St Vincent De Paul Catholic Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and confident at this welcoming school. The school provides a range of enrichment activities so that pupils gain valuable life experiences.

These include workshops, trips and clubs, such as debating, gymnastics and choir. Pupils also benefit from the close relationships the school has with a local secondary school and the cathedral next to the school site. The school's values are firmly embedded and understood.

The school is a friendly and caring community.

Pupils are safe at school and attend well. Conduct around the school is calm and pupils are courteous.

They are motivated in class and enjoy their learning. The school promotes di...versity, tolerance and respect. Pupils can take on a range of leadership roles to contribute to the life of the school.

Pupils benefit from a broad and enriched education. The school has high expectations for pupils. They make good progress through the school curriculum and achieve typically in line with national outcomes.

This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

The school works well with families. Parents and carers speak favourably of the school, particularly of the pastoral care provided.

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

Pupils study an ambitious curriculum. Teachers have secure subject knowledge and present information clearly. Wherever possible, the school plans trips and enriching activities.

These often help to make learning memorable. For example, pupils can recall the plot, themes and character relationships in 'The Tempest,' following a Shakespeare workshop.

The school has designed the curriculum to build knowledge over time.

For example, in history pupils learn how to analyse different historical sources and build a critical understanding of cause and effect. Pupils are given time to practise and apply their skills well, and teachers use these opportunities to check pupils' understanding. For example, teachers check pupils' knowledge of numerators and denominators while the pupils practise adding mixed fractions together.

Most pupils can use ambitious vocabulary. Teachers model the use of subject terminology and sometimes explore the effects of language. Some activities in the early years support children's communication skills well.

For example, as children cut up fruit to add to pancakes, staff encourage them to comment on the colour and texture. However, staff interactions with children are not consistently high quality. Some children need reminders about how to behave positively and kindly to one another.

Consequently, at times, staff prioritise reinforcing children's social skills and embedding routines rather than having more meaningful conversations to support their learning.

Reading is the cornerstone of the curriculum. Staff choose ambitious texts to fuel a love of reading, from 'Anne Frank's Diary' to 'High Rise Mystery.'

Pupils value reading and talking about books. One pupil captured these views, calling reading 'a holiday for your mind'. Younger readers enjoy stories, which teachers deliver with enthusiasm.

Pupils follow a well-organised phonics programme, which is set out logically to build knowledge gradually. Staff deliver the programme well, and effective support is given to those who need additional help. Pupils learn to read accurately and fluently.

Staff identify quickly the needs of pupils with SEND. Most of these pupils make good progress alongside their peers in the classroom. However, some adapted resources are not as effective as they could be.

Staff do not consistently provide some pupils with the tools and strategies they need to develop their skills. When this happens, pupils are overly dependent on the adults supporting them.

Reception and Nursery classes are inviting and well resourced.

Staff establish strong relationships with families to keep them informed about their children's learning. They design some activities thoughtfully to develop learning well. For example, children play at being shopkeepers and count out the stems and work out the change needed when selling flowers to each other.

Here, they take turns and use 'please' and 'thank you'. However, some pupils struggle to sustain their concentration skills and do not routinely respect each other or their surroundings. At times, this limits the progress some children make, as they do not attempt the activities in the way that staff intend.

Older pupils are polite and well-mannered. They represent the school well and show empathy for others. Pupils support a local homelessness charity, sing carols for commuters and work with local organisations.

Playground leaders help younger peers, and both the school council and hall monitors take an active role in the daily running of the school. The school's personal, social, health and economic education is well organised. Pupils learn how to stay healthy and how to keep themselves safe, including online.

Staff are committed to the school. Leaders provide them with effective professional development so they can fulfil their responsibilities. Leaders are evaluative and committed to further improvement.

Governors support the school's ambitions.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, teaching is not consistently well adapted to meet the needs of pupils with SEND.

This means that some pupils do not develop their skills and knowledge with increasing fluency and independence. Leaders should ensure that adaptations and resources provided for pupils with SEND are consistently meaningful and support these pupils' progression in a timely manner. ? The school has not embedded a highly positive attitude to learning in the early years so that children listen attentively and are equipped with strong social skills.

This means that staff interactions sometimes focus on addressing children's behaviour and that some of the deeper learning through high-quality interactions is lost. Therefore, some children do not make the progress of which they are capable. The school should ensure that staff build children's personal and emotional skills so that they become resilient and curious learners.

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