St Augustine's Catholic Primary School

Inspection of a good school: St Augustine’s Catholic Primary School Cranbrook Road, Gants Hill, Ilford, Essex IG2 6RG

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Outcome

St Augustine’s Catholic Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their school. They talk a lot about their many sporting achievements. Some pupils have recently represented the local authority in some London-wide sporting events. Pupils appreciate the many opportunities their leaders and teachers make available for them. They loved their pilgrimage to Rome where they learned about the role of the Vatican in the Roman Catholic Church. They are also grateful that they all get to learn a musical instrument.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff have high expectations of pupils. They expect all pupils to achieve well. Staff are quick to identify pupils who need extra support and they make sure that they meet their targets.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils speak more than 50 languages. The school operates as one big family because all pupils learn about, and accept, each other’s cultures, faiths and beliefs.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are well behaved. Their positive attitudes allow learning to carry on without disruption. Bullying is rare, and staff are quick to act on it if it happens. Pupils feel safe at school. They trust that they can always talk to an adult if they have any concerns or worries.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders make sure that all pupils in this school learn how to read. As soon as children join Nursery, adults begin to develop their early reading skills. They teach them to be aware of sounds around them. They join in rhymes and songs. Children learn phonics as soon as they start in Reception. Leaders are clear about what they expect pupils to be able to read. They support those who are falling behind and help them catch up with the others.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Sometimes, pupils do not get opportunities to read with fluency and expression. This is because their reading books have words that they struggle with. 15–16 October 2019

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Across the school, leaders have worked hard to develop pupils’ love of reading. Book corners are inviting, and adults demonstrate a love of books themselves. Pupils hear adults read on a regular basis. They make full use of the local library, which they visit often.

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Pupils in this school love to write. They said that they are able to use all the skills that they have learned when they are writing. The work in their books shows how they use these skills to achieve well .

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Adults provide children in early years with plenty of opportunities to write. They successfully encourage children to have a go at writing. Staff have a detailed understanding of what children can and cannot do. For example, they know how well every child in Reception holds a pencil to write. Staff use this information to help children to improve these skills. This means that all the children know how to hold a pencil properly when they go into Year 1.

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Leaders have designed a well-thought-out curriculum. They follow the aims and structure of the national curriculum. Staff have planned programmes of study so that pupils learn things in a logical order. This means that pupils achieve well in their subjects.

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Teachers instruct most subjects effectively. Pupils receive many opportunities to achieve the knowledge and skills expected of them. In computing, for example, children in Reception begin to control mechanical toys. By Year 6, pupils are able to use software to design games.

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Educational visits often add to the curriculum. This may be a visit to a museum or hosting pupils from their partner school in China. Teachers also work with a local university to develop the teaching of Mandarin. Pupils said, ‘Everyone gets to do something they’re interested in.’

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In some subjects, pupils do not achieve as well as they should. This is because the areas of knowledge they need to learn are not clearly taught. For example, in history, pupils forget key details from their previous learning because they have not learned them well enough.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) get effective support. They achieve well across most subjects. Leaders work well with parents and carers to identify pupils who need extra support as soon as they join the school. Staff help pupils with disabilities take part fully in physical education lessons.

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Staff at all levels work together as a team. They are happy to be a part of this close-knit community. Leaders manage their workload well. They consider themselves to be lucky to work with pupils who are so polite.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 15–16 October 2019

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Leaders and governors are clear about their responsibility to ensure that pupils are safe at school. Staff and governors are trained in the most recent national safeguarding guidance. Checks on the suitability of staff are fully in place.

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Staff know what to do if there are any concerns about a pupil. Records show that they make high-quality and timely referrals to outside agencies. Records about the safeguarding of pupils are detailed, up to date and fit for purpose.

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Pupils talk about how to keep themselves safe at home, at school or online. Pupils learn about e-safety, cyber bullying and stranger danger within the curriculum.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders and staff have been successful in developing early reading. Pupils across the school use a wide range of strategies to decode what they are reading. However, pupils do not always get reading books that match the sounds they already know. This slows down their fluency when reading. Leaders need to ensure that pupils are able to practise and consolidate their phonics skills by ensuring that they read books that match the sounds that they have learned.  Leaders have made improvements in many subjects. They have put in place a curriculum that is clearly sequenced and coherent, matching the ambition of the national curriculum. However, in history, pupils do not have sufficient knowledge to build on future learning. Leaders need to ensure that curriculum plans explicitly identify those significant pieces of knowledge pupils need to acquire to achieve well.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in January 2016. 15–16 October 2019

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How can I feed back my views?

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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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. 15–16 October 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10110448 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 21–22 January 2016

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Information about this school

 This school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The school is a voluntary-aided Roman Catholic school.  The proportion of pupils with education, health and care plans is above the national average.  The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is above the national average.

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Information about this inspection

 This is the first section 8 inspection since the school was judged to be good in January 2016.  I met with the headteacher, members of the senior leadership team, curriculum leaders, teachers, pupils, two governors (including the chair of the governing body), and a range of staff, including kitchen and office staff.  I focused on reading, writing and history during this inspection. As part of this focus, I held discussions with curriculum leaders about the design of the curriculum and how it is being implemented. Together with leaders, I also visited lessons, looked at pupils’ 15–16 October 2019

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work and held discussions with teachers and pupils.  In considering the effectiveness of the school’s safeguarding arrangements, I looked at the single central record. I also looked at records relating to the safeguarding of children. I considered records on the training staff received relating to safeguarding. I also held discussions with a range of pupils, staff and leaders.  I also considered opportunities for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. I made observations of pupils’ behaviour in and out of lessons.  I spoke with a range of staff and discussed how well leaders consider their well-being, including steps taken to help them manage their workload.

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Inspection team

Edison David, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 15–16 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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