St Basil's Catholic Primary School

Inspection of St Basil’s Catholic Primary School Hough Green Road, Widnes, Cheshire WA8 4SZ

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement 11–12 September 2019

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy at the school. Almost all those we met described the school as ‘fun’ or ‘great’ and said that their work in class is usually challenging. Pupils enjoy lunchtime games and extra-curricular activities, including football, rugby, cricket and gymnastics. They enjoy demonstrating that they are good citizens in their various roles, including as school captains. Pupils relish their termly educational trips. They told us that they like to participate in residential learning and adventure activities. Pupils are creative. They hone their singing skills in school, read poetry to visitors during charitable events and visit local care homes to sing to the elderly. Pupils in Year 2 and key stage 2 receive music tuition. They enjoy performing at concerts, playing various brass and woodwind instruments, such as the clarinet, trombone, cornet and recorder, and the guitar. Pupils behaved well during the inspection, moving around the school sensibly between

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What is it like to attend this school?

lessons and with due consideration for others. Pupils told us that behaviour is usually good, indicating that their peers abide by the rules and act responsibly. Pupils also said that they always feel safe at school. They said that they would not hesitate to talk to an adult if they had a concern, secure in the knowledge that any such concerns would be dealt with swiftly. Pupils are adamant that bullying rarely happens. They say that this is because people get on together and respect each other.

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better?

The headteacher and senior leaders have improved the quality of education since the previous inspection. They ensure that their well-designed curriculum is implemented by teachers and teaching assistants with purpose and enthusiasm. Pupils’ learning in reading, writing, mathematics and other subjects, including science and history, is strong. Teachers organise the curriculum carefully to ensure that pupils’ knowledge develops over time. However, pupils’ programming skills are not as good as in other areas of computing. In addition, the leadership and management of the computing curriculum and teachers’ subject knowledge is not as strong as in other subjects. Leaders give a high priority to reading. Pupils in key stage 1 and children in the Reception class study phonics daily. Most pupils read fluently and with confidence. Pupils in key stage 2 read with great expression. They are familiar with the work of

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better?

different authors and poets, including Shakespeare and T. S. Eliot. Pupils routinely read and write about well-known scientists and important historical events. Teachers are skilled at bringing learning to life. They engage pupils in practical activities, including in the science curriculum, whenever possible. Pupils enjoy studying history. Teachers plan the curriculum carefully to ensure that 11–12 September 2019

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pupils know and can remember important facts and events in chronological order. Visits to places of interest, including stone-age settlements, aid pupils’ understanding of the topics that they study. Leaders and teachers know exactly how well pupils are learning. They identify which pupils need help and provide them with good support. Teachers adapt the curriculum successfully for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). In English, mathematics and other subjects, such pupils make strong progress, as shown in their well-presented workbooks. Children have just started in the Reception class. They are well behaved, familiar with school life and settled. These children are curious and enjoy learning and finding out new things. Staff make skilled use of highly stimulating indoor and outdoor learning areas, exciting resources and a purposeful early years curriculum, to develop children’s

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knowledge in subjects including early mathematics and reading. Children learn rhyming songs, which helps them to remember the names and order of numbers. Children are also building their knowledge of the sounds of letters linked to the names of various animals and objects. Senior leaders describe St Basil’s as ‘an inclusive school’. As such, the school admits pupils with emotional, behaviour, social and mental health needs throughout the year. Occasionally, pupils who find it difficult to manage their own behaviour disturb the calm and purposeful nature of the school. While senior leaders have resolved most of the areas for improvement identified at the time of the previous inspection, pupils’ attendance remains below average. Leaders’ work to develop pupils’ personal and social skills is good. Pupils regularly demonstrate that they are good citizens in their various roles, including as school captains. They engage in charitable activities and commemorate important events

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such as Remembrance Day. Staff morale is high. All those who completed the inspection questionnaire, including those new to the profession, said that they are proud to work at the school and their training is good. All agree that the school has improved since the last inspection and said that leaders are mindful of their well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Pupils say that they always feel safe in the school. Safeguarding and pupils’ welfare are highly prioritised by all staff, who are vigilant and expert at spotting possible signs of neglect and/or abuse.

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Safeguarding

Designated safeguarding leaders are highly trained to execute their roles. They work closely with various agencies to ensure that children, including the most vulnerable, receive the support they need as and when this is necessary. Through the personal, social, health and citizenship aspects of the curriculum, staff ensure that pupils are aware of the dangers and risks of using the internet, including 11–12 September 2019

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The curriculum is delivered effectively overall. This is because most subject leaders are trained well. However, the leadership and management of the computing curriculum, and teacher knowledge, are not as strong as in other subjects.  Pupils know how to manipulate various computer hardware. Older pupils are familiar with different software packages and have well-developed word processing skills. However, pupils’ programming skills are limited, as is the training and development available to increase staff expertise. Some teachers lack confidence and/or competence in teaching computing.  The behaviour of most pupils is consistently good. This includes when in class, during break and lunchtimes and when moving around the school. However, a small minority of pupils find it difficult to manage their own behaviour. Pupils told us that such pupils occasionally disrupted lessons. Building on their success of

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

changing the challenging behaviour of others on roll, leaders should continue to enhance their work in this area.  The attendance of a small minority of pupils is not good enough. Senior leaders and pastoral staff should improve pupils’ attendance by working more closely with parents whose children are persistently absent.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you’re not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

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. 11–12 September 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10087833 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Christine Wilson

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School details

Website www.stbasilsprimary.halton.sch.uk/

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School details

Date of previous inspection 7–8 March 2017

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Information about this school

 Several members of staff have been appointed since the previous inspection, including an assistant headteacher, early years leader, teachers and teaching assistants.  In May 2018, the school was inspected under section 48 of the Education Act 2005. The purpose of the inspection was to evaluate the quality of religious education and the Catholic nature of the school.

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 We met with five governors, including the chair of the governing body and with a representative from the local authority and the archdiocese. A telephone conversation was held with the school’s improvement partner.  We also met with various school leaders, including those responsible for reading, mathematics, history, computing and science. In addition, meetings were held with leaders responsible for the early years provision, disadvantaged pupils and provision for pupils with SEND. 11–12 September 2019

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 We took account of 40 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, and considered the school’s own surveys of parents’ and pupils’ views. Responses to the inspection questionnaires completed by 34 members of staff and 72 pupils were also considered.  The subjects considered as part of the inspection were reading, mathematics, history, science and computing. This involved, in each academic area, meetings with subject leaders and teachers, observing teaching, scrutinising pupils’ workbooks and talking with pupils about their learning.  We scrutinised the school’s safeguarding policy and related policies. We checked the school’s records of the suitability of staff to work with children and talked with leaders and governors about training and development linked to keeping children safe. We met with pupils, teachers and other staff, holding focused discussions on safety, safeguarding and behaviour. We also talked with parents about

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Inspection team

Lenford White, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

John Littler Ofsted Inspector 11–12 September 2019

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regulates and inspects to 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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