St Teresa’s Catholic Primary School and Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

St Teresa's Catholic Primary School and Nursery continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and safe at St Teresa's. The school's values of trust, appreciation, respect, honesty and love are at the heart of this community. Pupils describe school as friendly and caring.

Pupils have high expectations of themselves and others. They consistently rise to these high standards.

Leaders are ambitious for pupils to succeed.

The curriculum has been carefully designed in response to what pupils need to learn. Behaviour and attitudes to learning are strong. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education.

A br...oad range of opportunities and experiences are provided that enrich the curriculum. For example, pupils complete a finance challenge as part of learning about money in mathematics. Additional activities, such as karate, boxing and French, develop pupils' talents and interests.

Pupils are proud to represent their school. For example, members of the choir have had the opportunity to sing at Wembley Arena. Pupils readily take on additional responsibilities, such as being an elected member of the school council and organising fundraising for different charities.

Pupils take pride in their school community. This includes taking it in turns to complete litter picking around the site.

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

Pupils learn a broad curriculum which meets the ambition and scope of what is expected nationally.

The most important knowledge pupils need to learn has been identified from early years onwards. This helps pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to build their knowledge and understanding in different subjects.

Careful thought has been given to how the curriculum is sequenced so that pupils practise and embed important concepts.

For example, in mathematics, children in early years practise making numbers in different ways. This helps older pupils to work more confidently with larger numbers, including those with decimals. Similarly, in history, pupils learn about different sources of information.

This helps them to find out about different events in history, such as the Harrow and Wealdstone train crash.

In most subjects, assessment is used well to check what pupils have learned. Any misconceptions are identified and corrected.

However, in a few subjects this is less consistent. In these instances, some pupils do not develop as deep an understanding because gaps in their knowledge have not been identified and addressed. Pupils with SEND are swiftly identified and well supported.

This is because staff understand the needs of pupils and ensure appropriate adaptations are in place. As a result, pupils access the same curriculum as their peers wherever possible.

Reading is prioritised, from the early years.

Pupils enjoy reading and being read to. For example, older pupils seize the opportunity to be buddy readers to their younger peers. Staff have received appropriate training to deliver the chosen phonics programme with consistency.

Pupils have sufficient opportunity to read books that are well matched to the sounds that they know. Pupils who require additional support are accurately identified, and receive appropriate and timely intervention. This means that pupils learn to read with fluency and confidence.

There are clear and consistently applied expectations for pupils' behaviour. This ensures a purposeful, calm and orderly atmosphere in lessons and around the school. Pupils play well together at lunchtime and are respectful to each other.

Appropriate systems are in place to ensure pupils attend regularly.

Pupils' broader personal development is well considered. For example, 'Cultural Heritage Day', where pupils dress in traditional clothing, is used to celebrate different cultures.

The curriculum is designed to help pupils learn about different religions. Faith leaders in the school help support the spiritual life of the school. Pupils were proud to show the prayer garden as a space for reflection.

Pupils learn to keep themselves safe when online and through developing an understanding of what constitutes a healthy relationship.

Leaders at all levels understand the school's strengths and priorities for further improvement. Staff value the consideration given to their workload and well-being.

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, assessment is not used as effectively to check that pupils have secured the most important knowledge they need. This means that pupils' understanding in these areas is not as secure.

The school should ensure that assessment is used to check pupils know and remember the most important ideas across the curriculum. This will better help staff to identify and address any misconceptions pupils may have.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in March 2014.

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