Corpus Christi Catholic Primary Academy

Inspection of Corpus Christi Catholic Primary Academy Ashmore Avenue, Ashmore Park, Wednesfield, Wolverhampton, West Midlands WV11 2LT

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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 Inadequate 26–27 November 2019

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Corpus Christi love to learn and show great pride in their work. They are keen to share their achievements with friends and visitors. The school’s Catholic virtues, such as, ‘truthful, compassionate, generous and loving’ are promoted extremely well by everyone. There is a strong community and family feeling within the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

For quite a long time, pupils were not achieving as well as they should. For example, in geography pupils have limited knowledge of locations outside Wolverhampton. In writing, some pupils use capital letters incorrectly. So leaders replanned the curriculum to match it to their high expectations of what pupils can achieve. This new planning and improved teaching are helping pupils to catch up quickly in all subjects.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ very positive behaviour contributes to the calm atmosphere throughout the day. Pupils get along with each other very well which means bullying is rare. Pupils know staff will stop bullying if it does happen. Through events such as ‘odd socks day’, pupils celebrate diversity. Pupils are very accepting of one another’s differences.

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better?

The headteacher and deputy headteacher’s determination to ensure that pupils have a high-quality education has resulted in significant improvements in all areas of the school. Staff appreciate the training and guidance they receive. Support from the multi-academy company (MAC) and other support partners has also helped to improve teaching well. Leaders have developed an effective and close-knit teaching team. This is helping pupils to make stronger progress across the curriculum. But leaders know that there is more work to do to ensure that all teaching is of the highest quality.

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better?

The provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is now effective. The leader makes sure that teachers know what pupils’ needs are. She is helping all staff to understand what support pupils require and how to provide it. This means that pupils with SEND are making much better progress than they have done until now. The leader knows what further improvements are needed. Action plans are already in place to make the necessary improvements.

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better?

Early years staff are developing children’s communication and language very well. They provide exciting and varied opportunities for children to speak and listen. For example, Nursery children talked about the mysterious Gruffalo footprints they found outside and where they might have come from. Staff are also successful at supporting children’s personal, social and emotional development. They spot when children need support and then provide them with the help they need. But staff also encourage children to overcome any challenges themselves. This means that children soon become independent and confident learners. Teachers have 26–27 November 2019

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redesigned the early years curriculum planning well. Because of this, children are now making strong progress. But teachers are new to their roles and still need some support to develop the provision even more.

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Reading is taught exceptionally well and is a key strength. Staff are very skilled at teaching phonics. This enables all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, to make rapid progress. Staff’s enthusiasm helps to develop pupils’ love of reading. For example, Year 1 loved ‘shaking and shimmering’ like the dinosaur in the story and could not wait to hear more. Pupils regularly use the reading areas, which have many high-quality books for them to enjoy. By the end of key stage 1 almost all pupils can read fluently. Pupils in key stage 2 continue to make strong progress in reading.

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The curriculum planning in all subjects now sets out what knowledge and skills pupils should learn in a logical order. For example, in mathematics pupils’ learning in fractions in Year 4 helps to prepare them for multiplying fractions in Year 6. In art, sketching skills in Year 2 help pupils to develop more advanced drawing skills in Year 5. But the new planning has only recently been introduced. This means pupils have gaps in their learning because they have not been taught the right skills and knowledge previously. The improved teaching and new planning are helping pupils to catch up quickly. Even so, there is still some way to go before pupils achieve as well as they should. This is especially so in English and mathematics.

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Leaders ensure that pupils’ personal development is focused on their specific needs. For example, there are a range of clubs to suit different interests, such as choir, Lego and sports. Clubs are well attended. Trips enhance pupils’ learning, such as the Year 3 trip to ‘Thinktank’ in Birmingham to support their science learning. Pupils find about healthy eating through events like ‘Eat the Rainbow’. The Catholic ethos is promoted strongly across the school. Through this, pupils also learn to appreciate other religions and cultures. This helps prepare pupils for life in modern Britain.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is a strong culture of safeguarding across the school. Since joining the MAC, safeguarding has been strengthened further. For example, the health and safety audits identify any issues, which are then rectified quickly. Leaders make sure safeguarding checks on staff are completed. Staff receive regular safeguarding training and ensure that they report any concerns quickly.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe through the curriculum. For example, staff from Google taught pupils about how to keep themselves safe online. The local police force also regularly visit the school to teach pupils about how to keep themselves safe outside school and in the local community. 26–27 November 2019

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have revised curriculum planning in all subjects. The planning is based on National Curriculum expectations and is sequenced in a logical order. This will enable pupils to develop their knowledge and skills progressively. However, the planning has only recently been introduced. This means that pupils still have gaps in their learning and are not achieving as well as they should. Leaders should continue to review and refine the implementation of the new planning, especially in English and mathematics, to check how well it is enabling pupils to make progress.  There have been significant improvements in the provision for pupils with SEND. Staff have a better understanding of what pupils’ needs are and how to support them. However, some teachers need further training to help them plan more effectively for the needs of pupils with SEND. Leaders should continue to provide support and training for teachers to help them understand how to plan to meet

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

the needs of pupils with SEND in order to enable these pupils to make stronger progress.  Leaders’ support and highly effective training has helped to improve teachers’ confidence and skills well. However, some teachers require support to develop their skills further. Leaders should continue to support teachers to ensure that all teaching delivers the curriculum effectively. This will enable pupils to make stronger progress across the curriculum.  There have also been significant improvements in the early years provision. Children in the early years are now making strong progress in all areas of the early years curriculum. However, the new curriculum planning and improvements in the provision are still relatively new. Leaders should continue to provide support and guidance to ensure that this effective practice continues.

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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. 26–27 November 2019

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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. 26–27 November 2019

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School details

Date of previous inspection 7–8 February 2018

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Information about this school

 Since the last inspection the school has joined the St Francis and St Clare multi- academy company (MAC).  The school has a Roman Catholic denomination. The last section 48 inspection was carried out in October 2015. The next inspection is due by October 2020.

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We deemed the inspection a section 5 inspection under the same Act. In accordance with section 13(4) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that the school no longer requires special measures.

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Information about this inspection

 We met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, the designated safeguarding leader, the English, geography and mathematics leaders and the early years teacher. We also met with the pupil premium leader and the leader of the special educational needs provision.  The lead inspector met with five members of the MAC, including the chief executive officer and the chair of the board. The lead inspector met with two 26–27 November 2019

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representatives from the local authority.  We reviewed a range of documentation provided by the school. We looked at school policies, curriculum documents and documents relating to behaviour and attendance.  We reviewed a range of safeguarding information, including the checks that leaders make on staff prior to employment. We checked the school’s safeguarding policy and spoke to staff about the school’s safeguarding procedures. We checked staff’s safeguarding training. We also checked the school’s procedures for keeping pupils safe when in school, including when using computers.  There were no parent, staff or pupil questionnaires issued during this inspection. There were no responses on Parent View.  The lead inspector met formally with a parent. We also spoke to parents before school.  We met formally with a group of pupils and spoke informally to pupils throughout the inspection.  We met with staff to discuss their views about the school.

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 We looked in detail at reading, mathematics and English and geography. We discussed the curriculum design with the headteacher and subject leaders, reviewed pupils’ work in these subjects, spoke to pupils and teachers about the learning and visited a number of lessons, including phonics and reading sessions. The lead inspector listened to six key stage 1 and six key stage 2 pupils read and spoke to them about their reading. Inspectors also reviewed pupils’ work and the curriculum planning in science and art.

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Inspection team

Ann Pritchard, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Graeme Rudland Ofsted Inspector 26–27 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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