Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Primary School Rochdale

Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Primary School Rochdale Kingsway, Rochdale, Lancashire OL16 4AW

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leaders have addressed areas for improvement effectively since the school’s previous inspection. Children in the early years make good progress. The improved quality of teaching in key stage 2 now means that pupils make good progress throughout the school.  The headteacher has established an effective leadership team. They work closely together to improve teaching and learning.  The governing body provides strong strategic leadership for the school. Governors challenge and hold leaders to account.  Teaching and learning are good. Senior leaders make regular checks, model high expectations and provide good-quality training for staff.  Pupils enjoy reading and achieve well. Younger pupils apply their phonics accurately to decode words, and older pupils read with confidence and can talk about their preferred authors.  Pupils make good progress in mathematics. They develop secure mental strategies and have good

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

calculation skills. There is inconsistency in the quality of practical problem-solving and reasoning in mathematics.  Disadvantaged pupils make good progress. This is because assessment is accurate and leads to appropriate activities. Appropriate help is provided when needed.  The leadership of support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) enables these pupils to make good progress.  The most able make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics but this is not consistently the case in all classes.  Behaviour is good. Pupils are polite and courteous. They enjoy school. They show great respect for each other. They are eager to explain their learning and share their ideas.  The curriculum is good, with significant enrichment activities provided.  Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain. Opportunities for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are intertwined through the

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

curriculum.  The school puts a high priority on pupils’ welfare. Procedures for safeguarding pupils are effective. As a result, pupils say that they feel safe and nearly all parents and carers agree.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further improve the quality of teaching, learning and outcomes for pupils by ensuring that teachers closely match work to pupils’ abilities so that the most able pupils gain a deep understanding of concepts.  Ensure that pupils achieve a deeper understanding of mathematics by having more consistent opportunities to solve problems, reason and explain their learning.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 Following the previous inspection, the senior leadership team took immediate action to challenge underperformance. Parents, leaders and governors talked with great enthusiasm about how this school has improved since this time. Together with the wider leadership team, the headteacher provides strong, sharply focused leadership. She is well supported by an effective governing body.  Leaders have ambitious aspirations for the school, and these are shared and understood by the school community. Leaders and governors work together to ensure that they have a clear understanding of the main issues they need to address to improve the school further.  The headteacher has created a culture where staff are dedicated to improving their practice. This has resulted in the school’s successful journey to improvement.  The headteacher has a good understanding of the school’s effectiveness and provides detailed information to various governor committees. The school development plan

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

accurately identifies the areas for improvement.  Senior and middle leaders work together to improve the quality of teaching and learning. Regular checks on teaching and learning and the quality of the pupils’ work have improved teaching.  Improvements in teaching and assessment have raised outcomes and progress for pupils, including those with SEND. Leaders are not complacent and, although overall progress of the most able pupils is good, it is inconsistent across the school.  Governors are sharply focused on ensuring that the system to appraise teaching is implemented rigorously. This has ensured that some weak teaching has been challenged. Staff training is a priority. Staff are appreciative of the training both within school and through training opportunities within the local cluster of Catholic schools.  Pupils benefit from a rich curriculum. During early years and key stage 1, there is a focus on ensuring that the pupils are well equipped with the basic skills of reading,

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

writing and mathematics. These strengths are built on in key stage 2, with opportunities for pupils to use their skills in a wide range of subjects. Pupils are very appreciative of the many additional and extra-curricular activities.  Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain and have a good understanding of British values. The curriculum provides a range of experiences to foster pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils learn first-hand about other faiths and cultures. Pupils spoke with sensitivity about recent visits to the Neeli Mosque and the Buddhist Centre in Manchester. As a result, pupils have an awareness and respect for the beliefs of others.  The leadership of SEND is effective. The pupils identified as requiring some support are catered for effectively. Individual learning plans match pupils’ needs and are implemented by leaders.  Leaders and governors carefully check that the pupil premium is spent effectively. They

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

have a clear understanding of the impact of their support and check to see which strategies have greatest impact on learning. They are quick to change and modify less effective additional support. As a result, disadvantaged pupils make good progress.  The physical education and sport premium is used well. Pupils are provided with specialist coaching sessions and these coaches provide additional activities after school, including football and netball.  The school engages in collaboration with local schools in the Emmaus cluster to improve the capacity of subject leaders and verify judgements on the effectiveness of the school. Staff have been well supported by the local authority, which has brokered support and professional development to improve the quality of teaching. The early years leader has been seconded from another local school and has made a significant impact on the improvement of early years.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 The overwhelming majority of parents are supportive of the work of the school. Most parents would recommend the school to another parent. They believe that the school supports pupils with SEND very well.

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Governance of the school

 The governors are closely engaged with the senior management team to provide strong strategic leadership of the school. Their challenge is more robust and has contributed to school-wide improvement. For example, they have commissioned additional support for the school and insist on getting evaluative information on the impact of change from a range of improvement partners. They have bolstered leadership capacity to further improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment over time.  Governors take their roles very seriously. They do not shy away from having challenging conversations. Governors with core responsibilities meet with key staff to discuss the impact of leaders’ work. Minutes of these meetings show how and why they hold leaders to account, what actions they expect to see and when they are to be carried out. Governors check that actions have been completed.  Governors use all the information they receive to monitor the trends in pupils’

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Governance of the school

achievement. They take a full role in meeting with local authority representatives so they hear first-hand about the strengths and weaknesses of the school. This ensures that there is no time lag between gaining external validation of the school’s performance and next-step actions being planned, implemented and checked for impact.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Pupils are aware of how to keep safe. They are confident that adults will help them if they have a worry.  Leaders are aware of the issues in the local community and work effectively with external agencies to support all pupils.  The school has created a safe culture to take care of its pupils and is vigilant in checking that procedures are implemented to protect pupils. All staff understand their obligations for safeguarding pupils, and this is emphasised throughout the school’s work, as well as in lessons.  Leaders ensure that appropriate checks are made on staff, governors and regular visitors to school. They ensure that they are suitable people to work with children.  Nearly all parents who responded to Parent View agree that the school looks after their children well and this results in their child feeling safe in school.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 School leaders have worked effectively to ensure that the team of teachers benefits from high-quality staff training. This training, alongside significant support from senior leaders in a coaching role, is effective. This has ensured that teaching and learning are consistently good at all phases of the school.  The teaching of reading is good overall. By the time pupils reach upper key stage 2, most read fluently and with a strong understanding of what they read. Pupils enjoy reading. The teaching of phonics is effective in helping children to read words accurately. Pupils apply the phonics skills they have learned in class when reading independently. Teachers provide a wide range of books and check that pupils understand the text they read. This enables pupils to read fluently and with the competence expected for their age.  Teachers have good subject knowledge in mathematics. Teachers use specific

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

vocabulary and precise questioning to deepen pupils’ understanding. By the end of Year 6, the impact of teaching to improve pupils’ achievement in mathematics is good. However, in some classes, pupils do not get consistent opportunities to apply their calculation skills to practical problems and engage in high-quality reasoning activities.  Pupils enjoy writing. Teaching is effective, both in English lessons and when extending writing skills in other subjects. Teachers are successful at developing pupils’ vocabulary. There was good evidence of pupils developing technical vocabulary in science, geography and history.  Teachers’ assessments of what pupils know, can do and understand are accurate. Teaching enables pupils to make good progress over time and achieve well by the time they leave the school. Most teachers use their secure subject knowledge to plan learning that sustains pupils’ interest. However, there are inconsistencies in teaching.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

In a few classes, some of the most able pupils do not maximise their progress in lessons because their work is not as challenging as that provided elsewhere in the school.  The teaching for pupils with SEND is consistently strong. Individual targets set for these pupils are appropriate and teachers plan activities that consistently meet their needs. Some planned sessions for these pupils are highly effective. Teaching is based on pupils’ specific needs and is focused on developing pupils’ readiness to learn, with the help they need to catch up. The impact of teaching for pupils with SEND has been monitored closely. As a result, pupils’ progress is good.  Most of the pupils take great pride in their work and present it to the best of their ability. Pupils are eager to know how to improve their work. Increasingly, the teaching of spelling and the editing and improving of writing is paying off.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  During the inspection, the pupils of the school were a credit to their families and teachers. Pupils were confident to speak with the inspectors and engaged with them enthusiastically.  Pupils are proud of their school and enjoy attending because they say adults help them to understand their learning in lessons. Parents share this viewpoint and are very appreciative of the work of the family worker, who supports the pupils and their families.  Pupils are interested in each other’s ideas and show a high level of respect for each other. They support each other well, especially in paired work in lessons, and encourage those who are less sure of themselves.  There is an increasing proportion of pupils who join the school part-way through the year. Effective induction arrangements are in place to support these pupils and their

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Personal development and welfare

families. As a result, these pupils settle well and make friends quickly.  Pupils are taught how to stay safe. They said that they feel safe in school. Pupils spoke about the work they have done on safety, such as their anti-bullying, e-safety and fire safety lessons. Healthy lifestyles are promoted through the curriculum and fruit is available for the pupils at breaktimes.  Pupils are confident that any incidents of bullying are dealt with promptly by staff. Pupils say that incidents of bullying are rare but, if issues do arise, they trust the staff to sort them out quickly. Pupils are happy to talk to staff about their concerns.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  They are always polite and very courteous to visitors. On the playground, in the dining hall and when walking around school, they are sensible and show care for each other.  Pupils have positive attitudes to learning. They cooperate effectively with a partner or within groups when working in lessons and are keen to do well. Their ability to stay focused on tasks was a significant factor in their progress in lessons.  The older pupils take on a range of responsibilities. For example, they support the younger children on the playground as playground buddies. During lunchtime, one of the pupils spoke with great maturity about her role in supporting the children in the early years to improve their reading.  School leaders have prioritised improving attendance. The pastoral team works diligently to support families in ensuring that their children attend regularly and

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Behaviour

punctually. The success of these actions is emerging. The attendance of pupils is now in line with the national average.

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Outcomes for pupils Good

 From starting school, pupils are now making good progress at all phases of the school. By the time they leave school, the proportions of pupils working at the expected standards in reading, writing and mathematics are in line with the national averages. This represents good progress from pupils’ starting points when they start school.  The proportion of pupils who meet the required standard in the phonics screening check in Year 1 has increased over the last three years. Most children met this standard in 2018. This checks pupils’ ability to read individual words accurately. The children apply their understanding of Year 1 phonics to read unfamiliar words. Pupils in danger of falling behind in their early reading are provided support. This is highly successful in helping these children to catch up.  The results of national assessments in 2018 show that the proportions of pupils who met the standards that are expected for their age are in line with those seen nationally

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Outcomes for pupils Good

in reading, writing and mathematics. Similarly, the proportions of pupils who exceeded the standards that are expected for their age in reading, writing and mathematics are in line with the national averages.  At the end of key stage 2, the 2018 test results improved. The proportion of pupils leaving the school with knowledge and skills matched to their age were in line with the national average.  A review of pupils’ work and leaders’ assessment data reflect good progress for current pupils. Most pupils learn to read confidently and use their skills to support learning across the curriculum. Writing skills are stronger, with a focus on improving skills, as well as being able to write in a range of styles. The progress in mathematics is good, although pupils are not consistently taught how to solve practical problems and engage in reasoning activities.  As a result of leaders’ actions, the progress of disadvantaged pupils is now tracked

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Outcomes for pupils Good

meticulously. Historically, disadvantaged pupils have not made good progress. As a result of leaders’ actions and meticulous tracking of the progress of these pupils, they are catching up to the level expected of them for their age and making good progress in all classes.  Pupils with SEND make the progress they should because teaching is closely matched to their needs.  The most able pupils make good progress by the time they leave school. However, there is some inconsistency in the provision for these pupils that limits them achieving their potential.  The school leaders are rightly proud of the quality of work that pupils are producing in geography, history and science.

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Early years provision Good

 The headteacher recognised that, following the previous inspection, the early years needed to improve. In light of this, she worked with the local authority to secure the services of an effective practitioner from a neighbouring school. The new leader is enthusiastic and capable. She has an accurate picture of the strengths and weaknesses of the provision. In a short period of time, she has been effective in ensuring that provision in the early years is good.  The headteacher has worked with the diocese to secure funding to ensure that the Nursery and Reception Year are working in the same building. This has enabled the leader of the early years to ensure that the children have a good learning space and opportunities for the Nursery children to learn from the older children in the Reception Year.  Children in the early years make a good start at the school. They enter Nursery with standards below those typical for their age. Support is targeted closely to help those

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Early years provision Good

who may need extra support. As a result, children make good progress and achieve well in relation to their starting points.  The quality of teaching in the early years is good. This is because of effective monitoring and support from leaders. Leaders ensure that assessments are accurate by regularly checking them with other providers and external quality assurance professionals.  The indoor area is bright and stimulating. Similarly, the outdoor learning space is well equipped and provides a good area for pupils to explore. For example, the children dug in the mud and identified worms and spiders. The teacher was effective in supporting the children to develop their curiosity and extend their learning.  There is an increasing proportion of children who are starting Nursery with barriers to learning, such as speech, language and communication difficulties. These children are identified early, and appropriate help is put in place. This includes working with

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Early years provision Good

external agencies, such as speech therapists. This helps these children to make good progress and prevents them from falling behind their classmates.  The children feel safe and they behave well. Children are developing positive behaviours for learning. They concentrate and show resilience when carrying out tasks. During the inspection, a group of children stayed very focused and took great care in creating cards for Father’s Day. The children get on happily together, share resources and enjoy learning.  Staff have established positive relationships with parents. This helps to promote security and consistency in the children’s lives. Parents are kept well informed about their children’s progress and are encouraged to contribute to their learning.

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School details

Unique reference number 105828 Local authority Rochdale

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Email address head@sacredheartrc.rochdale.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 8–9 March 2017

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Information about this school

 The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The large majority of pupils are White British. The proportion of pupils from a minority ethnic group is average.  The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is below average.  The proportion of pupils supported through the government’s pupil premium funding is above average.  The proportion of pupils with SEND is average.  The proportion of pupils who have an education, health and care plan is average.  The school is Roman Catholic and was judged good at the last section 48 inspection.  The school has been supported by the local authority, including acquiring the services of the early years leader from a neighbouring school.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching and learning in a range of lessons, covering all classes in the school. Senior leaders accompanied inspectors on some observations.  Meetings were held with senior leaders and middle leaders.  The lead inspector also met with the chair of the governing body and other governors.  The lead inspector spoke to a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and during breaktimes and lunchtimes.  Pupils read to inspectors and inspectors spoke with pupils at lunchtime.  Inspectors scrutinised a wide range of evidence, including: the school’s documentation on pupils’ attainment and progress, safeguarding, behaviour and attendance; minutes of governing body meetings; the school’s self-evaluation and plans for improvement; and external reviews of the school.  Inspectors considered the 12 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire,

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Information about this inspection

as well as speaking to parents directly. No staff or pupils completed the Ofsted questionnaires.

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Inspection team

Andrew Morley, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

John Tomlinson Ofsted Inspector guidance ‘Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. www.gov.uk/pupil-premium-information-for-schools-and- alternative-provision-settings .

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Inspection team

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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Inspection team

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk , or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted .

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Inspection team

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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