Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary School Wesley Road, London NW10 8PP

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Outcome

Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils and staff are proud of the school’s place within its local community. This is a happy and friendly place. Pupils said they are eager to come to school every day. Pupils’ attendance is improving. Leaders have high expectations of pupils’ learning and their personal development. Teachers focus on helping every pupil to achieve their very best.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour of pupils in lessons and at playtimes is of a high standard. The school is a calm and orderly environment. In lessons, pupils quickly respond to teachers’ instructions. They are enthusiastic about their learning. Pupils are polite towards adults and each other. They have learned how to respect one another’s ideas and listen well during lessons.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils told me that bullying does not happen at this school. They said that if someone says they are being bullied, they talk to their teachers, who deal with it swiftly. Pupils could all name an adult they could report any concerns to in the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers value the care and nurture given to their children. Parents stated that the staff team is always approachable if they have any worries.

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

The school continues to provide a good quality of education. The school provides a well- planned curriculum in English and mathematics. Pupils achieve well in these subjects by the end of key stage 2. Leaders are ambitious for all pupils to learn a wide range of subjects.

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

The teaching of reading is a key priority for the school. Phonics is taught daily from the beginning of both the Nursery and Reception Years. Staff are clear about what they expect pupils to know and be able to do each term. Well-trained staff provide extra support to pupils who need to catch up with their phonics knowledge. Leaders ensure that the books pupils read match the letters and sounds they know. 15–16 January 2020

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All pupils have access to a well-resourced library and appealing reading areas. Home- school reading records are well maintained. Pupils deepen their reading skills by studying a wide range of high-quality books. Staff foster a love of reading by reading to pupils every day.

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Mathematics is also a strength. Teachers’ planning ensures that pupils learn well as they progress through the school. Pupils develop their confidence and skills in problem solving.

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Children thrive in the early years. They play happily together in their brand new building. Staff are caring and encourage the children to keep on trying to learn new things. The children love listening to stories and rhymes.

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Teachers’ subject knowledge is not strong in some subjects, including computing and geography. The school does cover computing in its curriculum but not in depth. In geography, the curriculum is not clearly structured or sequenced. Coverage of work is weak and pupils do not get the opportunity to develop their skills. Pupils do not learn and remember enough about the world they live in. Pupils are unclear about what they have learned.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) learn the knowledge they need to achieve well. They learn through specific topics that interest them. Pupils receive specialist support from teachers and teaching assistants. As a result, they settle well into classroom routines when they join the school. Teaching assistants provide extra support for all pupils, particularly in reading and mathematics, including those with SEND.

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Leaders enrich pupils’ lives with a wide range of extra-curricular activities, including clubs and regular visits to museums, art galleries and places of worship. All pupils take part in these events and no child misses out. Parents typically describe the school as a ‘family’.

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Leaders have high expectations of all pupils. Pupils behave well in lessons and bullying is never tolerated. Pupils told me they find their learning interesting in most subjects.

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Governors have an accurate understanding of the school. Staff feel well supported by leaders and training opportunities are plentiful, including for newly qualified teachers. Leaders place a high priority on the well-being and workload of staff.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Keeping children safe is a high priority at this school. The school has clear policies and procedures in place. Staff are well trained in spotting signs of neglect or abuse. They know who to report concerns to if they think a child may be at risk. Leaders take prompt action to support children and families in difficulties.

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Safeguarding

Pupils feel safe in the school. Leaders are aware of the risks in the local community. Pupils learn how to keep safe online during lessons on digital safety. Pupils also learn about the dangers of gang culture. 15–16 January 2020

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s curriculum in geography is not sufficiently sequenced or planned for. As a result, coverage is limited, and pupils have gaps in their key knowledge and skills. Leaders should ensure that curriculum plans show teachers what pupils should know and when they should teach it. Pupils need more opportunity to record and talk about their work.  The computing curriculum is planned, but it does not ensure that pupils can use information technology effectively. Teachers lack confidence in teaching key areas of the subject. The activities taught do not allow pupils to develop their knowledge and understanding in computing well enough. The learning is not always matched to the age and ability of the pupils. Leaders should make sure that teachers have the specialist subject knowledge they need to deliver lessons that develop pupils’ creativity and skills.

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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 July 2016.

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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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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. 15–16 January 2020

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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. 15–16 January 2020

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School details

Inspection number 10121617 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 Annette Broderick

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School details

Date of previous inspection 6–7 July 2016, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School is a voluntary-aided primary school, with a Catholic ethos. The school admits one class in each year group.  The school caters for a wide range of pupils with SEND.

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Information about this inspection

 During this inspection, I met with the headteacher, members of the senior leadership team, a group of teaching staff and three governors (including the chair of the governing body). I held a discussion with a representative from the local authority.  I did deep dives in English, particularly early reading, mathematics, computing and geography. I held discussions with subject leaders about how the curriculum was designed and how it is being implemented. I visited lessons and spoke with teachers. I talked with pupils about their learning and looked at their work. I heard pupils read from across the school, particularly in Years 1, 2 and 6. I spoke with pupils of all ages about the books they are reading.  I scrutinised a wide range of records and documentation concerning safeguarding and pupils’ welfare. I looked in detail at the school’s single central record of staff checks. I also considered opportunities for pupils’ wider personal development.

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Inspection team

Sean Flood, lead inspector 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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