St Willibrord’s RC Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

St Willibrord's RC Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including children in the early years, flourish at this welcoming school. They love to come to school each day.

Pupils feel safe and happy. They value the support that staff provide, particularly with regard to their emotional health and well-being. Children and pupils in the specially resourced provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (specially resourced provision) also benefit from the warm and nurturing relationships fostered by staff.

Leaders want the best for pupils at this school. They have high aspirations for them, both in ...terms of their learning and behaviour. Pupils proudly rise to leaders' high aspirations for them.

Leaders deal with bullying well. They respond swiftly and effectively to any concerns or worries raised by pupils.

Pupils show care and consideration towards each other.

They embody the school's values and ethos. Pupils behave well in lessons. They enjoy spending time together playing and chatting with their friends at breaktimes.

Children and pupils in the specially resourced provision also show strong interest in their learning. They persevere when they find tasks difficult.

Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), play an active part in school life.

They enjoy helping to make improvements to the school. For example, pupils spoke fondly about their roles as members of the St Willibrord's Action team. They wear their leadership lanyards with pride.

Parents and carers who shared their views with the inspector at the start of the school day said that they feel a valued part of the school community.

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

Leaders and staff have collaborated to develop an engaging curriculum, which meets pupils' needs, including those with SEND, well. Leaders have thought carefully about the key knowledge and the order in which it should be learned.

They have considered when pupils will revisit key concepts to support them to remember learning in the longer term.

Teachers benefit from helpful support and guidance on how to deliver curriculums as leaders intend. As a result, they deliver curriculums well in most subjects.

However, in some subjects, the changes that leaders have made to their curriculums have only recently been introduced. This means that leaders have not had the opportunity to measure the impact of these changes on pupils' ability to recall their learning in these subjects over time.

In some subjects, particularly in English and mathematics, teachers check effectively that pupils have understood and remembered key content.

As a result, pupils learn well. In those subjects where recent changes have been made to the curriculums, assessment strategies are less well developed. This makes it harder for teachers to accurately pinpoint how successfully pupils have understood and retained important knowledge and skills over time.

Reading is central to the school's curriculum. The youngest children in the Nursery class enjoy listening to stories and sharing books. During breaktimes, pupils enjoy sharing reading books with their classmates.

Staff teach reading consistently well. Children in the Reception class begin to learn the connections between sounds and letters as soon as they start school. Pupils who are just starting to learn to read use the sounds they have been taught to read new words confidently.

Staff carefully check that children and pupils are progressing well with learning their sounds. They provide high-quality support for any pupils who struggle so that they quickly catch up with their classmates.

Pupils have very positive attitudes to reading.

The oldest pupils read fluently and with good expression. They enjoy their roles as reading champions, where they support younger children with their reading.

Leaders and teachers utilise the considerable expertise of staff in school as well as engaging effectively with external agencies, to identify pupils' particular needs swiftly and accurately.

Leaders and staff work well together to make sure that pupils with SEND, including those in the specially resourced provision, receive the right support in a timely manner. Pupils with SEND enjoy learning and playing alongside their classmates.

Pupils can usually learn without disruption.

Pupils listen and respond well to teachers' instructions. Pupils respect each other. They show tolerance and understanding of different faiths and cultures.

Pupils enjoy representing the school in various sporting and musical activities. These include playing the ukulele, singing in the school choir and competing against other local schools as members of the football team.

Governors check how well certain subjects, such as reading and mathematics, have been developed and enhanced by leaders.

They have less oversight of the effectiveness of some other curriculum areas. Staff appreciate the steps that leaders and governors take to manage their workload.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders leave no stone unturned in ensuring that pupils are well cared for and looked after. Leaders and staff know their families well. Staff quickly spot any pupils who may be at risk of harm or neglect.

They report their concerns in a timely way. Leaders work closely with safeguarding agencies and other partners to ensure pupils and their families get the help and support they need.

Pupils learn about how to keep themselves safe.

This includes learning about the dangers of illegal drugs and knife crime. They are taught not to give out their passwords or personal details when using the internet.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, leaders have not had the opportunity to measure the impact of recent changes.

Governors and leaders should make sure that they check how well these subjects are being implemented. This is so that they can be assured that pupils, including children in the early years, know more and remember more over time. ? In the subjects that have recently undergone some refinements, assessment strategies are less well developed.

This means that teachers cannot be certain that pupils have understood and retained important knowledge. Leaders should make sure that assessment methods are used consistently well so that teachers can check that pupils' learning is secure.

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 May 2012.