Sacred Heart Primary School

Inspection of Sacred Heart Primary School Sedgley Road East, Tipton, West Midlands DY4 8UH

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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 Good 30 and 31 March 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff put pupils first. The decisions they take and the learning activities they plan are in the best interests of the pupils. Leaders have raised expectations of everyone. They are determined to ensure that pupils do well. Pupils are at the heart of this school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils talk confidently about their learning. They say that lessons challenge their brains and that teachers are good at making them think. They like the ‘nothing new, just review’ sessions that help them remember what they are learning. Pupils are enthusiastic about the ‘power projects’ they complete at home. In lessons, pupils work well together. They listen to each other and to the adults. Pupils are polite and courteous.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy at school and know staff will help them if they need it. Older pupils told inspectors that bullying is not tolerated at Sacred Heart. When it happens, adults are very quick to respond. They help pupils think about their behaviour and support them to make the right choices. Pupils show respect to those around them, including visitors to the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils take their responsibilities seriously. They enjoy roles as play leaders, reading buddies and litter pickers. They develop resilience and resourcefulness. Pupils are proud of their school.

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better?

Senior leaders have had a lot to do since the last inspection, when the school was in decline. They are relentless in their drive for improvement. They have put in place a strong leadership team, who shares their vision. Leaders rightly focus on developing the quality of education and improving behaviour across the school. The curriculum has been reviewed and subject leaders have been empowered to develop their subject area. The whole leadership team leads with a clear sense of purpose.

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better?

The revised curriculum is broad and engaging. Staff know what to teach and when to teach it. They know which parts of the curriculum were not taught in full during the pandemic. They identify gaps in pupils’ knowledge and consider how best to help them catch up. There are times when staff have not thought carefully enough about how to teach each subject effectively. This slows pupils’ progress. Leaders provide staff with a range of training and development opportunities. Staff are benefiting from these opportunities. They are developing their skills and deepening their subject knowledge.

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better?

Reading is a strength of the school. Books are found everywhere. Teachers carefully consider the books they read to pupils. They choose books that excite and interest pupils, as well as books that help them learn more about the world around them. Older pupils talk with great enthusiasm about the books they read. Pupils appreciate 30 and 31 March 2022

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the wide range of books available in the school library. Pupils read confidently and fluently.

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Leaders are determined that every pupil learns to read. The new approach to teaching phonics is having a positive impact. Well-trained staff know exactly how to help pupils learn their sounds. They make sure that pupils practise saying the sounds they are learning as well as writing them down. Catch-up support helps pupils at the very earliest stages of learning to read. Pupils develop confidence quickly and enjoy reading to adults.

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Adults promote early communication and language well from the start of school. They model for the pupils and help them learn the words they need to be able to express themselves clearly. Pupils in the early years are happy and settled.

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Leaders use advice from external specialists to support pupils with significant special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) effectively. Some staff have been well trained to meet their needs. They support pupils confidently and effectively. However, some adults lack the strategies or specific knowledge required to adapt learning to ensure that all pupils, from Nursery to Year 6, access the curriculum effectively.

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Behaviour is usually good, and pupils work hard. Staff are embedding high expectations of pupils’ behaviour across the school. Leaders make very clear what is expected from everyone in the school. When staff apply the new behaviour policy consistently, it makes a positive difference. The school is calm and orderly and there are positive relationships between pupils and with adults.

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Leaders have constructed and implemented an effective personal, social and health education (PSHE). They ensure that pupils’ physical and mental well-being are prioritised. Parents and carers value the nurture and care shown to their children.

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Pupils have lots of chances to develop their personal skills beyond the classroom. They participate in after-school clubs, such as football, sewing and homework club. They develop leadership skills, as a school council representative or as head boy and girl. Pupils learn to be respectful and responsible from the very start.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff are deeply committed to keeping pupils safe. They know exactly when and how to report concerns. Leaders check staff are safe to work with pupils and ensure that everyone is well trained. Increased capacity in the safeguarding team has enabled leaders to act swiftly to address concerns. They work effectively with external agencies to get help for vulnerable pupils.

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Safeguarding

Through the PSHE curriculum, pupils learn how to keep themselves safe. They learn about healthy relationships and about what makes a good friend. From an early age, 30 and 31 March 2022

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pupils are taught what to do if a situation or someone makes them feel uncomfortable or unsafe.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 While the curriculum is well planned and sequenced, its implementation in a few subject areas is not consistently strong across the school. This is partly due to the pandemic, but also because of teachers’ subject knowledge. It means that some pupils do not make as much progress as they might. Leaders should continue to provide training for staff in how to teach the full range of subjects effectively.  Some staff do not always consider how best to teach each subject so that all pupils, including those with SEND, can access the learning easily. This means that some pupils are unable to develop or apply their skills as well as they might. Leaders should support staff so they can adapt learning appropriately to enable all pupils to learn effectively.  The newly implemented behaviour policy is not yet consistently applied fully in all lessons and situations. This means that some pupils are not helped as well as

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

they could be to manage their behaviour. Leaders should ensure that all staff apply the new behaviour policy consistently.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to 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. 30 and 31 March 2022

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 21 March 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has expanded to two-form entry since the last inspection. Year on year, a new class has been added and new staff appointed. This is the final year of the expansion. The school is now larger than the average-sized primary school.  The school works with one alternative provider. Two pupils currently attend The Primrose Centre full time.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, subject leaders, members of staff and a member of the office team. The lead inspector held a meeting with three governors, including the chair of the governing body. She also had a discussion with two representatives of the local authority. 30 and 31 March 2022

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 Deep dives in reading, English, mathematics, art and history were carried out. For each deep dive, these included discussions about the curriculum with subject leaders, visits to lessons and scrutiny of pupils’ work. Inspectors also met with pupils to discuss their learning in these subjects and listened to pupils read.  A range of documentation was scrutinised, including leaders’ plans to improve the school and the school website. Minutes of governing body meetings were also checked.  When inspecting safeguarding, inspectors considered the school’s procedures for recruiting staff, the quality of staff training and the school’s procedures for keeping pupils safe.  Inspectors spoke to parents on both mornings of the inspection. The lead inspector considered responses, including free-text comments, to Ofsted Parent View, the online questionnaire.  Inspectors considered the responses to the staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Nicola Harwood, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Susan Hughes Ofsted Inspector 30 and 31 March 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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