St Edmund's Catholic Primary School

Inspection of a good school: St Edmund’s Catholic Primary School Nelson Road, Whitton, Twickenham TW2 7BB

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Outcome

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

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a happy community where pupils enjoy their learning. They work hard and rise to the challenges that their teachers provide. Pupils trust adults to look after them. They are kept safe at school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders aim for every pupil to be an effective communicator, an active contributor, and an independent learner. Pupils strive to meet adults’ high expectations of them. In most subjects, pupils typically learn well and develop their knowledge securely over time.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils regularly take part in activities which aim to keep them healthy in mind and body. They are supported to become confident, articulate and considerate. Pupils are keen to look after each other well. In rare cases where bullying occurs, adults deal with it promptly and effectively. Pupils learn to reflect on their own behaviour.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff encourage and support pupils to become confident young leaders. Pupils enjoy the many opportunities for them to lead activities. For example, they are trusted by adults to lead collective worship. They also enjoy their responsibilities as school council representatives, prefects, or as eco-warriors.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers appreciate that leaders and staff are approachable. They said that leaders ensure that every pupil is known and encouraged to be their best. They are grateful for the support their children received during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns.

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

Leaders have put a well-thought-out, ambitious curriculum in place. They make sure that learning is carefully ordered. It builds on what pupils already know and can do. For example, children in the early years enthusiastically recreated their experience of planting in pots. Using their knowledge of number, they recalled the order they had done things in. They counted the pots accurately and identified missing numbers in a sequence. 11–12 May 2022

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Teachers use assessments to check pupils’ understanding, identify gaps and address them at the earliest possibility. Leaders support teachers in making adaptations to cater fully for the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). As a result, pupils, including those with SEND, are learning the curriculum well.

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Teachers focus on ensuring that pupils are getting better at learning and using subject- specific vocabulary in most subjects. In mathematics, for example, pupils in Year 4 used their knowledge of fractions and decimals to explore how numbers can be converted into one or the other. In doing so, they used subject-specific terminology well. Pupils in Year 2 were clear about what ‘vertices’ and ‘lines of symmetry’ are when recalling what they know about 3D shapes. However, in some other subjects, pupils’ understanding of key vocabulary is not as strong. Leaders are working to close these gaps in pupils’ learning.

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Leaders are ambitious for all pupils to learn how to read by the end of Year 2. Staff deliver a clear, well-ordered phonics programme from the moment children start in the early years. Staff use a wide range of strategies to help pupils remember their letter sounds and apply them when reading. Pupils who are falling behind in the programme are supported well, enabling them to catch up quickly. Pupils learn to love reading. They get to hear adults in school read to them every day. Older pupils sometimes partner with the younger ones, and they read to each other. Children in the Nursery enjoy reading picture books which they get to choose from their ‘reading shed’.

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Leaders and staff work well together to identify pupils with SEND. They do this through discussions with parents, regular checks on pupils’ learning, and via specialist external advice. Clear plans of support are put in place to ensure that pupils’ needs are met effectively. Adults who deliver specialist programmes receive high-quality training.

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Pupils behave well both in and out of lessons. They are confident when expressing their ideas. They contribute actively to discussions. Disruptions to learning are rare.

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Pupils said that there is something for everyone in this school. They are excited by the many after-school activities on offer. From time to time, pupils will suggest their own list of activities they would like to do. Leaders often act on this, and recent examples include extending the homework club and providing clubs for drama and chess. Leaders support pupils’ mental and emotional health and well-being well. Pupils spoke positively about being able to visit the ‘therapy bus’, where they can go if they want to calm down, have time to think, or to talk to an adult about their feelings.

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Staff are proud to be a part of this school. They see themselves as a team. Staff at all levels feel they are listened to by leaders. They appreciate that leaders are approachable. Leaders are always prepared to make adjustments to ensure that staff workload remains manageable.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 11–12 May 2022

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Leaders and governors ensure that staff have up-to-date safeguarding training. Staff also receive frequent updates on local issues that may pose risks to pupils. Staff are effective at spotting signs which indicate that a pupil might be at risk. Leaders act promptly on any concerns reported to them.

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Checks on the suitability of staff are rigorous, and new staff members must complete safeguarding training and a full induction before they can start work.

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Pupils learn about how to keep themselves safe at home, at school or when online. For instance, leaders have created opportunities within the curriculum for pupils to learn about e-safety, stranger danger, and respecting other pupils’ privacy.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, pupils are not learning new concepts as well as they do in others. This is because the curriculum is not enabling pupils to learn and remember securely some subject-specific terminology. Leaders must ensure that pupils learn and understand subject-specific vocabulary in all curriculum subjects.

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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 June 2012.

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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 . 11–12 May 2022

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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. 11–12 May 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10211444 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Deb Long (co-chair) Clare Jones (co-chair) Headteacher Carmel Moreland

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School details

Date of previous inspection 21 February 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use any alternative providers.

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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 other members of the senior leadership team.  The inspector also met with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, geography, and mathematics. For each deep dive, he spoke with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers and pupils and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Other subjects were considered as part of this inspection.  In inspecting safeguarding, the inspector carried out a scrutiny of the school’s single central record of pre-employment checks as well as other records. The inspector 11–12 May 2022

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considered the views of pupils, parents and staff through discussions and their responses to Ofsted’s surveys.

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Inspection team

Edison David, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 11–12 May 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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