St Teresa’s Catholic Primary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

St Teresa serves a community which is richly diverse, with families from many faiths and backgrounds.

Leaders have created a warm and welcoming school, where difference is celebrated and where everyone can thrive. Pupils love to learn and enjoy attending school. Pupils' behaviour is very positive.

There are positive relationships between pupils and staff. When they join in the early years, children are supported to make a smooth transition into school. This includes inviting families into school and visiting pupils in their homes.

The school also welcomes pupils at different points in the school year. Whenever pupils join, the staff go the extra mile to help ...them to feel part of this school.

The school offers very many clubs to all pupils.

These are attended well by all pupils. These include crafts, sports and academic classes. Pupils appreciate the opportunities to enhance their learning outside of school.

For example, they particularly enjoy going to the local theatre to see performances of the books they are reading.

There are many opportunities for pupils to fundraise and help people in the local community. The school's ethos of 'Pray together, Aspire Together, Achieve Together' resonates through school life.

This helps to prepare pupils to play an active role in society.

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

Since the last inspection, the school has reviewed and amended the curriculum. Leaders identified the important content they wanted pupils to learn.

As a result of this intensive work, the curriculum is well planned and sequenced right through from the early years to the end of Year 6.Leaders are carefully monitoring the impact of the new curriculum. This has worked well to improve assessment in some subjects.

Most teachers check pupils' understanding and identify any gaps in pupils' subject knowledge. They use this information to give effective feedback to pupils. This means that pupils are learning more and remembering more over time.

However, some subjects are not monitored as well. As a result, some pupils are taught new knowledge when they do not have a secure understanding of prior knowledge.Leaders have ensured that pupils develop a love of reading and there is a well understood reading strategy across the whole school.

There are 'reading corners' in every classroom and the school library is well used by pupils. Pupils can choose to read books of interest to them alongside the 'classroom reader'. Pupils read frequently for pleasure.

Many pupils join the school with English as an additional language and some with gaps in their reading knowledge. Staff have the expertise to teach reading effectively and they support pupils who struggle to read. As a result, pupils quickly catch up and are able to read more fluently.

Staff are trained well to meet the needs of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils are assessed as soon as they join the school in order to identify any unmet special needs. The staff use their expertise to help pupils with SEND access all parts of school life.

As a result, pupils with SEND are well supported.The behaviour policy is clear and tailored to the needs of pupils. Everyone knows what is considered acceptable and unacceptable behaviour in this school.

Pupils are taught that talking through problems is the best way to sort things out with each other. As a result of leaders' clear strategies, pupils behave well. Pupils make friends quickly and get along well together.

There is a focus on the development of the whole child. Leaders want pupils to discover their talents and interests and go to places they may never think to visit. Pupils talk positively about their visits to local places of interest and experiencing competitive sport for the first time.

The school's personal, social, health and economic curriculum teaches pupils how to be healthy and stay safe, and prepares them for life in modern day Britain. Pupils learn about the different cultures and religions and understand the importance of tolerance and respect.Trustees, local governors and executive leaders are knowledgeable about the school.

With their help school leaders have been able to recruit staff with the right expertise. This has helped to ensure that the school is now providing pupils with a good quality of education.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The school has not monitored the implementation or impact of a few subjects well enough. As a result, some pupils do not retain the subject-specific knowledge they need to do well. The school should ensure that subject leaders develop expertise so they are able to monitor the quality and delivery of their subject across the school.

• In some subjects, teachers do not use assessment well enough to check that pupils have understood what has been taught. This means that misconceptions are not always identified or addressed as quickly as they should be. The school needs to ensure that all teachers use assessment consistently well to check pupils' understanding and adapt their teaching so that all pupils can gain and retain new knowledge.