St Theresa’s Catholic Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

St Theresa's Catholic Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

St Theresa's Catholic Primary is a popular, welcoming and well-led school. Staff know pupils well. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), know that leaders want them to succeed and become respectful and active citizens.

Pupils learn to understand the school's Christian values of faith, hope and love. These are at the heart of everything that happens in school. These values help pupils to establish a strong sense of community.

Pupils enjoy being with their friends in school. They get on well with each other, regardless of the...ir background. They have many adults to speak to if issues arise.

Pupils say that bullying rarely happens. They are confident that staff sort out problems. Pupils develop strong relationships with staff.

This makes them feel safe at school.

Pupils enjoy visiting places like Whitby Abbey. Staff make sure that everyone is included on visits.

Pupils enjoy talking about what they have learned on the visits.

Most parents and carers say they feel part of the wider family of St Theresa's. They are happy that their opinions matter.

Parents and carers appreciate the support they receive from teachers. For example, they come into school for events like learning how to help their children at home with phonics.

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

Leaders have designed an exciting curriculum that is relevant to all pupils, including those with SEND.

The result is an ambitious curriculum. It builds pupils' knowledge well from early years through to Year 6. For example, children in Reception learn about Remembrance Day.

They talk about members of their family who died in war. In history, pupils in Year 6 study the Second World War and its links to the First World War.

Leaders identify the needs of pupils with SEND well.

Pupils with SEND access the same learning as their peers. Activities are well chosen to match pupils' needs. In lessons, teachers make checks to ensure pupils understand what they are learning.

Any pupil who is struggling receives support in the lesson or in extra teaching sessions. Leaders have provided teachers with the support they need to deliver the curriculum well. Teachers make sure that learning builds on what pupils know and remember.

In the core subjects of English and mathematics, teachers revisit and check that pupils have remembered essential knowledge from previous learning. As a result, pupils remember well. They understand how prior knowledge links to their current learning.

For example, pupils use their knowledge of multiplication tables with confidence to help them subtract fractions. They use and apply their knowledge of number to solve problems. Pupils explain their mathematical reasoning well.

In some foundation subjects, such as geography, leaders have recently revised their curriculum plans, so that they link to other subjects in a meaningful way. Teachers do not have as precise a knowledge of how well pupils have remembered this revised curriculum, long term. Leaders are aware of this and have begun to develop a new assessment system that matches the revised curriculum for the foundation subjects.

Across the school, reading is taught well. Leaders recently introduced a new phonics programme to help pupils learn to read. All staff received training in the programme.

Teachers make sure that children in the early years, and pupils in key stage 1, gain knowledge of the letters and sounds they need to read words. Pupils who need extra help receive well-tailored extra support. Pupils take home books that enable them to practise the sounds they learn in class.

This helps them to read with accuracy and fluency.

Throughout the entire school, pupils show enthusiasm for learning. Behaviour in lessons and around school is good.

This is because teachers plan exciting activities which stimulate pupils' curiosity. As a result, pupils focus on their learning with few distractions or interruptions. This includes children in the early years.

Children work well together to plant and grow herbs. The environment in the early years is inspiring. It is helping children to learn new vocabulary, such as the names of the herbs they grow.

Pupils show enjoyment and fascination when learning about their own and others' beliefs. They enjoyed learning about the festival Diwali and visiting a synagogue. Leaders have made sure that every pupil in key stage 2 has participated in competitive sport this year.

Pupils enjoy the opportunity to represent their school before they leave in Year 6.

Governors are well informed by leaders. They provide appropriate support and challenge to leaders, and are active in their support for their school.

Staff appreciate leaders' actions to support workload and well-being. This includes teachers at the early stages of their career. Staff morale is high.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders and staff know pupils, families and the community well. They talk with parents regularly and offer high levels of support.

All staff receive regular training. As a result, they know how to identify and record safeguarding concerns. Leaders ensure that vulnerable pupils receive the timely support that they need.

This includes support with mental health.

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe. This includes the dangers associated with the use of social media and online gaming.

Leaders make sure that appropriate checks are carried out on all adults working in the school.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In the foundation subjects, the system for assessing what pupils have learned and remembered is less developed than in the core subjects of English and mathematics. As a result, teachers are not able to be as precise in their identification of gaps in pupils' knowledge and to take appropriate action.

Leaders know this and have begun to make changes to the assessment system of the foundation subjects. Leaders should continue with this work, so that assessment and follow-up actions are as strong as they are in the core curriculum.

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

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in January 2012.

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