St Philip's Catholic Primary School

Inspection of a good school: St Philip’s Catholic Primary School Half Moon Lane, Offerton, Stockport, Cheshire SK2 5LB

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Outcome

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

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending St Philip’s Catholic Primary School. They try hard to live up to the school’s values of respect, rejoice and resilience. These values are at the heart of everything that leaders do.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Adults form strong relationships with pupils. They know all pupils well. Pupils said that adults look after them and that this helps them to feel safe. Pupils understand the different forms that bullying can take. They said that adults deal with any instances of bullying quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy taking on extra responsibilities. Value ambassadors are proud of the contribution that they make to their school, including working with leaders to improve the outdoor environment. Pupils enjoy the wide range of activities available to them at breaktimes and lunchtimes. They said that this makes playtimes fun. Pupils also enjoy the variety of before-and after-school clubs on offer, including baking.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Adults have high expectations for pupils. Most pupils try hard to live up to these expectations. They do their best in lessons. They are polite and courteous. They behave well.

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

Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum for all pupils. Pupils appreciate the many enrichment activities including trips to museums, theatres and visitors to school. These activities help to bring learning to life for pupils. Children get off to a good start in the early years. There is a strong focus on developing children’s early reading and language and communication skills. This prepares them well for Year 1.

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

Pupils achieve well overall. In most subjects, the curriculum sets out a clear order of learning from the early years to Year 6. However, in some subjects, the knowledge that 28 and 29 June 2022

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leaders want pupils to know and remember is not clear enough. This means that teachers are unsure how to deliver learning that builds on what pupils already know.

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Teachers explain concepts and ideas clearly. In most subjects, they revisit earlier learning and make regular checks to ensure that pupils have understood and remembered the most important learning. New learning builds on this. For example, in mathematics pupils are able to apply their knowledge when solving problems. They also have opportunities to explain their reasoning and thinking. This is not true for all subjects. Pupils are sometimes less able to remember their earlier learning because they have not had enough opportunity to revisit, recap and consolidate. This hinders pupils’ progress through the curriculum.

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Leaders have prioritised the teaching of reading. They have invested in new books and developed the school’s library. Pupils said that they love reading. They talked enthusiastically about their favourite authors. Pupils enjoy listening to the stories that their teachers read to them.

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Leaders have made sure that all staff are suitably trained to teach phonics. Pupils benefit from staff’s expertise. They quickly learn the sounds that they need to know. Leaders assess pupils’ phonics knowledge regularly. They use this information to identify any pupils who may have fallen behind with their reading. Leaders ensure that these pupils receive additional support to help them to catch up. Pupils in key stage 2 build on the teaching of phonics and develop their comprehension skills so that they can answer increasingly complex questions about the texts that they read.

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Pupils with SEND achieve well. Teachers identify additional needs quickly. Leaders work closely with external partners, including behaviour support and speech and language therapy, to provide pupils with the help they need. Leaders ensure all adults receive appropriate training so that they can provide tailored support for pupils with SEND.

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Leaders provide effective support for pupils’ personal development. Pupils have a strong awareness of the protected characteristics. They celebrate and respect diversity in the school and the wider community. Pupils behave well. This means that teachers can teach, and pupils can learn, without disruption.

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Governors know the school well. They understand their role and the statutory duties that they must carry out. Governors hold leaders to account and ask challenging questions about leaders’ actions to improve school performance.

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All staff spoken to said that leaders are mindful of their workload. They appreciate the various well-being initiatives. Staff said that leaders are supportive and listen to any concerns that they may have. 28 and 29 June 2022

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff know pupils and their families well. They receive regular training and updates about safeguarding and child protection. All staff understand how to respond if they have any concerns about a pupil’s welfare or safety. Leaders’ detailed records show that all concerns are taken seriously.

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Safeguarding

Leaders work effectively with outside agencies to support pupils and their families and, where appropriate, get them the help that they need. The curriculum helps pupils understand how to keep themselves safe, including when they are online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, leaders have not clarified the specific knowledge that pupils, including children in the early years, need to learn and remember. This means that teachers are not clear about designing learning that builds on what pupils already know. This hinders pupils’ progress. Leaders should ensure that they finalise their curriculum thinking in these subjects so that teachers design learning that helps pupils to know and remember more.  In a small number of subjects, pupils do not have enough opportunities to revisit earlier learning to help them remember the most important subject knowledge. This limits some pupils’ ability to remember subject-specific knowledge and skills. Leaders should ensure that teachers provide pupils with suitable opportunities to consolidate their learning over time.

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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 first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in January 2017. 28 and 29 June 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. 28 and 29 June 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10211292 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 Elizabeth Donegan

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School details

Date of previous inspection 25 and 26 January 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection, a new headteacher has been appointed. There is also a new chair of the governing body.  Leaders do not make use of alternative provision.  The school received its most recent section 48 inspection in March 2018.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection that 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 his evaluation of the school.  The inspector spoke with pupils about their work and school life. He spoke with members of the governing body, the headteacher, senior leaders and members of staff. He also met with parents and carers in the playground before school.  The inspector reviewed a range of documentation, including information about safeguarding and checks undertaken on newly appointed staff. The inspector also spoke to staff about safeguarding and about their workload and well-being. 28 and 29 June 2022

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 The inspector considered responses to Ofsted Parent View and the responses to Ofsted’s online survey of school staff. There were no responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour as they moved around the school, in class, in the dining hall and in the outdoor play areas.  The inspector conducted deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspector held discussions with subject leaders, visited lessons, looked at examples of pupils’ work, met with teachers and spoke with pupils. He met with the art and the design and technology subject leader. The inspector also observed pupils reading to a familiar adult.

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Inspection team

Craig Richardson, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 28 and 29 June 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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