Holy Rosary Catholic Primary Academy

Inspection of Holy Rosary Catholic Primary Academy Hickman Avenue, Wolverhampton, West Midlands WV1 2BS

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Inspection dates: 16 June, and 13 and 14 July 2021

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 16 June, and 13 and 14 July 2021

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What is it like to attend this school?

Holy Rosary Catholic Primary Academy has improved since the previous inspection. It has a strong focus on nurturing the whole child and staff promote the school’s inclusive and Catholic values strongly. Pupils’ behaviour in and around school is good.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations. Collectively staff work hard to ensure that pupils become confident learners. English and mathematics are well planned and sequenced and as a result pupils’ knowledge and skills in these subjects are strong. Some subjects, such as design and technology (DT) and French, are not as well planned. However, it is clear from the actions of leaders that they are in the process of bringing this about.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Currently, the full range of clubs and visits, normally available to pupils, have been paused as a result of COVID-19 (coronavirus) restrictions. Leaders plan to resume these as soon as is practically possible.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy to come to school and feel safe and well cared for. Bullying is uncommon. However, if it should occur, pupils are confident their teachers will sort it out.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff take great care to meet the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school makes sure all pupils are included in all that it does.

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better?

School leaders, governors and staff all want to provide the very best education for pupils. Teachers ensure that learning activities are well organised and interesting. In most subjects, new learning builds on pupils’ previous learning. Children in the Reception class make a good start. The Reception class is well organised. Children in the early years can learn inside and outside of the classroom. Children continually extend their reading and mathematics skills. For example, in the outdoor role play area, children sold the seedlings they had grown in their ‘potting shed’.

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better?

The teaching of phonics and reading is well led and managed. Well-trained staff teach phonics daily. The books pupils take home are carefully matched to the phonics sounds they know. Pupils who need support have well-focused interventions to help them keep up. Most pupils read fluently by the end of key stage 1 and continue to read widely as they move up through the school.

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better?

Teachers use their knowledge and enthusiasm to plan and deliver effective lessons in a range of subjects. This is particularly the case in mathematics. Problem-solving and reasoning are regularly built into classroom learning. Pupils are confident and competent in deciding which operations are needed to solve problems. 16 June, and 13 and 14 July 2021

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Personal, social, and health education (PSHE) lessons are engaging and relevant to the school’s local and national contexts. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe, for example by learning about the dangers of trespassing on railway lines and how to cross a road safely. Pupils have a good understanding of fundamental British Values, such as the rule of law. One pupil said that PSHE helped them to understand ‘risky situations’ and to make the right choices. The school has a comprehensive relationships and sex education policy and scheme that is taught in an age- appropriate way.

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Different subjects are at different stages of development. A few subjects are taught sporadically throughout the academic year. This limits pupils’ ability to link new learning from their previous lesson. Not all subjects are enabling older pupils to remember key knowledge, such as counting to ten in French.

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Teachers understand the different needs of the pupils in their classes. Pupils with SEND receive the support they need. Teaching assistants are well trained and highly effective.

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Leaders make appropriate use of the funding available for disadvantaged pupils. Teachers are clear about who these pupils are and plan and use resources to meet those pupils’ needs.

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Pupils have good attitudes towards learning. They enjoy coming to school and most attend regularly. However, some pupils do not. Sometimes pupils arrive late at school. Leaders need to work on these aspects because persistent absence and lateness affect pupils’ achievement.

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The multi-academy company has increased the school’s capacity to share good practice. The school also works closely with the local authority. The principal and senior leaders make a strong team that is determined to make further improvements. Parents say good things about the school. All staff are proud to work at the school and say that leaders ensure their workload is manageable.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff know safeguarding pupils is very important. Leaders train staff so they know what to do if they have any concerns about pupils’ well-being or safety. Records show that leaders understand the needs of vulnerable pupils. Quick responses provide support for pupils and their families when needed.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and governors check staff are suitable before they begin work at the school.

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Safeguarding

Pupils know how to keep themselves safe both in their locality and when using the internet. 16 June, and 13 and 14 July 2021

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Subject leaders within school are increasingly given ownership of their subject areas. Some foundation subjects, such as design and technology and French, are not as well developed as others. Leaders should ensure that all subjects are planned coherently and delivered well from the early years to Year 6, so that pupils can make the best possible progress across the full curriculum.  Pupils enjoy coming to school. However, some pupils do not arrive punctually. This means they miss key teaching input. Leaders should continue to work with parents to reduce persistent absence and improve punctuality.

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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. 16 June, and 13 and 14 July 2021

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School details

Inspection number 10197066 Type of school Primary

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School details

Chair of governing body Mrs Angela Walker

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 23 and 24 January 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the last inspection, there have been significant changes to the school’s leadership team. The executive headship model ceased. The acting head of school became the substantive principal in September 2019. Two assistant principal roles were created at the same time, with one promoted to vice-principal in November 2020. This has resulted in a fully substantive Catholic senior leadership team.  Two multi-academy companies (MACs) merged in 2019 to form the St Francis and St Clare MAC. The school is now part of this trust.  The school receives support both from Wolverhampton local authority and the Archdiocese of Birmingham.

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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

This inspection began on 16 June 2021 as a monitoring inspection under section 8(2) of the Education Act 2005. Having found that the school performance appeared 16 June, and 13 and 14 July 2021

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to be improving, the inspection was deemed to be under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. As a section 5 inspection requires more inspector time to complete than a monitoring inspection, we returned on 13 and 14 July 2021 to complete the full inspection.

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 Inspectors focused on the following subjects during the inspection: reading, mathematics, DT and PSHE. The inspectors visited lessons, looked at pupils’ work, examined teachers’ plans and talked with pupils and staff about the way these subjects are planned and taught. The inspectors also looked at planning and work from other subjects and spoke with pupils, staff and parents about the school curriculum.  Inspectors spoke to pupils, staff, leaders, parents and governors about safeguarding arrangements and routines at the school. The lead inspector examined the record of employment checks on staff.  The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in class and at other times during the day. They also spoke to parents, staff and pupils about behaviour.  During the inspection, the inspectors had formal meetings with the principal and other senior leaders, subject leaders, the SEND coordinator, governors, representatives from the MAC, the local authority’s school improvement adviser,

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teachers and pupils. The inspectors also talked informally with pupils and parents to gather information about school life. The lead inspector had a short conversation with the deputy director of the Archdiocese of Birmingham.  By the end of the inspection, there were 34 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View. Inspectors took note of the eight responses to the parental free-text facility and the 19 responses from staff who completed Ofsted’s staff survey.

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Inspection team

Heather Phillips, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Heather Simpson Her Majesty’s Inspector 16 June, and 13 and 14 July 2021

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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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