St Wilfrid’s Catholic Primary School, Bishop Auckland

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school The headteacher leads the school with determination, skill and a clear moral purpose. Governors are skilled and knowledgeable about the school. They hold leaders effectively to account.

Middle leaders are strong. Working with senior leaders and, increasingly, governors, they are driving up standards in teaching and pupils' outcomes. Teaching assistants are skilled and well deployed.

They contribute significantly to pupils' academic success and well-being. Safeguarding is effective. Staff receive appropriate, up-to-date training.

This ensures that they have the skills to keep pupils safe. Children in early years make good progress.... They develop positive attitudes to learning.

Reading is a strength. Leaders have put in place imaginative approaches to reading and its assessment across the school. Teaching is good.

However, staff do not consistently offer enough opportunities to develop pupils' skills as writers across the whole curriculum. Pupils are very well behaved. They have positive attitudes to learning.

Relationships among pupils and between adults and pupils are respectful, kindly and open. Pupils enjoy learning and coming to school. Parents and carers are positive about the school.

They say that they are very pleased with the care and attention their children receive. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe. They learn how to manage potential risks to their safety and well-being.

Outcomes, particularly in key stage 2, have improved significantly because of increasingly high expectations. Disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive effective additional support. They achieve well from their different starting points.

Overall, pupils' attendance is similar to the national average. However, there is still a small minority of pupils who are persistently absent. When staff expectations are not consistently high, pupils, including the most able, do not make the progress that they should.

Information about this school

St Wilfrid's Catholic Primary School is a school with a religious designation. The school was judged to be good at its last section 48 inspection. This inspection took place in March 2016.

St Wilfrid's is slightly smaller than the average-sized primary school. It grew from 210 pupils in 2017 to 226 in 2018. Most pupils are White British.

.The proportion of disadvantaged pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is significantly above the national average. The proportion of pupils with SEND is average.

The school offers a breakfast club and a range of other sessions before school. The school also offers a wide range of clubs and activities after school. The school offers a 20-place nursery with morning only, afternoon only and all-day sessions.