St Paul's and St Timothy's Catholic Infant School

Inspection of St Paul’s and St Timothy’s Catholic Infant School South Parkside Drive, West Derby, Liverpool, Merseyside L12 8RP

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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 9–10 October 2019

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What is it like to attend this school?

St Paul’s and St Timothy’s has improved since the last inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Teachers know pupils well. Pupils enjoy their learning and find it fun. They confidently shared how well they learn in reading, writing and mathematics.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a school where everyone feels included. Adults are ambitious to help pupils learn and achieve as well as they can.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils run into school happy and excited about the day ahead. Caring staff welcome pupils. Parents and carers say that staff ‘are very approachable’. Pupils feel safe in school. They know that adults care about them and will always help them if they need help.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Many children have just started school in Reception. They have settled and learned the routines and expectations of the school quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well. They are polite, talk nicely to each other and are keen to do what staff ask them to. The strong Christian ethos is clear. It is captured in the school aspiration: ‘live life to the full’.

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better?

Leaders have greatly improved the curriculum they offer to pupils. They are clear and confident about what they have chosen to teach and there are high expectations of what pupils should learn. They have thought carefully about the order that lessons should be taught in. Teachers organise learning to help pupils remember.

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better?

These improvements are most effective in reading, writing and mathematics. Pupils become confident readers, writers and mathematicians. They achieve well in these subjects by the time they leave the school. Pupils use what they know to solve mathematical problems or to help them work things out quickly.

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better?

In some subjects, for example science and geography, leaders have ensured that pupils’ learning builds on what they already know. This helps pupils to know and remember more in these subjects. In other subjects, such as art and physical education (PE), teachers are still adapting their approach. They have designed new plans carefully. However, these are relatively new and need time to settle in.

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better?

Reading is important in school. Children start to learn phonics as soon as they start in Reception. Teachers develop a love of reading by offering ideas and workshops for parents. Teachers choose reading books carefully to make sure they match the sounds that pupils know. Pupils’ phonics achievement has noticeably improved. An above-average proportion of pupils met the expected standard in the national 9–10 October 2019

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The teaching of writing is closely linked to reading and phonics. Teachers encourage Reception children to write as soon as they start school. By the time they enter Year 1, many children are beginning to write short sentences. Teachers use stories to spark pupils’ imagination and try out different ways of writing.

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Leaders and staff are committed to all pupils achieving their very best. They are quick to notice and help if a pupil is struggling. The school supports pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) extremely well.

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Pupils are well mannered. They enjoy lessons and listen carefully. They live out the school’s behaviour values of respect and kindness. For example, they share and play cooperatively in the playground. Staff are experts at helping pupils who struggle with their behaviour. They take time to understand why a pupil is behaving in a certain way and then put things in place to help them. There is no evidence of bullying in school. However, not many pupils know what bullying is.

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Staff encourage pupils to join after-school clubs including boxing, cookery and animation club. Pupils show their Christian values through charity work. They really enjoy the responsibilities they have in school. For example, on the eco or school council, as playground leaders or kitchen helpers.

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Children in Reception get off to a good start. Teachers plan together and offer children opportunities to learn, explore and be creative. They follow children’s interests and ask the right questions to help children learn for themselves. They encourage children to be inquisitive about the world around them. Classrooms have inviting areas to count, write, read, play or build. Children are well prepared for starting Year 1. Although children enjoy playing outdoors there are few opportunities for them to develop physically, for example through climbing and balancing.

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Leaders, staff and governors have worked hard to turn this school around. Leaders lead from the front and have inspired staff. Governors play a helpful and active part in improving the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is a caring and nurturing ethos in the school. All staff are alert to keeping pupils safe. The safeguarding and protection of pupils is extremely important to staff. They make sure that all policies and procedures are in place and that everyone knows them in detail. Leaders are confident to act if they are concerned about a pupil and work well with other professionals when pupils or families need help.

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Safeguarding

The pastoral care in the school is a strength. Staff ensure that pupils and their families are well looked after and supported.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have concentrated on making sure that the subject areas of reading, writing and mathematics are of a good quality. This is also the case in science and geography. In other subjects, such as art and PE, this approach is still relatively new and has not had time to be fully implemented. It is clear from the actions that leaders have taken to plan the foundation curriculum and train staff in how to deliver it that they are in the process of bringing this about. This will help pupils to know and remember more across the curriculum.  When asked what bullying was, pupils were very unsure. Staff should work with pupils to ensure they all know what bullying is. This will help pupils to report any bullying, should it occur.  Children in the early years have opportunities to develop their physical skills but these are sometimes limited. Leaders should make sure that children in Reception classes have plenty of opportunities to develop and consolidate their physical,

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

The transition arrangements were used on this inspection to confirm that pupils benefit from a good quality of education.

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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. 9–10 October 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10110880 Type of school Infant

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website http://www.stpaulandsttimothys.com

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School details

Date of previous inspection 5–6 July 2017

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Information about this school

 St Paul’s and St Timothy’s is a voluntary aided Catholic Infant School.  The school last received a religious education inspection carried out under section 48 of the education act 2005 in October 2014.

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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

 During the inspection, we spoke with pupils, both formally and informally, about their work and school life. We spoke to the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, subject leaders and members of staff. We also held discussions with the staff responsible for safeguarding and pupils’ attendance.  I spoke with members of the governing body and representatives of the local authority and Archdiocese of Liverpool.  We reviewed a range of documentation including about school development, safeguarding and checks undertaken on newly appointed staff.  We spoke with parents as they brought their children to school and considered 37 9–10 October 2019

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responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View.  We also considered 27 responses to the online staff survey. There were no responses to the pupils’ survey.  I talked to pupils about the books they like to read and spoke with the group of pupils that made up the school council about school life.  We looked in detail at reading, writing, mathematics, science and geography. For each of these subjects we held discussions with subject leaders and teachers, visited lessons, looked at samples of pupil’s work and talked with pupils

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Inspection team

Sue Eastwood, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Linda Griffiths Ofsted Inspector 9–10 October 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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