Our Lady Mother of the Saviour Catholic Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Our Lady Mother of the Saviour Catholic Primary School Lapwing Grove, Palacefields, Runcorn, Cheshire WA7 2TP

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Inspection dates: 18 and 19 January 2022

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Outcome

Our Lady Mother of the Saviour Catholic Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thrive in this school because of the positive relationships that they have with staff and each other. Pupils know they are important and that they have a voice. They develop self-confidence because staff help them to feel good about themselves. Pupils who have joined the school recently said they were made to feel welcome and made friends easily.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils understand that leaders expect them to do their best. Pupils work hard and behave well to meet leaders’ high expectations. Pupils said that they enjoy challenging work because someone will help them if they need it. They achieve well in a range of subjects.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils understand the importance of respect. They know that if they share concerns, staff will do their best to help them. Pupils appreciate spending time in ‘The Den’ or ‘The Snug’, where they can talk to an adult about anything that is bothering them. This helps them to feel safe. Pupils are confident that if bullying should happen, staff would sort it out quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils play an active part in the local community. They take pride in organising charity events, such as ‘Crazy Hair Day’, to raise funds for refugees. Pupils exemplify the school’s code of being ‘kind, respectful and honest’.

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

Despite the many challenges posed by the pandemic, leaders have continued to review and improve the curriculum. They have designed a curriculum that is interesting and ambitious for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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

Leaders have identified the important knowledge that they want pupils, including children in the early years, to learn and the order in which they should learn it. Many subject 18 and 19 January 2022

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leaders have strong curriculum expertise. This enables them to support teachers effectively to check that pupils know and remember the intended content. Teachers use assessment strategies well to uncover and to address pupils’ misconceptions.

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That said, in a few subjects, subject leaders do not provide enough guidance to help teachers to deliver these curriculums as well. This hinders teachers in designing learning that supports pupils to remember the content of the curriculum and to deepen their understanding over time.

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Leaders have placed a high priority on ensuring that pupils learn to read well. They have established a clear phonics programme and ensured that staff are trained to deliver it effectively. Children learn sounds and letters from the start of the Reception Year. Staff keep a close eye on how well pupils are doing and no time is wasted in providing support for any pupils who fall behind. However, very occasionally, pupils’ reading fluency is hampered because the books that they are given to practise their reading are too difficult.

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Older pupils enjoy the books that their teachers read to them and appreciate the high- quality books available for them to read independently. By the end of Year 6, almost all pupils develop strong comprehension skills.

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Leaders ensure that the needs of pupils with SEND are identified early. Staff make adaptations to their teaching approaches so that pupils with SEND access the full curriculum and achieve well. Leaders provide high-quality support to help pupils who sometimes struggle with their conduct. Pupils demonstrate positive attitudes to learning and behave well around school. Consequently, lessons are rarely disrupted by poor behaviour.

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Leaders provide a range of opportunities for pupils to expand their horizons and to learn more about the wider world. Leaders’ work to encourage pupils to play a part in the life of the school enables them to become active citizens and to develop empathy for others.

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Staff are resoundingly positive about working at the school. They value the opportunities that they have for professional development. Staff appreciate that their well-being is considered by school leaders.

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Parents and carers hold the school in high regard. They value the quality of education provided and the care that their children receive.

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Governors are committed and dedicated to their role. Several governors are newly appointed. They are undertaking training so that they can develop further how they hold leaders to account for the quality of education. 18 and 19 January 2022

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders provide staff with regular safeguarding training, including about matters relating to peer-on-peer abuse. This ensures that staff can spot potential signs that indicate that a pupil could be at risk or suffering from harm.

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Safeguarding

Leaders work effectively with outside agencies to access appropriate and timely support for vulnerable pupils. Staff also work together with families to provide advice and to signpost them to sources of additional help when needed. Parents appreciate leaders’ approachability.

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Safeguarding

Pupils have many opportunities to learn how to keep themselves safe, including learning how to stay safe online and in the wider community.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Occasionally, the books that some younger pupils are given to practise their reading are too difficult. This can cause these pupils to lose confidence and delays the development of their reading fluency. Leaders should ensure that the books that pupils are given to read are correctly matched to their phonics knowledge, so that a greater proportion of pupils read with confidence and accuracy by the end of Year 2.  In a small number of subjects, leaders have not ensured that teachers have sufficient guidance to deliver curriculums effectively. This hinders teachers in designing learning that helps pupils to know and remember the intended curriculum. Leaders should ensure that teachers have the guidance that they need to develop their subject-specific knowledge in order to deliver the intended curriculums well.

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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 March 2012. 18 and 19 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. 18 and 19 January 2022

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Sheila Parhizgar

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School details

Website www.ourladysruncorn.halton.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 3 November 2016, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection, there have been several changes to the leadership team of the school. There have been considerable changes to the governing body, including the appointment of a new chair.  The school does not make use of alternative provision.  The school is a voluntary-aided school and part of the Diocese of Shrewsbury.  The school’s last section 48 inspection was in July 2017.

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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 leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector held discussions with the headteacher and deputy headteacher, subject leaders and other members of staff. The inspector spoke with four members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. 18 and 19 January 2022

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 The inspector spoke with a representative of the local authority, a representative of the Diocese of Shrewsbury and an external school improvement partner who works with school leaders.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in classrooms, around the school and during lunchtime. She spoke with different groups of pupils to discuss their views of their school, their learning, their behaviour and their safety.  The inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and history. 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 observed pupils reading to a familiar adult. The inspector also considered aspects of several other subjects on the school’s curriculum.  The inspector considered the views of parents shared through Ofsted Parent View. This

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included the comments received via the free-text facility. The inspector also reviewed the responses to Ofsted’s online staff survey and the survey for pupils.  The inspector considered a range of documentation shared by school leaders, including the school development plan, minutes taken at a governors’ meeting and leaders’ self- evaluation document.  The inspector checked the arrangements for keeping pupils safe. She reviewed associated documentation and spoke to leaders, staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Janette Walker, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector 18 and 19 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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