St Joseph the Worker RC Primary School

Inspection of a good school: St Joseph the Worker RC Primary School Cutnook Lane, Irlam, Salford, Greater Manchester M44 6GX

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Outcome

St Joseph the Worker RC Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy every aspect of school. They feel happy, valued and safe. Parents and carers have trust in staff to keep their children safe from harm. Pupils know that if they do have any concerns, adults in the school are ready to listen and help.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and teachers expect all pupils to work hard and achieve well. Pupils respond positively to these high expectations. They succeed and take pride in their work. In class, they listen with rapt attention when teachers explain work, give instructions or read stories. Pupils enjoy working together cooperatively in groups or pairs to discuss their ideas and help each other to improve their knowledge.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils live up to leaders’ expectation that they will be ‘kind, caring, polite and friendly’. If bullying occurs, teachers are quick to deal with issues, so that it does not happen again.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff give pupils many opportunities to take on responsibility. Roles such as being digital champions and members of the school council ensure that pupils contribute actively to the life of the school and that leaders take their opinions into consideration.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of the school’s important place in the life of the local community. They enjoy learning about the area’s rich culture and history. In this way, teachers and leaders develop in them a strong sense of belonging.

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

Leaders have worked with governors and staff to develop a curriculum which is set out in a logical order from the early years to Year 6. They are ambitious for all pupils, including those who are disadvantaged or have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to develop important new knowledge while at the school.

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

In the early years, staff make sure that children settle quickly and begin to develop the skills and routines that ensure that they make a good start to their further learning in Year 21 to 22 June 2022

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1. Staff have created an environment in which children have frequent opportunities to develop their knowledge of language and mathematical concepts alongside other areas of learning, such as knowledge of the world.

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Teachers are confident in teaching subjects in the way that leaders expect. They make links between learning across a series of lessons particularly well, so that activities build on each other and help pupils to make progress through the curriculum. In most subjects, pupils achieve well. Teachers quickly identify the learning needs of pupils with SEND and put in place effective strategies to ensure that they achieve as well as they can.

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In some subjects, teachers routinely revisit what pupils have learned in previous years and build on their knowledge. However, this is not the case in other subjects. Although pupils remember what they have learned recently, they have difficulty recalling knowledge that they gained earlier in their school career.

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Leaders ensure that reading is central to pupils’ learning in school. Staff and pupils celebrate and enjoy reading in many worthwhile ways. Pupils read widely from the vast range of books available in the school’s multiple libraries. A typical pupil comment was ‘There are so many books in our libraries that there is always something new and exciting to choose.’

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Leaders have established an effective curriculum for phonics and early reading. From the start of the Reception Year, children enthusiastically and confidently explore letter sounds and patterns. As they move into Years 1 and 2, they learn to read fluently, accurately and with confidence. Teachers and teaching assistants are well trained in early reading. Those pupils who fall behind are swiftly identified and helped to catch up. A strong consistency in teaching approaches and routines helps pupils to move easily between groups after regular formal and informal assessments of their learning.

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Staff feel supported and valued by leaders. They said that through a period of many changes to the school, including the disruptive impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, leaders have put in place strategies to make sure that workload is not unmanageable.

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Children in the early years, and pupils in the rest of the school, behave well. Learning is rarely disrupted by poor behaviour. Pupils are encouraged to develop as rounded individuals with a mature understanding of their roles and responsibilities in the world. They enjoy learning about cultures, religions and lifestyles which are different from their own. They are well prepared for the next stage in their education.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is a strong culture of safeguarding in the school. Leaders’ systems to manage safeguarding issues are comprehensive, well devised and well managed. Staff at all levels and governors, undertake regular training. They know how to spot if a pupil may be at risk of physical or emotional harm. Staff carry out and record all safeguarding procedures with attention to detail. They work well with parents and external agencies to ensure that 21 to 22 June 2022

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pupils quickly receive the help that they need. Staff make sure that pupils are safe at school. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe from harm, including on the internet.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, pupils do not remember enough of what they have learned at school in the past. Leaders should ensure that teachers systematically revisit previous knowledge, so that pupils remember more of what they have learned 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 May 2017.

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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. 21 to 22 June 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10226292 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 Antoinette Doyle

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School details

Date of previous inspection 10 May 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 School leaders do not use alternative providers.  The school is a Roman Catholic voluntary-aided school. The last statutory inspection under section 48 of the Education Act 2005 took place 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 her evaluation of the school.  During the inspection, the inspector spoke with pupils about their work and wider school life. She spoke with members of the governing body, a representative of the local authority, a representative of the Diocese of Salford, the headteacher, senior leaders and members of staff.  The inspector reviewed a range of documentation, including information about safeguarding and checks undertaken on newly appointed staff. 21 to 22 June 2022

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 The inspector reviewed leaders’ evaluation of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, as well as responses to Ofsted’s online survey for school staff and pupils  The inspector conducted deep dives in these subjects: early reading, geography and history. For each deep dive, she discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with some pupils and teachers about learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. She also listened to some pupils read to a member of the teaching staff. The inspector spoke with leaders, teachers and pupils about the curriculum and their learning in other subjects. She looked at samples of pupils’ work from some other subjects.

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Inspection team

Liz Kelly, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 21 to 22 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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