St Urban’s Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, parents, carers and staff are proud to be members of this warm, welcoming school community.

Leaders ensure that the school's Catholic ethos and values of 'living, learning and growing together' thread through all aspects of school life. These values are made meaningful to the pupils. Pupils are taught about the character virtues and strengths that can support decision-making, positive relationships and life in the wider world.

The very positive relationships between staff and pupils reflect these core values.

Leaders have high expectations of all pupils. They create a calm and highly positive environment in school, which allows pupils to develop excep...tional attitudes and behaviours.

When appropriate, skilled adults support pupils to manage their emotions. Pupils know they are cared for and that their teachers believe in them. They feel safe, happy and get on well together.

Pupils are considerate of each other in tricky times and work incredibly well together in class and on special projects.

Leaders give considerable emphasis to positive relationships with parents, carers and the community. Parents highlight the support they have received from the school during the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent return to school.

Parents value the care that staff give to pupils. This caring approach from all staff is evident in the daily life of the school. The strong links between home and school support pupils to attend well and participate in the wider experiences that the school offers.

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

Leaders have reviewed the curriculum and made significant improvements in many subjects. In mathematics, teachers follow a comprehensive curriculum that runs from Reception to Year 6. Pupils use accurate vocabulary to discuss mathematics.

Well-trained teachers model mathematical methods well, and pupils enjoy their mathematics a great deal. In subjects such as music and physical education (PE), leaders have thought carefully about what they want pupils to learn. They have ensured that learning builds over time, with well-planned opportunities to recall and revisit learning.

For example, leaders have defined the composers and pieces of music they want every pupil to recognise. Pupils revisit this knowledge, and by Year 6 can confidently discuss music from different eras.

Leaders have improved assessment approaches so that teachers prioritise what pupils have remembered.

Teachers check what pupils can recall about their previous learning and that everyone has understood the new knowledge shared in lessons. Pupils find this useful. They like the swift advice they get on making improvements and feel confident to complete tasks.

Leaders are ambitious for all pupils and have built a broad curriculum. In most cases, teachers adapt the work they give to support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Teachers use additional adult support or resources.

However, this is not consistently the case, and sometimes teachers do not plan activities that are suitable for pupils with SEND. Pupils with SEND do not grasp new concepts or skills when this happens. Leaders are aware that there is more to do in this area.

Leaders are determined that all pupils will learn to read. They have adopted a new programme to support reading and are evaluating the impact closely. Children start learning to read soon after joining Reception, and pupils in key stage 1 make strong progress with their phonics knowledge.

Pupils enjoy the books and opportunities to read that their teachers plan for them. Many pupils become avid readers and are inspired to write their own mini books, becoming authors themselves. Leaders put in place additional support for pupils who are catching up with their reading knowledge.

However, some staff are not able to deliver this as well as leaders have planned. Consequently, pupils who require additional support for their reading are not catching up as quickly as they should.

The behaviour and attitudes of pupils are exceptional.

Leaders have established a culture of calm, kind and thoughtful behaviour. The result is a happy, harmonious school, where pupils rarely need any reminders from staff to get on with the business of the day. They like the school's approach to noticing good behaviours and how positive behaviours shine out.

Pupils have a strong regard for each other, and older pupils told inspectors that 'we have grown up together' and know each other well. In lessons, pupils are industrious and keen to learn. They throw themselves into learning, listen attentively to feedback and keep trying to improve.

For example, in their music lessons, pupils sing with enthusiasm but pause immediately to listen attentively to their teacher's advice.

Leaders have developed a clear aim: to develop the character of all pupils based around the idea of the school 'virtues'. Pupils describe how their growing knowledge of themselves, their peers and the wider world links to the idea of the virtues.

Leaders link what pupils learn in the curriculum to assemblies and the enrichment programme. Pupils develop a strong sense of fairness and an understanding of fundamental British values throughout the school. Leaders ensure that the policy for relationships education develops pupils' understanding of and respect for different family structures.

Through encounters at play time, pupils are building connections with their peers at a local special school and becoming aware of the diversity of society.

All members of this well-established staff are proud to work at St. Urban's.

They feel supported by leaders and are confident that there is a high regard for their well-being and ongoing professional development. Governors know the school well and are ambitious for the continued development of the school. Trustees have established new systems, which support a high-quality training offer for many subjects.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Safeguarding leaders work closely with families, staff and external agencies to maintain a strong focus on pupils' safety and welfare. Leaders take rapid action to follow up any concerns over pupils' safety and take the voice of the child seriously.

Staff receive ongoing training so that they are aware of local risks to pupils' safety. Leaders make sure that staff know the procedures to follow to keep pupils safe. Leaders work closely with safeguarding partners and keep thorough records of any actions taken to help pupils.

The well-planned personal, social and health education (PSHE) curriculum develops pupils' understanding of how to recognise inappropriate behaviours, both online and in daily life. The wider personal development programme develops the confidence of pupils to speak up and express their concerns. Pupils know how to make trusted adults aware if they are worried about themselves or a friend.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• There is variance in how effectively staff are trained to deliver the phonics programme. This inconsistent delivery means that some pupils are not becoming fluent readers as quickly as they should. Leaders should improve staff training to ensure that the phonics programme is delivered consistently well, enabling all pupils to become fluent readers.

• Teachers do not consistently make the necessary adaptations to their teaching to enable pupils with SEND to gain the knowledge they need. When these adaptations are not made, this limits what pupils with SEND remember in some areas of the curriculum. Leaders should train teachers on how to make appropriate adaptations to teaching to better meet the needs of pupils with more complex needs.

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