. These are evident in day-to-day lessons and reflected in very high achievement in examinations.

Behaviour and attitudes to learning are very positive among pupils.

They attend very well, arrive on time to lessons and are ready to learn, so teachers can get on with their teaching. Teachers ...are passionate and expert in their subjects. Sixth-form students are a strength of the school.

Much is expected of them and the students rise to the challenge, working hard and setting an example for others.

The school succeeds in educating pupils beyond the subject curriculum to enhance their preparation for later life. Pupils are exceptionally well taught about being respectful of each other and in contributing to the school community.

They are guided skilfully when making the key decisions about which subjects to study at GCSE and beyond.

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

The curriculum builds pupils' learning very securely in key stage 3, picking up on their learning in primary school and providing pupils with a mastery of the curriculum to support later study. A rich range of subjects at GCSE and A level enable pupils and students to develop essential learning and explore their areas of interest.

Teachers sequence learning carefully and revisit material over time to ensure it is embedded securely in pupils' knowledge.

Teachers ensure lessons are engaging and purposeful. They are very confident in teaching new ideas.

Staff put much effort into providing effective resources and ensuring lessons are inspiring. They are adept at picking up on how well pupils have understood new learning, often anticipating the trickier elements for pupils and tackling them well.

Teachers and support staff work very hard to help all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities or who are disadvantaged in other ways.

Teachers receive much precise, useful information about pupils' additional needs or vulnerabilities. They typically use this extremely well to plan their teaching and to support pupils highly effectively. The school is focusing closely on this area, having seen a significant rise in levels of need after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pupils' excellent behaviour makes a significant contribution to their learning. They can sustain focus where needed, take responsibility for completing work and show resilience when study is hard. The school identifies accurately any pupils who need support in key areas like reading, and they are enabled to catch up.

Pupils are keen to get into school each day, meaning that attendance is very high. The school is very successful at ensuring improved attendance for any pupils who struggle to attend well, working closely with families.

Pupils are very well supported in growing the wider knowledge and skills that they need.

Personal, social, health and economic education is planned skilfully. This, alongside high-quality relationships and sex education, sees pupils develop as kind people who respect and value each other's differences. Pupils are able to discuss sensitive issues maturely.

They understand healthy relationships, know the difference between right and wrong and socialise really well together. Sixth-form students are an example to others in modelling strong social skills. They speak very warmly about the way they are cared for and supported, and very much value their separate sixth-form centre.

Teachers strive to develop pupils' wider knowledge through subjects, for example setting up visits and bringing in visitors. They ensure that all pupils benefit, including the less advantaged. This is equally true of the rich range of clubs and activities offered, where the school supports disadvantaged pupils to attend.

An excellent programme of guidance and work experience helps pupils make informed choices when thinking about subjects to study at GCSE or post-16. Sixth-form students receive high-quality support when planning their next steps after school.

The school reflects carefully on how well it performs, striking a careful balance between providing staff with the training they need and holding them to account for their impact on pupils' learning.

The school's close focus on the quality of teaching is handsomely repaid in the results which pupils achieve. Staff are very positive about the school and feel extremely well supported. The school engages well with parents, whose views about the school are very positive indeed, for example as seen in the response to the Ofsted Parent View survey.

The great majority of parents feel communication is good and that they are listened to if they have any issues to raise. Governors are vigilant and effective in their oversight of the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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