St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Continue the excellent work to improve pupils’ attendance.
• Improve further the progress made by the most able children in the early years provision.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

• The headteacher is uncompromising in her determination to ensure that all pupils receive an outstanding education. She is succeeding in this mission.
• Leaders have an accurate view of the strengths of the school and the areas to further develop. They are constantly evaluating the impact of their actions to check that they benefit pupils. They exhibit an ambitious and relentless moral purpose.
• The arrangements to manage teachers’ performance are rigorous. The targets agreed reflect the aspiration of ensuring outstanding outcomes for pupils. Governors work closely with leaders and are effective in their quality assurance role.
• Teachers’ professional development is an extremely high priority within this school. High-quality training takes place on a weekly basis and teachers regularly work together to hone their skills. The headteacher has successfully spotted the talents and leadership potential of her staff. She has made sure that they gain as many opportunities as possible to flourish. As a result, the school has effective leadership at all levels.
• Leadership is particularly effective, and is outstanding, in key stages 1 and 2.
• Leaders at all levels provide leadership support to other schools, including those within the trust that the school is part of. All agree this work has added value to St Joseph’s. Fresh ideas are always welcomed, as are the views of those who visit the school in order to observe teachers’ practice. This school is a genuine learning community, keen to learn but also very keen to share.
• The curriculum is outstanding. Leaders and governors are unwavering in their efforts to ensure that pupils learn across a full range of subjects, and this includes humanities, music, sport and the arts. The compelling ethos of care and ambition is clear in the careful planning that takes place to ensure that pupils’ skills, talents and abilities are fully developed.
• The promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is obvious for all to see. On entering the school, it is clear that no opportunity is lost to celebrate faith, respect and love. Music permeates the school and adds a sense of calm and of peace. Many pupils originate from Eastern Europe and are new to the community. Every effort is made to reflect the wonderful variety of cultures and traditions represented in the school in order to promote the pupils’ role as global citizens.
• Leaders make highly effective use of the pupil premium to support eligible pupils. Funds are specifically targeted to ensure that pupils make the rapid progress of which they are capable. Disadvantaged pupils’ achievement is better than other pupils nationally within the early years, and in key stages 1 and 2.
• Leaders use adeptly the physical education (PE) and sport premium. The vast majority of pupils participate in sport. This includes pupils who, with their parents, take part in gym activities before the start of the school day. Extensive efforts are made to enable pupils with particular sporting talents to gain additional opportunities and coaching in order that their talents are fully exploited. Teachers are confident to deliver high-quality PE lessons and lead sports clubs within the school.
• Parents are overwhelming in their praise of the school. Many were keen to tell inspectors of the difference the school had made to their child. They appreciate the strong leadership, the outstanding teaching, the care their child is shown and the very many opportunities their child is given to expand their horizons.

Governance of the school

• The governors are exceptionally effective. They have high expectations of leaders and of all staff. They are ambitious for the pupils and the community. Governors do not hesitate to challenge leaders appropriately when needed. Directors of the trust provide an additional layer of challenge and support.
• Governors have the appropriate skills. They are knowledgeable and ask pertinent questions of leaders, particularly in relation to the progress pupils make.
• Governors perform their strategic role effectively. They maintain appropriate oversight of school policies, particularly in relation to pupils’ safeguarding. They ensure that external funding to the school is appropriately spent to benefit targeted pupils.
• The school’s finances are managed well.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The work of leaders to ensure that pupils feel safe in school is exemplary.
• Leaders make sure that staff are thoroughly trained and that they receive the appropriate updates when needed. Processes to ensure that the most vulnerable pupils are protected are rigorous. Everything is done to ensure that those pupils who need it gain the most appropriate support as quickly as is possible. Links with external agencies are excellent.
• The record of the checks undertaken when recruiting staff is scrupulously kept. The correct policies are in place and are up to date.
• Extensive actions take place to ensure that pupils learn how to keep themselves safe. Issues relating to radicalisation, exploitation and health and well-being are carefully woven throughout the curriculum. Time is devoted to ensure that pupils not only learn about these issues but they then have the opportunity to debate these and have their questions answered.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

• Teachers are extremely skilled. They have thoroughly researched and trialled the very best ways to ensure that pupils make rapid and sustained progress. Lesson time is used effectively for all groups of pupils. Every opportunity is taken to squeeze learning opportunities out of each minute. This, combined with teachers’ excellent subject knowledge, results in far more pupils, including the most able pupils, achieving at a greater depth.
• Teaching assistants make an outstanding contribution in lessons. They work closely with the classroom teacher to make sure all pupils make the progress they should. They have excellent subject knowledge and provide precise and effective support. They are a real asset.
• Teachers are forensic in their approach to assessment. Assessment information is used to carefully plan the next steps for pupils. Appropriate and timely checks happen before and after learning in order to investigate if pupils have truly understood the lesson content and progressed appropriately. Pupils told inspectors, with enthusiasm, the benefits of the pre- and post-learning tasks. They said that they never had to ‘wait in order to learn’ and they were ‘learning all the time’.
• Specialists teach their subject to pupils, including those not in their own class. Lessons in all subjects are well planned and every opportunity is taken to challenge pupils’ thinking, promote reasoning and encourage creativity. Pupils in a science lesson were spellbound as they learned about extracting DNA from a strawberry.
• Homework tasks routinely build on the work undertaken in school, involve parents and are meaningful. There are opportunities for home learning to celebrate and recognise pupils’ achievements out of school.
• The teaching of literacy underpins many aspects of the curriculum. Pupils, particularly those who speak English as an additional language, benefit from the skilful teaching of phonics, grammar and punctuation. Pupils are routinely taught to explain their ideas orally and in writing. They have many opportunities to share ideas, debate, explain and express their views. As a result, these pupils are articulate, confident, curious and ambitious to learn more. One pupil said he ‘felt extremely lucky to be a pupil at the school!’

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding. As a result, pupils thrive.
• There is a palpable ethos of care and respect. Routines are well established and the school is orderly and extremely calm. Pupils know all adults within the school expect a great deal from them and they respond accordingly.
• Pupils regularly experience how it feels to be a successful learner. They are constantly developing the skills and the confidence they need to achieve at significantly high levels. They are able to tackle difficult problems and have the resilience they require to keep on trying until they succeed.
• Pupils told the inspectors they felt safe and happy in their school. They said the school felt like a ‘family’ and bullying or falling out with friends was ‘really rare’. They had total faith that their teachers would resolve any issue that might happen.
• Pupils have many opportunities to learn how to keep safe. Important issues, such as radicalisation and keeping safe when using the internet, are part of the curriculum and are taught well. Pupils spoke knowledgably about the ways they keep themselves healthy, the possible risks they face and the strategies they would use to prevent these.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. The pupils’ attitudes to learning in lessons are exemplary. Pupils do not want to waste time being silly; they want to learn.
• Pupils are extraordinarily smart in their uniforms.
• Pupils show a great deal of respect for the care their teachers take in order that they learn within a stimulating environment. At all points throughout the school, pupils’ achievements are celebrated. Displays to interest, to challenge and to inform are around every corner.
• Pupils take a great deal of pride in their work. Their workbooks are stunningly kept.
• The attendance of all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, is rising.
• Pupils take care of each other extremely well in lessons and around the school. Older pupils help younger pupils to read. They take responsibility for serving food at lunchtime. They look out for those who may be having an unhappy day. The description of the school as a family is apposite.

Outcomes for pupils Outstanding

• The vast majority of pupils, including those who speak English as an additional language, disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, achieve at levels much higher than the national average at the end of key stage 2 in reading, writing and mathematics. Evidence in pupils’ books indicates that they attain at this high level in the many subjects that they study.
• The school’s assessment information, lesson observations and a scrutiny of pupils’ books show that pupils are currently making rapid progress in a vast range of subjects, including in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Disadvantaged pupils achieve better than other pupils do nationally, at the end of key stages 1 and 2.
• Pupils enter the next stage of their education with the skills they need. Often, these are the skills needed to work at a greater depth.
• Teachers’ excellent subject knowledge and expert teaching have ensured that the proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard in phonics is consistently above the national average.
• Pupils at the end of key stage 1 make substantial progress. A greater proportion of pupils than found nationally achieve as expected for their age. A much greater proportion achieve at a greater depth.
• The most able pupils, including the most able disadvantaged pupils, achieve well, particularly at key stage 1. Their starting points are well understood by their teachers and every effort is made to ensure that pupils reach their full potential.

Early years provision Good

• The leadership of the early years is good. Children get off to a good start as the activities planned for the vast majority of them are appropriate and help them to quickly settle and make progress.
• The proportion of children who achieve a good level of development is much higher than that found nationally. Disadvantaged children achieve as well as their peers and better than others nationally.
• Many children have the skills needed to successfully access learning at key stage 1.
• Children have a positive learning experience. Staff use a wide range of evidence to help them assess children’s skills, in order to plan a broad range of interesting experiences. They identify children’s next steps and continually use these in their planning.
• The curriculum is adapted to reflect and make the most of children’s interests. As a result, children enjoy their learning.
• The support provided by teaching assistants is of extremely high quality, and they make an outstanding contribution to the children’s learning.
• Evaluations of children’s skills and evidence of the progress they make are well written and detailed in learning journals. Parents appreciate the quality of the information they receive about their child’s achievements.
• Children’s behaviour is good. They are supported well to feel safe, to follow rules and cooperate with each other.
• Children, who speak English as an additional language, benefit from high-quality, first-language support. They make good progress within the early years provision.
• The teaching of phonics is very effective.
• All staff know the children and their families extremely well. Parents are very positive about the provision and the progress their children are making.
• Safeguarding is effective. Routines are well established and children know who to turn to if they need any help.
• The learning environment and the organisation of the curriculum do not yet provide the rich, varied and imaginative experiences, particularly for the most able children, that would make the early years outstanding.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 141478 Derbyshire 10035965 This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Academy converter 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 188 Appropriate authority Board of trustees Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Ann Neale Deborah Tibble 01623 742609 www.stjosephscatholicprimaryvoluntaryacademy.co.uk/ headteacher@st-josephs-pri.derbyshire.sch.uk Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

Information about this school

• The school complies with Department for Education guidance on what academies should publish.
• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• This is a smaller than average-sized primary school.
• This is the first inspection for the school since it became an academy in October 2014. The school is part of the Aquinas Catholic Academy Trust.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is lower than the national average.
• The proportions of pupils from minority ethnic groups and those who speak English as an additional language are well above the national averages.
• In 2016, the school met the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6.
• The headteacher provides school improvement support to local schools on behalf of Derbyshire local authority. She is also involved in school improvement work within the Aquinas Catholic Academy Trust.
• The key stage 1 leader and the deputy headteacher are specialist leaders in education (SLEs).

Information about this inspection

• The lead inspector held a range of meetings with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, and the chair and the vice-chair of the governing body. Conversations took place with the senior school improvement adviser for Derbyshire and the local authority adviser linked to the school.
• Inspectors observed learning within the early years, key stage 1 and key stage 2. They looked at the work in pupils’ books within lessons. Additionally, Year 6 and Year 2 pupils’ work was scrutinised.
• Inspectors spoke formally with pupils from Year 6 and spoke with six parents.
• A range of documentation relating to the school was evaluated, including the school’s development planning and self-evaluation, and performance information for all year groups. Information on pupils’ behaviour, attendance, exclusions, and pupils’ safety and welfare was reviewed. The inspector reviewed anonymised information about teachers’ performance.
• Documentation relating to the use of the pupil premium and the provision for disadvantaged pupils was scrutinised, as was information regarding pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• Inspectors considered the 31 responses to the Ofsted online questionnaire, Parent View.

Inspection team

Jayne Ashman, lead inspector Angela Kirk Dorothy Stenson

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector