St Jude's Catholic Primary School Wigan

Inspection of St Jude’s Catholic Primary School Wigan Worsley Mesnes Drive, Worsley Mesnes, Wigan, Lancashire WN3 5AN

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good 6–7 November 2019

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a warm, welcoming and friendly school. Leaders have made significant improvements to the school following a period of decline after the previous inspection. The new headteacher, leaders and staff have high expectations of what pupils can achieve; therefore, pupils are learning more across the school. Staff morale is high and they are proud of their school and determined to make it even better.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel well supported by their teachers and friends. They enjoy coming to school and like learning new things. One pupil said, ‘I’ve got lots of friends at school, we all look after each other and we love our lessons.’ Pupils enjoy the before- and after- school clubs, trips and visits available to them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well and are tolerant of other pupils’ views. Pupils told us that they do not worry about bullying because it rarely takes place and, when it does, it gets dealt with quickly, so it doesn’t happen again. The school’s behaviour systems for rewards and sanctions work well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

All pupils know that if they are ever anxious, worried or concerned about something, there is always an understanding adult to speak to. Pastoral support is strong; staff are well trained and skilled in supporting pupils. They talk through any concerns that pupils might have and work effectively with parents and the community.

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better?

Pupils do not yet receive a good quality of education in all subjects. This is particularly the case in key stage 2 history, French and art and design where pupils do not learn or remember as much as they could. Pupils remember some facts from these subjects, for example facts about the Second World War, and numbers in French; however, they do not have a deep knowledge of these subjects which they can build on in future learning. In these subjects, teachers and leaders do not use assessment and monitoring well enough to pick up on when pupils have gaps in their learning.

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better?

The curriculum for mathematics continues to improve. Leaders make sure that teachers know what needs to be taught and in what order. However, some pupils still need to develop their knowledge and skills, for example in mental mathematics strategies, to improve their learning.

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better?

Leaders ensure that staff training is more focused on improving teachers’ subject knowledge. They use this skilfully to revisit learning so that pupils remember more. Pupils’ work is of a good standard.

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better?

Leaders have worked hard to develop pupils’ love of reading. All the pupils we spoke with have a real enthusiasm for books. Teachers organise events and opportunities 6–7 November 2019

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to encourage pupils and parents to read together; parents enjoy the parent library available to them and teachers choose pupils’ books carefully.

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The school’s phonics programme is well designed. Leaders ensure that pupils’ phonics knowledge builds over time. More pupils now achieve well in this area than previously.

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Children settle well into the Nursery and Reception classes. Children are well behaved and staff have positive relationships with children and their parents. Children learn lots about the world from learning in the outdoor area.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive good support. Teachers and teaching assistants are well trained and provide effective and sensitive help to these pupils. Leaders are ambitious and want pupils with SEND to achieve as well as others.

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Pupils are courteous, friendly and polite. Leaders make sure that all pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain. Pupils learn about tolerance, respect and democracy. For example, pupils explained how their understanding of the democracy and voting system in Great Britain works and use this to appoint digital leaders and the school council. Pupils enjoy learning about other cultures and faiths, such as Hinduism. One boy told us, ‘I like having friends from different countries, it means I can learn about different parts of the world.’

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Governors provide excellent support and challenge for the new headteacher. They are a strong, cohesive team who care deeply for all pupils and want them to be the best they can be. They have managed recent, significant staffing turbulence successfully. They recognise where weaknesses exist in some subjects and know what they need to do to improve.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Governors and leaders ensure that all appropriate checks have been made on adults in the school and those who visit regularly. Leaders check that staff have a good understanding of the safeguarding training that they receive and ensure that their own knowledge of potential risks is up to date. The link governor for safeguarding works very effectively with school leaders.

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Safeguarding

All staff in the school have received high-quality training and are clear on what the risks are to pupils. They know what to do if they have a concern and any issues are dealt with promptly. 6–7 November 2019

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( Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The new headteacher and leaders have made sure that the school’s curriculum is designed, planned and sequenced effectively in most subjects. However, history, French and art and design are not as well developed. The school needs to build on the work already started to develop these three subjects further. They need to be planned and ordered to develop pupils’ knowledge and skills effectively over time.  In mathematics, leaders have ensured that the curriculum is coherently planned and sequenced; however, some pupils still have gaps in their learning. Teachers need to check carefully pupils’ understanding of basic mathematical concepts and if they remember them well over time.  Leaders and teachers use assessment effectively in identifying pupils’ gaps in learning in most subjects; however, this is not the case in a small number of foundation subjects. In these subjects, leaders and teachers need to check more

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( Information for the school and appropriate authority)

regularly on what pupils have learned, know and remember.

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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. 6–7 November 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10110958 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 22–23 September 2015

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection, the school has appointed a new headteacher.  The school is a voluntary aided Roman Catholic primary school. The school had an inspection under section 48 of the Education Act 2005 in March 2019.

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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 the headteacher, deputy headteacher and members of the senior leadership team.  We met with members of the governing body, including the chair of the governing body. We also met with a representative of the Archdiocese of Liverpool.  We looked in detail at reading, mathematics, history and geography. This involved a meeting with each subject leader, visits to lessons, speaking with pupils and teachers, and looking at the work in pupils’ books.  To inspect safeguarding, we looked at safeguarding and child protection policies. We reviewed the school’s record of checks on the suitability of staff and governors. We met with the designated safeguarding leader. We spoke to staff 6–7 November 2019

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and pupils about keeping safe.  We listened to pupils read, scrutinised their work and talked informally with them at breaktimes. The views of pupils were also considered during more formal discussions with inspectors.  We considered the 10 responses from staff and the 10 responses from parents to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View.

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Inspection team

Gary Kelly, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Joan Williamson Ofsted Inspector 6–7 November 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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