Holy Family Catholic Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Holy Family Catholic Primary School Old Hall Road, Sale, Cheshire M33 2JA

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Outcome

Holy Family Catholic Primary School continues to be a good school.

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Outcome

However, inspectors have some concerns that one or more areas may be declining, as set out below.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy their time at school. They feel happy and safe. Pupils get on well together and make friends easily. Pupils are eager to learn. Many enjoy the challenging work that teachers plan for them. They know that adults expect them to try their best. Pupils are confident that staff in school will listen to them if they have any worries.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The clear expectations laid out in the school’s values help pupils to understand how to behave well. It is rare for their learning to be disturbed by poor behaviour. Pupils told inspectors that bullying is sorted out by the adults in school quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have many opportunities to learn and understand how racist and gender stereotypes can be harmful to people. They try to help and welcome any newcomers to the school. Pupils enjoy attending after-school clubs, such as basketball, cricket and art. Pupils also value trips, such as their visits to an amphitheatre and a zoo.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Some pupils, but particularly those who struggle to learn the most, do not receive the support that they need in reading. Also, some pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) do not receive the support they need to access curriculum subjects as well as they should.

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

Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum for pupils, including those with SEND and children in the early years. In many subjects, leaders have ensured that content is well ordered and that teachers are clear about what to deliver and when. For instance, in mathematics, leaders have carefully organised the curriculum so that pupils can build on what they already know. Curriculum plans clearly lay out the mathematical knowledge that leaders want pupils to learn as they move through the school. Teachers use 7–8 July 2021 assessment strategies well to check that pupils have a secure understanding before moving on to new learning. Pupils achieve well in mathematics. Year 6 pupils are prepared well for secondary school.

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

In some other subjects, such as history, leaders have ensured that teachers are clear about what to deliver and when. However, they have not identified the important knowledge that they want pupils to know and remember. This means that teachers struggle to check on whether pupils have gained the necessary building blocks for future learning. Also, leaders’ plans in these subjects do not set out clearly how teachers could support pupils with SEND to access the curriculum as well as they should. This hinders their achievement.

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

Most older pupils enjoy reading. They talked enthusiastically about the interesting books that they have read. That said, some pupils who find reading difficult do not receive appropriate additional support to help them to catch up quickly. Leaders have not decided on a clear early reading programme for teachers to follow, nor have they ensured that all adults in the school are suitably trained in the teaching of phonics. This means that the approaches taken by teachers to deliver the phonics curriculum and the support with reading that they provide for pupils, including pupils with SEND, varies in quality. Also, adults do not ensure that the books that some pupils read match the sounds that they have learned. As a result, pupils struggle to practise and develop their reading fluency.

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

Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. They are polite and well mannered. For example, children in the early years learn to share, to play together and to communicate with confidence. Leaders make sure that those pupils with SEND have access to and benefit from specialist support from external agencies. Leaders use the school’s values to develop pupils’ understanding of how they can play a positive role in their school and the wider community. For example, older pupils proudly carry out responsibilities as school ambassadors and as members of committees to encourage kindness and to improve the environment.

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

Lately, governors have focused on supporting school leaders to deal with the demands of the pandemic. They have spent less time maintaining their usual oversight of the curriculum. Consequently, they are not as well informed about leaders’ work to ensure that pupils become successful readers and that pupils with SEND are achieving as well as they should.

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

Although many staff feel that leaders are considerate of their well-being and their workload, some staff expressed concerns to inspectors about the quality of support that they receive from leaders.

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

In discussion with the headteacher, inspectors agreed that early reading may usefully serve as a focus for the next inspection.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 7–8 July 2021 Leaders have effective systems in place to ensure that adults who work at the school are suitable to work with pupils.

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Safeguarding

Staff have received relevant safeguarding training. They are alert to the potential signs of pupils who may be at risk from harm. Staff understand the procedures that they must follow if they have concerns about a pupil. The designated safeguarding lead has a strong oversight of any safeguarding issues and organises effective support for pupils and their families when necessary.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn about how to keep themselves safe. For instance, they talk confidently about how to stay safe online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have not ensured that there is a coherent curriculum for teaching phonics, nor have they made sure that staff are sufficiently trained in early reading. In particular, those pupils who struggle the most with reading do not get the support that they need to catch up. For example, staff do not ensure that this group of pupils read books that are closely matched to the sounds that they know. This prevents these pupils from becoming accurate and fluent readers who can access the wider curriculum. Leaders, including governors, should ensure that staff are suitably trained on the school’s chosen phonics programme. They should make sure that the teaching of reading is consistently effective and that those pupils who have fallen behind get the help that they need to read with fluency.  Leaders have not ensured that pupils with SEND get appropriate support to access curriculums in subjects other than mathematics. This means that this group of pupils

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

struggle to know and remember the taught curriculum. Leaders, including governors, should ensure that staff are well trained to adapt the curriculum appropriately so that pupils with SEND are able to achieve well across a range of subjects.  In subjects other than English and mathematics, leaders have not identified the knowledge that they want pupils to know and remember. This prevents teachers from checking on pupils’ understanding and using this information to adapt their teaching plans as necessary. Leaders should ensure that the important knowledge that pupils need to know and remember is identified clearly so that teachers can use this to check on pupils’ knowledge of earlier learning. 7–8 July 2021

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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 or outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that a good 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 on 13 to 14 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 here .

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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. 7–8 July 2021

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.holyfamilysalemoor.co.uk Date of previous inspection 13 to 14 July 2016, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 An acting deputy headteacher has recently been appointed.  The school is part of the Diocese of Shrewsbury. The most recent section 48 inspection of the school took place in November 2015. The school’s next section 48 inspection is due to take place in the academic year 2021/22.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school, and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  During the inspection, inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, the acting deputy headteacher and other staff, including teaching assistants and support staff.  The lead inspector spoke on the telephone with the chair of the governing body, representatives of both the local authority and the diocese and with an independent consultant who is currently providing support for school leaders. 7–8 July 2021  Inspectors visited lessons and spoke with pupils. Inspectors listened to pupils from Years 1, 2 and 3 read.  Inspectors observed behaviour around the school, on the playground and in lessons.  Inspectors examined a range of documentation relating to safeguarding and reviewed

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Information about this inspection

other documentation provided by leaders. This documentation included attendance information, the single central record, minutes of governing body meetings and senior leaders’ self-evaluation document.  Inspectors carried out deep dives into reading, mathematics and history. These included discussions with subject leaders, visits to lessons, looking at examples of pupils’ work, discussions with teachers and discussions with pupils about their learning.  Inspectors considered the 51 responses to Ofsted Parent View, the online questionnaire, and reviewed the free-text comments from parents and carers. Inspectors also considered 24 responses to Ofsted’s staff questionnaire and 114 responses to Ofsted’s questionnaire for pupils.

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Inspection team

Janette Walker, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Sheila Iwaskow Her Majesty’s Inspector 7–8 July 2021 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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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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