St. Walburga's Catholic Primary School

Inspection of St Walburga’s Catholic Primary School Malvern Road, Bournemouth, Dorset BH9 3BY

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Outstanding 15–16 January 2020

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What is it like to attend this school?

St Walburga’s is deeply rooted in its ‘gospel values’. Pupils feel cared for and happily come to school. They achieve well academically. As one pupil expressed it, this is because ‘teachers are caring and generous, using their time to help us’. Leaders balance their expectations of what pupils can achieve with the positive character traits that they want pupils to develop.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well and are well mannered. Pupils are sensitive to the needs of others and are supportive of one another. Older pupils work with younger pupils in a proactive way. For example, sports leaders support activities for younger pupils and ‘prayer buddies’ create positive cross-age partnerships.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say that bullying is rare. Leaders involve pupils in the decisions made about their school. The school council, for example, contributed to the writing of the anti- bullying policy. Pupils say that they have an adult in school they can turn to if there are things that trouble them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff help pupils to make an active contribution, both to their local community and further afield. Pupils are clear about what is right and wrong. They say that it is important to do the right thing. They like to be recognised when they do.

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better?

Pupils study the full range of subjects, as set out in the national curriculum. From Year 1 to Year 6, subject leaders have planned what pupils will learn and when. Where this is stronger, pupils successfully develop their skills and build up the important knowledge that they need.

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better?

Pupils talk confidently about what they have learned and can make links between different subjects. They behave well and show interest in their work. For example, in history, pupils’ interest in the Great Fire of London is supported by their understanding of the causes and the reasons why the fire spread so quickly. Pupils link this to the diary writing of Samuel Pepys and then apply this to diary writing of their own. Children in Reception also achieve well, which stands them in good stead for Year 1.

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better?

Subject leaders are knowledgeable and are developing in their roles. However, there is inconsistency in how well subjects are taught and how rigorously subject leaders check this. For example, work is currently under way to hone teachers’ skills to teach design technology. Increasingly, subject leaders receive training so that they can support their colleagues more effectively. Leaders understand the need to develop this more widely.

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better?

Reading, rightly, remains a school priority. Subject leaders want pupils to develop an enjoyment of reading and encourage pupils to read independently. The ‘reading 15–16 January 2020

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shed’, for example, invites parents and carers to share stories with their children at the beginning of the day.

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Children in Reception make a strong start to reading. They begin to build up their knowledge of letters and the sounds they represent successfully. Consequently, pupils go on to achieve highly in the phonics screening check at the end of Year 1. Teaching continues to extend pupils’ vocabulary so that pupils can understand what they read. While pupils achieve well in reading by the end of Year 6, pupils do not regularly read a wide variety of genres, especially poetry. Teaching does not routinely develop the more challenging skills of reading so that pupils can build on their secure foundations.

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The teaching of mathematics is planned well and is flexible to pupils’ needs. Children in Reception start to recognise and form a sequence of numbers, some identifying which numbers are odd and which are even. Pupils continue to develop their calculation skills, using this confidence to explain their thinking and justify their answers. When opportunities arise, teachers try to link mathematics to real-life problems. For example, pupils helped to design the multi-games area in the playground before building work began. At times, however, teaching could expect more of what pupils can do.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive the support they need, both academically and to support their well-being. The special educational needs coordinator is knowledgeable. She works with teachers to help them plan effectively for such pupils and for those pupils who fall behind their peers.

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Governors and officers from the diocese and the local authority are supportive of school leaders. Governors value the many opportunities on offer for pupils to find their talents and follow their interests. They recognise the strength of the school in providing rich opportunities to promote pupils’ personal and spiritual development. However, governors do not challenge leaders meticulously enough. Crucially, the plans for improvement lack detail, including those for the use of the additional funding provided for disadvantaged pupils and for the development of sport.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders train staff in how to keep pupils safe from harm. Staff know what to be alert to. Staff know the procedures to follow and whom to speak to if concerns arise about a pupil’s welfare. Leaders work with external agencies when necessary and liaise closely with families to provide support.

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Safeguarding

Checks are made on staff and visitors to ensure that they are suitable to work with children. 15–16 January 2020

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 While leaders have successfully promoted the importance of reading for enjoyment, the curriculum is not planned well enough to incrementally develop higher level reading skills. Consequently, curriculum goals are not always challenging enough for some pupils. Leaders need to refine their plans so that pupils develop the more complex skills of comprehension, inference and analysis as they move through key stage 2.  Leaders’ strategic plans are not detailed enough. Therefore, both leaders and governors are not able to see clearly whether actions are working and whether leaders remain on track to achieve the school’s priorities. Governors need to ensure that plans are more precise so that they can challenge leaders with greater rigour. This includes their evaluation of the additional funding provided for disadvantaged pupils and the development of sport.  Subject leaders are developing in their roles. Therefore, some subjects are not as

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

well taught as others. Senior leaders need to make sure that all subject leaders have the right professional development so that they can check that teaching is effective and support their colleagues.

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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 are the school and you are 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. 15–16 January 2020

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School details

Local authority Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole

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School details

Inspection number 10133440 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 Samantha Humphrey

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School details

Website www.stwalburgas.bournemouth.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 12 November 2008, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 St Walburga’s Primary School is a Roman Catholic voluntary-aided school in the Diocese of Portsmouth. As such, it is subject to an inspection of denominational education under section 48 of the Education Act 2005. The school’s distinctiveness and effectiveness as a Catholic school were judged to be outstanding at its most recent section 48 inspection in May 2017.

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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.

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Information about this inspection

 We met with representatives from the governing body. The lead inspector spoke on the telephone with the school improvement partner from the local authority and the Director of Education from the Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth.  We also met with senior leaders, the special educational needs coordinator, the early years leader and a group of staff, including support staff.  We did deep dives in these subjects: early reading, English, mathematics, science, history and physical education. We discussed the curriculum design with leaders, 15–16 January 2020

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carried out lesson visits, scrutinised pupils’ work and spoke to pupils and teachers from the lessons visited.  We evaluated the effectiveness of safeguarding, checked the school’s single central record and scrutinised policies relating to safeguarding and pupils’ behaviour. An inspector met with the designated safeguarding lead and reviewed a sample of case files.  We observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site. We spoke with pupils, both formally and informally, to discuss their views about their school.  We considered eight responses the Ofsted online survey, Parent View. A telephone call was received from a parent during the inspection.

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Inspection team

Sarah McGinnis, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Marcia Northeast Ofsted Inspector 15–16 January 2020

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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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