St Patrick's Catholic Primary School

Inspection of a good school: St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School Lowshoe Lane, Collier Row, Romford, Essex RM5 2AP

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Inspection dates: 11 and 12 January 2022

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Outcome

St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy learning and playing together. They are happy and safe and help each other if they get stuck in lessons. There is a culture of respect between pupils and between pupils and adults. Pupils and staff are proud to be part of their school community.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are passionate that all pupils will become well-rounded citizens. Pupils learn about different faiths in assemblies and staff acknowledge and celebrate when pupils display the school’s core values. Leaders expect all pupils to develop a deep understanding of the subjects that they study. They are developing their curriculum to make sure that this ambition is realised for all.

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What is it like to attend this school?

In lessons, pupils are enthusiastic and proud to show what they know. They are quick to put up their hands to answer questions. Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. Bullying is rare. If it does take place, leaders deal with it quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils take part in sports clubs before and after school. These include tag rugby and football, which make use of the school’s large outdoor space. Because of COVID-19, extra- curricular clubs, such as Irish dancing, choir and board games, are not currently running. Leaders are eager to get these clubs started again as soon as possible.

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

Leaders have planned a curriculum that is typically logically sequenced to develop pupils’ knowledge of subjects. This has involved leaders thinking about what topics pupils learn and in which order so that pupils build on their learning as they progress through the years. For example, when pupils in Year 6 science learn about the lungs, they revisit and build on what they learned about the function of the skeleton in Year 3.

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

However, leaders’ work on developing the curriculum has been disrupted because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This means that there is still more work to do to make sure that the curriculum is equally strong across all subjects. Leaders have correctly identified the 11 and 12 January 2022

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subjects that they need to focus on. They are in the process of identifying what pupils should know and be able to do in each year and making sure that this builds from what pupils learn in Reception.

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Teachers have secure subject knowledge and introduce new ideas clearly. If pupils need it, teachers provide additional support to help them keep up. In Reception classrooms, staff are particularly effective in supporting children to learn the curriculum. For example, teachers use clear explanations alongside carefully selected resources to support children to learn how to form numbers. Importantly, children then get time to use this knowledge in smaller groups with adult supervision. This means that even very young children get time to practise what they have learned and get specific feedback.

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All pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are well supported to learn the curriculum. This is because leaders, alongside teachers and teaching assistants, have put in place a range of appropriate support for individual pupils. This support is reviewed termly, taking into account pupils’ views, to make sure that it remains relevant.

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Leaders have ensured that pupils are supported to become fluent and confident readers. Staff are knowledgeable about how to teach early reading. In lessons, they regularly celebrate children’s success, which motivates them. Children learn to read using books that are matched to the sounds that they know. Staff identify any children who are falling behind and provide additional support to make sure that they catch up quickly.

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Teachers and leaders use assessment to identify what pupils do and do not know. In some subjects, such as mathematics, this includes checking that pupils have learned and remembered knowledge from previous units and topics. This makes sure that pupils do not forget what they have learned.

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Pupils behave well in lessons. There is a clear behaviour system used across the school that promotes positive behaviour. Staff have established strong routines that mean pupils know what is expected of them and learning time is not wasted.

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Teachers promote pupils’ broader development through personal, social and health education (PSHE) and sex and relationships education (SRE). This covers important information, including healthy relationships and democracy. Leaders provide many other opportunities to encourage pupils’ wider personal development, including through discussions in whole-school assemblies, taking responsibility as school councillors and charity fundraising.

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Staff are proud to work in the school. They feel well supported by leaders. They value the steps that leaders have taken to manage workload, such as setting deadlines well in advance. 11 and 12 January 2022

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There are clear systems in place that all staff use to record any concerns about pupils’ safety or well-being. Leaders use this information to identify any pupils who may need additional support. Leaders work effectively with a range of external agencies, parents and carers to keep pupils safe. They are aware of key safeguarding risks associated with the local area and have put in place appropriate measures to mitigate these.

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Safeguarding

Pupils are confident that there is an adult they can talk to if they need help. They learn how to keep themselves safe from harm in their PSHE, computing and SRE lessons.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The curriculum in some foundation subjects is not sufficiently well planned. It is not clear what subject-specific content pupils need to learn to develop a deep understanding of each topic. Leaders have worked hard to develop their curriculum to date and have shown capacity to do this work well. For this reason, the transitional arrangements have been applied. Leaders and governors should ensure that the curriculum continues to be developed so that there is clarity about what pupils should know and be able to do in all subjects.  Because of the pandemic, not all subject leaders have had sufficient opportunity to develop their subject-specific curriculum knowledge. This means that some subject leaders need further support so that they can develop their curriculum areas. Leaders and governors should ensure that all subject leaders have sufficient opportunities to develop their curriculum expertise further.

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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, 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.

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Background

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in May 2012. 11 and 12 January 2022

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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.

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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. 11 and 12 January 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10211250 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 24 January 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school provides a breakfast club and an after-school club.  The school uses one unregistered provider for alternative provision.  The school is of Roman Catholic religious character. The school’s last section 48 inspection took place in February 2018.

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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 his evaluation.  The inspector met with senior leaders, the chair of governors, subject leaders and a representative from the diocese. He also held separate telephone calls with a representative from the local authority and the school’s improvement partner.  The inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and history. Each deep dive involved reviewing curriculum plans with subject leaders, visiting lessons, reviewing pupils’ work and speaking with teachers and pupils from the lessons they 11 and 12 January 2022

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visited. He also met with the special educational needs coordinator to find out how the school supports pupils with SEND to learn the curriculum.  The inspector also looked at curriculum plans for other subjects and met with the science subject leader to review pupils’ work.  The inspector met with the headteacher and deputy headteacher to consider the school’s safeguarding arrangements. He also looked at safeguarding records, including pre-employment checks for staff.  The inspector spoke to staff about their well-being and workload. He considered responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.  The inspector spoke to a range of pupils from different year groups in lessons and during breaktime.  The inspector considered responses to Ofsted’s online Parent View survey.

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Inspection team

Jasper Green, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector 11 and 12 January 2022

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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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