St. Mary's & St. Peter's Catholic Primary School

Inspection of a good school: St. Mary’s & St. Peter’s Catholic Primary School Upper Nidd Street, Leeds Road, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD3 9ND

p.1

Inspection dates: 12 and 13 October 2021

p.1

Outcome

St. Mary’s & St. Peter’s Catholic Primary School continues to be a good school.

p.1

Outcome

There has been no change to this school’s overall judgement of good as a result of this initial (section 8) inspection. However, the evidence gathered suggests that the inspection grade might not be as high if a full inspection were carried out now. The next inspection will therefore be a full (section 5) inspection.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending this school. They say that they feel safe. Pupils play well together at playtimes. Year 6 pupils take on leadership roles in school. For example, they lead games with younger pupils at playtimes. In lessons pupils behave well, which helps them to get on with their learning.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

In some subjects, such as mathematics, pupils achieve well because the curriculum is planned effectively. This is not the case in all subjects. Leaders are in the early stages of developing the wider curriculum to ensure that it is successful in meeting their ambitions for pupils.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

The wide range of enrichment activities supports pupils’ spiritual and cultural development well. Pupils enjoy going on trips to local places like Skipton Castle and the Yorkshire Wildlife Park. Pupils are able to take part in a wide range of after-school activities such as table tennis, basketball and the mindfulness club.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy choosing books from the library and class reading areas. They can talk about some authors whose books they enjoy reading and love listening to adults read to them. However, pupils at the early stages of reading do not learn to read as quickly as they should. Some pupils do not get the help they need when learning to read.

p.1

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

The reading leader has worked with an English hub to refine the school’s approach to teaching early reading. This has led to the introduction of books that match the sounds that pupils know, which helps when they are practising their reading. Teachers identify 12 and 13 October 2021

p.1

2

pupils who need help to catch up in reading. However, some staff, including some of those who lead catch-up sessions, do not have the subject knowledge they need to teach reading well. Some support plans for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) do not state what help these pupils need with reading. As a result, some pupils, including those with SEND, are not getting the help they need to read with fluency and confidence.

p.2

2

In mathematics, leaders have introduced a scheme of work that provides a well- structured curriculum for key stage 1 and key stage 2. Teachers check in lessons to see if pupils need extra help. Teachers receive regular training from the mathematics leader to ensure that they understand how to teach mathematics well. Teachers explain new content clearly, using equipment and pictures to help pupils understand new learning. These strategies help pupils to know more and remember more in mathematics.

p.2

2

In some subjects, leaders are at the early stages of developing a new curriculum. This work has been partly hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, curriculum plans in subjects like history and design technology (DT) do not identify or sequence the knowledge that pupils should learn from the early years to the end of Year 6. This means that teachers do not build on what pupils have learned previously. Consequently, pupils do not achieve as well as they could in these subjects.

p.2

2

Pupils are encouraged to demonstrate the school’s values. This helps them to develop good attitudes to learning. For example, one pupil was applauded by his peers when it was recognised that he had shown determination with some challenging mathematics work. Instances of bullying are rare, and when they do happen they are managed well by staff.

p.2

2

Children develop an understanding of democracy by voting for their school councillor. The school council influences decisions in school. For example, they have led the introduction of recycling bins in each class to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill. Pupils understand that they should respect everyone. However, their understanding of what makes people different is not as developed as it should be. Some pupils who spoke to the inspector struggled to remember what they had been taught about people of different faiths. Pupils do not understand about some protected characteristics. For example, pupils could not talk about the different relationships and types of families that exist in modern Britain.

p.2

2

A number of experienced governors have left the governing body recently. The local authority and the Catholic diocese have worked with the school to strengthen the governing body to ensure it continues to provide effective support and challenge to school leaders.

p.2

2

Staff who spoke to the inspector said that leaders are considerate of their workload. However, a small number of staff who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for staff raised concerns about the support they receive from leaders. 12 and 13 October 2021

p.2

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.3

Safeguarding

Staff receive training to ensure that they are able to recognise when a pupil may be at risk of harm. Staff report concerns about pupils safety promptly to safeguarding leaders. Leaders’ records show that they respond appropriately, involving other agencies where necessary.

p.3

Safeguarding

Pupils are taught how to manage some of the risks they may face. They learn how to cross roads safely and how to be safe when working online. Pupils in Year 6 recently attended a workshop where they learned about the dangers of playing near powerlines and electrical substations.

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Curriculum plans in some subjects, for example history and DT, are in the early stages of development and do not precisely identify the knowledge that pupils should be taught and remembered over time. Teaching in these subjects does not build on what pupils already know. Leaders should ensure that curriculum plans for all subjects clearly set out the subject knowledge that pupils should learn from the early years to Year 6.  Some staff do not have the subject knowledge that they need to teach reading well and to support pupils who are struggling with reading. As a result, some pupils are not learning to read as quickly as they should. Leaders should provide training for staff to ensure that they help pupils to remember the new sounds they are learning and help them to read these in words and sentences. Leaders should check the impact of the support for pupils who are struggling to read to make sure that it is effective in helping

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

them to read fluently and with confidence.  Some pupils are not able to articulate their understanding of different faiths and the make-up of different families. This means that they are not prepared as well as they need to be for life in modern Britain. Leaders should ensure that the curriculum supports pupils to have an appropriate understanding of all protected characteristics.

p.3

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, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, 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 deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately. 12 and 13 October 2021

p.3

4

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in July 2016.

p.4

How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

p.4

How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

p.4

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 .

p.4

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.4

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. 12 and 13 October 2021

p.4

School details

Inspection number 10199920 Type of school Primary

p.5

provision

Appropriate authority The governing body

p.5

provision

Headteacher Mrs M Khambhaita Website www.stmarys-stpeters.co.uk

p.5

provision

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

p.5

Information about this school

 The school had a section 48 inspection in July 2016.  The headteacher took up her post in September 2019.  Three new governors joined the governing body in April 2021.  A new chair of governors was elected in April 2021.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs is above the national average.  The school runs a breakfast club each morning.

p.5

Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation.  The inspector met with the headteacher and members of the school’s leadership team. 12 and 13 October 2021

p.5

6

 The inspector carried out deep dives in reading, history and mathematics. For each deep dive, the inspector met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector also looked at curriculum plans for computing, design technology and personal, social and health education.  The inspector held meetings with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors.  The inspector spoke to representatives from the local authority and from the Catholic Diocese of Leeds.  The inspector scrutinised documents, including the school’s single central record and spoke to the school’s designated safeguarding leader and deputy safeguarding leaders.  The inspector considered seven responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View, including four free-text parent comments. The inspector also reviewed the

p.6

6

seven responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for staff.

p.6

Inspection team

Tim Scargill-Knight, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector 12 and 13 October 2021

p.6

7

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.

p.7

7

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.7

7

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

7

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

7

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

p.7