St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Carterton

Inspection of St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, Carterton Lawton Avenue, Carterton, Oxfordshire OX18 3JY

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Inadequate 14–15 January 2020

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What is it like to attend this school?

St Joseph’s is inclusive with a strong ethos of compassion and kindness. Leaders and staff have high expectations of behaviour. All pupils feel valued. As one pupil said, ‘This is a fabulously caring and happy place.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe. They told us that bullying is rare. Anti-bullying ambassadors are on hand at playtimes to help sort out minor issues. Pupils have a strong understanding of online safety. They know who to talk to if they have concerns and trust staff to always help them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils understand the importance of individual liberty, while not discriminating against others. They express their opinions and discuss issues, such as immigration, homelessness and Brexit, with confidence. Pupils learn about other world faiths and celebrate key festivals, such as Diwali.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils like the exciting trips that enrich their learning. For example, they visit museums, art galleries, music concerts and Oxford University. Pupils take part in a wide range of extra-curricular clubs such as sports, singing, gardening, sewing, music and fencing.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most parents and carers appreciate the positive difference that staff make to pupils’ emotional health and well-being. Several parents described St Joseph’s as a place where their children ‘thrive’.

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better?

Leaders have worked hard to address previous weaknesses. They have made some appropriate changes to improve the quality of education. A number of other important aspects of the school are now improving. Leaders and governors know there is more to do to make sure all pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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better?

Curriculum planning in some of the foundation subjects has recently been introduced. Leaders have not made sure that teachers have clear guidance about what pupils should know by the end of each year group in all subjects. For example, plans in subjects such as history, geography, art and design do not include the essential knowledge that pupils need to help them know more, remember more and do more over time. Pupils’ achievement at the end of key stage 2 remains below national averages.

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better?

Some teachers do not have the knowledge they need to teach the range of subjects well. Consequently, pupils do not gain some of the important knowledge to help them achieve well across the curriculum. Pupils sometimes complete tasks that do not link well with what they know already or can do. One pupil told us, ‘Our teachers 14–15 January 2020

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do not always check what we know in different subjects. This doesn’t help us become experts in our learning.’

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Pupils do not learn phonics well enough. Leaders have yet to ensure that the planning and teaching of phonics are as well organised as they should be. Staff use several different phonics resources that do not work well together. In lessons, pupils are not always clear about what they are expected to learn. When this happens, they struggle. Some members of staff do not have sufficient expertise to help all pupils to learn to read. In recent years, not enough pupils have achieved well in the Year 1 phonics screening check.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive appropriate support from well-trained staff, especially in developing pupils’ vocabulary. While teachers plan work that is matched to the specific needs of these pupils, weaknesses in the curriculum mean they do not achieve as well as they could.

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A high number of service children join St Joseph’s during the year. There is a well- planned programme to ensure that their social and emotional needs are met. As a result, service children settle quickly into their new school. There are strong links with the local RAF base.

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Children do not do as well as they could in Reception. Staff do not always provide children with well-chosen activities to help them learn well. Some staff do not have enough knowledge of the early years curriculum to help children develop their ideas. Children are not prepared well enough for Year 1.

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Staff make sure that pupils’ personal development is well catered for. Pupils get involved in a wide range of community events, for example through visits to the church and participation in services in the locality. Pupils are encouraged to contribute to the improvements in school. The school council arranges events to raise money for charities.

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Staff manage behaviour well across the school. In most lessons, teaching is not interrupted, so pupils can learn. Behaviour outside of the classroom is also very positive due to effective systems that leaders have put in place.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Checks are in place to ensure that adults in the school are suitable to work with pupils. Detailed records relating to safeguarding are well maintained. Staff are vigilant. The training that they receive enables them to recognise the signs of potential risk. They understand the procedures to follow should they have concerns.

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Safeguarding

Leaders work together with other agencies to ensure that vulnerable pupils and their families get the timely support they need. Leaders ensure that pupils are taught how 14–15 January 2020

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to keep themselves safe in a variety of situations, including when they are using the internet and social media.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The curriculum is not coherent or sequenced well in some of the foundation subjects. Leaders should ensure that the curriculum planning for all subjects sets out the knowledge that pupils should learn and when they should learn it, so that it is ambitious for all pupils, including those with SEND.  Teachers’ subject knowledge is not strong in all foundation subjects. This limits how well all pupils develop their knowledge and understanding. Leaders should ensure that teachers are confident and skilled in the content they are delivering.  Staff have variable pedagogical knowledge of the early years curriculum. Children do not learn well in all areas. They are not prepared well enough for Year 1. Leaders need to ensure themselves that teaching and learning in the early years improves.  Weaknesses in the school’s phonics programme have left some pupils unable to read as well as they could and should. Leaders should implement a systematic

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

approach to the teaching of phonics. Leaders must ensure that staff receive appropriate training so that pupils learn to read effectively.

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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. 14–15 January 2020

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School details

Inspection number 10088173 Type of school Primary

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School details

Website www.stjosephsprimarycarterton.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 15–16 November 2017

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Information about this school

 The school had a section 48 inspection on 7–8 February 2019.

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Information about this inspection

In accordance with section 13(5) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that the school no longer requires significant improvement.

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Information about this inspection

 We met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, curriculum leaders, members of the local governing body, including the chair of governors, and the chief executive officer for the Dominic Barberi multi-academy company.  We did deep dives in the following subjects: reading, mathematics, science and physical education. In each subject, we met with curriculum leaders, visited lessons, talked to pupils, spoke to teachers and looked at pupils’ work.  We reviewed safeguarding records, including the central record of recruitment checks on staff. 14–15 January 2020

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 We also spoke with pupils formally and informally about their day-to-day experiences at the school.  We spoke to parents during the inspection and considered the views of 27 parents who responded to Ofsted’s parental questionnaire, Parent View.

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Inspection team

Shazia Akram, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Nigel Cook Ofsted Inspector 14–15 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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