St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of teaching so pupils make good progress by:
  • having higher expectations of all pupils, including the disadvantaged
  • consistently managing pupils’ behaviour in line with the school’s policy
  • ensuring that assessment of pupils’ work is accurate
  • intervening quickly in lessons to correct misunderstandings
  • setting work at the right level of difficulty for pupils
  • providing well-targeted support for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• Improve the quality of provision in the early years by: developing the leadership so roles are understood ensuring that assessment is accurate raising expectations of what children should achieve planning suitable activities which challenge children’s thinking providing tasks that build on the skills children need to learn.
• Strengthen leadership and management by: developing skills and expertise of subject leaders so they have an accurate overview of the school’s performance evaluating the impact of changes made to improve pupils’ achievement improving governors’ knowledge of how well pupils are doing so they can hold the school to account. It is recommended that an external review is undertaken of the school’s use of the pupil premium.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

• The executive headteacher and her deputy have brought about a sense of urgency to improving the quality of teaching and learning at St Joseph’s. Their vision for the school and high expectations of pupils and teachers is having an immediate impact.
• They have accurately identified the strengths and weaknesses of the school and have quickly set about ensuring that the quality of teaching is consistently good. However, the short time they have been in post means that there is limited impact on pupils’ achievements, including the disadvantaged pupils.
• Leaders have used the pupil premium funding to provide additional teaching for the disadvantaged pupils, some of whom have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Senior leaders are now monitoring how well these pupils are doing and providing additional support. This recent scrutiny and focused support has not had enough time to make a significant difference to ensure that these groups of pupils catch up.
• Until very recently, the support and guidance for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities has been inconsistent. As a result, these pupils have not always made the progress they should. The school has recently appointed a new special educational needs coordinator to ensure good provision for this group of pupils.
• The school has developed a system for tracking the attainment and progress of pupils. A lack of robust moderation has meant that teachers’ assessments are not entirely reliable. This means that subject leaders are not able to get an accurate view of how well pupils are progressing across the school.
• There has been some turbulence in staffing and leadership during the last year. As a result, some subject leaders have been given responsibility for which they are not fully equipped. A lack of professional support and development over time means that some leaders do not have a clear overview of their area of responsibility and are not fully proficient in evaluating changes that have been introduced.
• The management of teacher performance has not been rigorous. Targets have been linked to pupils’ progress and attainment. However, recommendations about pay increases have not been robustly linked to the achievement of these.
• The new executive headteacher has quickly enlisted the confidence of parents and consulted with them on what they would like to improve. As a result, parents have a positive view of the school and its caring ethos.
• The school’s curriculum is a real strength, providing enjoyment and enrichment. As a result, pupils are keen to learn. Some of the disadvantaged pupils told inspectors that recent changes had made them much more enthusiastic. The introduction of the ‘Bloodhound project’, where pupils design and build a vehicle to race in a competition, is motivating this group of pupils.
• High-quality displays around the school reflect the vibrant range of subjects. Classrooms are well organised and provide an attractive environment for pupils to work. Pupils proudly demonstrate examples of good work across all subject areas and they convey a real sense of enjoyment in their learning experiences.
• The use of primary school sports funding has been recently reviewed. It now provides better value for money and is used more effectively to improve the skills of teachers to deliver good-quality physical education lessons. Partnership with the local high school and their physical education staff brings to the school a high level of expertise and support for the teachers. This also provides opportunities in the immediate locality for all pupils to participate in more sports and represent the school in competitive games.
• The curriculum successfully develops the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils. Pupils’ spirituality is promoted through participation in regular prayers, as well as writing their own in lessons. Pupils’ moral views were demonstrated very clearly as they argued passionately for the plight of refugees through their letters to Donald Trump, appealing to his social conscience.

Governance of the school

• Governors are committed to supporting the school but have not been robust in holding the senior leaders to account and challenging the headteacher. Consequently, they do not have a secure understanding of the quality of teaching across the school.
• Governors are aware that disadvantaged pupils do not achieve as well as other pupils and have allocated resources to support this group. Evaluating what difference these resources are making to the outcomes of disadvantaged pupils has not been sufficiently thorough to enable these pupils to make better progress.
• Governors understand that the progress pupils make should be the main driver when awarding pay increases. The awarding of pay increases has not followed this policy robustly because governors have not had sufficient oversight of this process.
• Governors are fully conversant with their statutory duties for safeguarding, ensuring that staff are recruited with careful consideration.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• The school’s systems and processes for safeguarding pupils are good. The school has been effective in engaging hard-to-reach families and those experiencing difficulties.
• Higher expectations of pupil attendance and punctuality have already started to make a difference in reducing absence rates of some pupils.
• The school follows correct procedures to ensure that pupils are safe. It takes appropriate action when necessary, refers to and communicates with outside agencies and follows up concerns. It has been highly effective in brokering support for some vulnerable families.
• The school checks all members of staff before they are recruited and keeps an accurate and up-to-date single central record which is checked by governors.
• Teachers and pupils are aware of the school’s procedures for safeguarding. Training for staff is up to date and they are aware of their obligations in preventing radicalisation and extremism.
• Pupils say they feel safe and nearly all parents agree. The school is keen to give pupils the opportunities to go on school trips and plans these with appropriate risk assessments so that pupils are safe at all times.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• Not all teachers have the same high expectations of pupils’ achievements, particularly those pupils who are disadvantaged. The school’s new policy provides a clear structure for managing pupils’ behaviour and conduct. However, not all teachers implement the policy consistently. In lessons, some pupils lose concentration and motivation, which slows down their progress.
• Teachers’ assessment is not always accurate and this means that sometimes work is not pitched at the right level of difficulty. Sometimes work is too easy or so challenging that pupils do not complete the work and, as a result, they do not achieve as well as they should.
• Parents speak highly of the support and intervention for those pupils who have severe and medical special educational needs. At times, support in class for those pupils with more moderate learning difficulties is not well targeted and adults spend too much time managing tasks rather than on focused intervention.
• Teachers have a lively and engaging way of presenting new topics to the pupils but sometimes miss opportunities to correct misunderstandings. Learning time is then wasted while pupils do work incorrectly.
• In mathematics, teachers provide good feedback to pupils on how they could improve or correct their work. On occasions, when pupils have a choice of different levels of challenge, they will choose an easier option; as a result, their progress slows up.
• The school is currently reviewing the way reading is taught. Although pupils enjoy reading, the teaching of reading is not consistent across the school and some staff have not fully grasped how to implement the new approach.
• Pupils have good opportunities to write for different purposes and a range of different audiences. Much of the work in books is in the form of short exercises, limiting the occasions when pupils can practise and apply their skills to lengthier pieces of work. As a result, pupils’ improvement in handwriting and punctuation is slower than it should be.
• Teachers are creative in their approach to engaging pupils’ interests. Pupils learning about the plight of refugees were writing letters to Donald Trump. They were animated in their views and articulated their opinions, bringing energy and flair to their writing.
• The teaching of curriculum subjects such as design and technology, history and geography is well structured through topics and results in some good-quality work. Pupils’ books showed that they are able to use the skills they have learned in English to write effectively in different subjects.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• The school provides good opportunities for pupils to take responsibility in roles such as the buddy squad, sports ambassadors and school council representatives.
• Funding is used to provide opportunities for disadvantaged pupils to take part in projects and go on school trips. This is having a positive impact on their attitudes in school and attendance.
• Input through lessons, and visitors to school talking about staying safe, means that pupils have a good understanding of different types of bullying and the impact on victims. They say bullying does not happen often and they feel the school keeps them safe.
• Pupils have learned how to keep themselves safe in a variety of situations, including using the internet. They have a well-developed awareness of the risks of using social media and a good understanding of cyber-bullying and bullying related to gender and race. They know what to do if bullying occurs.
• The school’s Catholic ethos promotes effective reflection on faith, culture and personal choices. A range of visitors to the school to share their faiths and culture has resulted in pupils’ thoughtful consideration of different beliefs and life choices. They demonstrate a reflective understanding of British values, which prepares them well for life in modern Britain.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.
• The new leadership has already been effective in raising the aspirations of pupils. They have set clear boundaries for behaviour and expectations for attendance and punctuality, and this is starting to have an impact. However, too many pupils have absences or are late to school.
• In lessons where teachers are not pitching work at an appropriate level or implementing the school’s behaviour policy, some pupils become distracted and lose concentration.
• The attitude of the majority of pupils is good and many are enthusiastic about the variety in the curriculum and the different subjects they learn. They rightly take a pride in some of the high-quality work displayed around the school.
• Most pupils are well mannered and courteous. They show respect for the views of others and they have good relationships with each other and the adults in school. They play cooperatively in the playground and move around the school in an orderly way.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• The outcomes at the end of key stage 2 have steadily improved in writing. Achievement over time in reading and mathematics has been broadly in line with the national average. Last year, the progress pupils made in mathematics from their starting points was well below the national average and too few of the most able pupils achieved higher standards.
• Pupils are now making better progress in mathematics. Teachers are making sure pupils have a secure understanding of basic mathematical skills before moving on to a new area of learning. This means that progress for all pupils is now picking up speed. Pupils’ books show that the most able pupils are well challenged in mathematics and working at appropriate levels for their age.
• The outcomes at the end of key stage 1 had been broadly average until last year. In 2016, the progress, particularly of the least able, in reading, writing and mathematics was well below the national average. No pupil achieved the higher standard, working at greater depth, in mathematics.
• The achievement of the disadvantaged pupils in both key stages 1 and 2 has consistently been below that of other pupils in school as well as those nationally and too few achieve higher levels. The school’s own assessment information indicates that this is still an issue, although pupils’ books show that rates of progress for this group are similar to other pupils’, but not fast enough to catch up and achieve well.
• Children leave the early years with weak reading and writing skills. This is reflected in pupils’ low achievement in phonics at the end of Year 1, where standards have been consistently below the national average, and it is only when pupils get into Year 2 that they catch up.
• The quality of teaching phonics is still variable. Pupils do not always form their letters accurately or write down the correct letters to match sounds. This is not consistently picked up by teachers and so pupils’ progress is not secure and is hindering their ability to spell basic words in their writing.
• Pupils of all ages enjoy books and the most able readers can discuss their preferences for different authors and compare differences and similarities in authors’ styles. The younger pupils are able to use their phonics to decode words. They talk enthusiastically about what they are reading, enjoying the content or humour in books.
• Across the school, the progress of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is patchy. This is acknowledged by the school. There is some good provision for those pupils with the severest need. While there is some skilled support in classes, teachers do not use assessment sharply enough to plan activities which develop precisely the skills and knowledge of pupils with more moderate learning difficulties.
• Pupils achieve well in art, history and geography because the teaching of these subjects is well supported by resources and visits. Creative projects in design and technology create a high level of pupils’ interest. Pupils had to design and make a house out of marshmallows and cocktail sticks to test resistance when placed on top of jelly. This helped pupils to understand the impact of severe weather conditions as well as the resistance of certain materials.
• Achievement in science is less secure. Pupils have had limited opportunities to design their own experiments, and this is something they are keen to do.

Early years provision Requires improvement

• Provision across the early years is inconsistent. The Nursery provides a good start for those children who then transfer to the school. Children enter the Reception class with skills and knowledge typical of their age.
• Teachers’ assessment of the youngest children has not been accurate: this has resulted in low expectations of what these children could achieve, and for the most able children there is a lack of challenge. As a result, children make no better than expected progress from their starting points. Too few are entering key stage 1 with the necessary skills in reading and writing.
• Although the staff know the children well, this information is not used effectively to plan purposeful activities so children make rapid progress. Insufficient monitoring of children’s access to the range of activities means that too often boys opt out of the more focused work of reading and writing, and this is reflected in their slower rate of progress in these subjects.
• While children are happily doing something independently, adults do not always correct misunderstandings. Too often children are writing numbers and letters incorrectly and this is not addressed or demonstrated by the adults so children can learn from a good example.
• The needs of individual children, including those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, are not always as well met as they could be.
• Leaders in the early years do not have a secure understanding of their strategic role. The analysis of data to compare how well children do at St Joseph’s when compared to the national average is still at an early stage of development.
• Leaders have been successful in improving links between home and school. The new home-school books and ‘stay and play’ sessions have been warmly received by parents, who feel well informed about what their child’s learning.
• Routines are well established throughout the early years and children’s behaviour is good both in the classroom and in the outside area. They take turns and cooperate well with each other and the adults. They are confident and willing to initiate conversation and keenly share their work, showing a high degree of motivation.
• The welfare and safety of the youngest children are given the correct priority in the early years. Staff are responsive to children’s personal needs. Transition arrangements are being developed and all health and safety requirements are met. The unit is a safe place for children.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 140590 Rotherham 10023850 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 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 199 Appropriate authority Chair Academy trust

Claire McKinney

Executive Headteacher Amanda Wassell Telephone number 01909 550123 Website Email address www.hallam-diocese.com stbedesheadteacher@rotherham.gov.uk Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

Information about this school

• This is a smaller than average-sized primary school.
• The majority of pupils are White British.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported by the pupil premium is higher than average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is higher than average.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6.
• The school does not comply with Department for Education guidance on what academies should publish about its accessibility plan or its strategy for the use of pupil premium funding.
• The school does not meet requirements on the publication of specified information on its website. It has not provided information on the impact of using the sports premium, the special educational needs policy is out of date and there is no charging and remissions policy available.

Information about this inspection

• The inspection was converted from a section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection. On the second day, the lead inspector was joined by a team of two more inspectors.
• The inspectors visited lessons in all classrooms, some with the executive headteacher and/or the deputy headteacher. In addition, the inspectors observed small groups of pupils being taught.
• The inspectors scrutinised pupils’ work, heard pupils read and spoke to pupils about their enjoyment of school and their opinions of behaviour and safety.
• The inspectors held discussions with staff and governors.
• A wide range of school documents were taken into account as part of the evidence, including the school’s self-evaluation, its school development plan, behaviour and attendance records, governing body documents and documents relating to the monitoring of teachers’ performance.
• Twelve parents submitted responses to Parent View and parents’ written comments were considered by the inspection team, who also talked to parents as well as take into consideration the school questionnaire parents completed in January 2017.

Inspection team

Karen Heath, lead inspector Kirsty Godfrey Larissa Thorpe

Ofsted Inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector