St Peter and Paul Catholic Primary School, Mawdesley

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy at this small and caring school.

They arrive full of smiles and confidently say goodbye to their parents and carers. Positive relationships between staff and pupils are evident throughout the school.

Pupils are kind and considerate.

They are supportive of one another and know what it means to be a good friend. Pupils play sociably with each other at breaktimes. They move around the school sensibly, demonstrating high levels of courtesy towards adults.

Most pupils develop a keen interest in a range of subjects. However, the school's expectations of what pupils should achieve are not high enough in some subjects. Weaknesses in how well... the curriculum is designed and delivered in some subjects mean that some pupils do not develop a deep body of knowledge over time.

They do not achieve as well as they should.

Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), benefit from activities that help to keep them physically active. For example, they enjoy exploring the school woodland area and playing sports such as football and tag rugby.

Some pupils have the opportunity to develop leadership skills by taking on responsibilities such as house captains, lunchtime monitors and by ringing the bell to signal the end of playtime.

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

The school has prioritised the teaching of reading from the early years to Year 6. Pupils read widely and often.

They also enjoy adults reading carefully chosen books to them at story times. A new early reading and phonics curriculum has recently been introduced. Most staff have received appropriate training so that they deliver this programme effectively.

As a result, children in the Reception class and pupils in key stage 1 gain a secure knowledge of phonics.

In some subjects, the school has ordered learning thoughtfully. Typically, in these subjects, when staff introduce new content, they ensure that it builds logically on pupils' previous learning.

Staff check on what pupils know and can remember. They use this information to shape future learning.

In several other subjects, however, the school has not ensured that the knowledge that pupils should learn is clear enough to staff.

Subject leadership in these subjects is underdeveloped. The school does not provide effective support for some subject leaders. This means that these leaders lack expertise in designing and checking the implementation of subject curriculums.

In turn, teachers do not receive the guidance and support that they need to design appropriate learning. They do not provide pupils with suitable activities to enable them to know more and remember more over time. Consequently, some pupils do not achieve as well as they should.

Pupils with SEND access the same curriculum as their peers. There are effective systems in place to identify pupils' additional needs. The school ensures that pupils with SEND receive the support that they need.

Nevertheless, the weaknesses in how well the curriculum is designed and delivered in some subjects mean that some pupils with SEND do not achieve as well as they should.

Pupils are positive about their school and their learning. Most pupils are attentive and try their best in lessons.

Low-level disruption is rare. Pupils know that the school rules are there to help them to learn and keep them safe.

The school ensures that pupils' physical and emotional health is supported well.

Pupils are taught about healthy relationships and how to keep safe. However, other aspects of pupils' personal development, such as their understanding of fundamental British values and cultures that are different to their own, are not secure. Pupils are not as well prepared for life in modern Britain as they should be.

The school communicates well with parents and carers. For example, it guides them on how to support their child's learning at home in reading. Parents told inspectors that they appreciate being invited to weekly celebration assemblies.

This helps them to feel involved in their children's education.

The school is considerate of staff's workload and well-being. For example, it considers how best to implement new initiatives without overburdening staff.

Governors are also mindful of the well-being of staff across the school. However, they do not have an accurate view of the school's strengths and priorities. This means that they do not provide the level of challenge that the school needs to ensure that pupils receive a high-quality education.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

While pupils are safe at this school, inspectors found some shortcomings in the safeguarding arrangements. The school, including governors, does not ensure that all staff have up-to-date training in all aspects of safeguarding.

In addition, the school does not record safeguarding concerns as well as it should. This makes it challenging for the school to carefully monitor safeguarding concerns. It also makes it difficult for the school and governors to evaluate the effectiveness of their safeguarding practices.

However, pupils are not at immediate risk of harm.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The school has not identified the essential knowledge that pupils must learn and in what order this should be taught in some subjects. This makes it difficult for teachers to design learning that enables pupils to build a secure body of knowledge.

This hinders pupils' achievement. The school should clarify its curriculum thinking so that teachers know exactly what pupils must learn and when this should be taught. ? The leadership of some subjects is underdeveloped.

This means that teachers are not provided with the support and guidance that they need to deliver the curriculum well. The school should ensure that it develops subject leadership so that teachers are helped to deliver all subject curriculums effectively. ? Pupils are not taught to understand the importance of fundamental British values and what these mean to them as citizens in modern Britain.

This means that pupils are not prepared as well as they should be for life in modern Britain. The school should ensure that pupils have opportunities to become responsible and active citizens while preparing them for the diverse society in which they live. ? Governors do not have a sufficient depth of understanding of the quality of education that pupils receive.

Over time, they have not challenged the school sufficiently well about pupils' learning. Governors should ensure that they gain a clear oversight of the effectiveness of the quality of education and hold the school to account for its actions to bring about improvement. ? The school does not make certain that all staff have up-to-date training on all aspects of safeguarding.

In addition, the school does not record safeguarding concerns as well as it should. This makes it difficult for the school and governors to evaluate the effectiveness of their safeguarding practices. The school should ensure that staff have well-developed safeguarding knowledge, and that it has a thorough record-keeping system that is used consistently well.