St Joseph's Stockport Catholic Primary School

Inspection of St Joseph’s Stockport Catholic Primary School Etchells Street, St Petersgate, Stockport, Cheshire SK1 1EF

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Inspection dates: 28 and 29 September 2022

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Good 28 and 29 September 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including children in the early years, enjoy coming to this small school at the heart of the community. They feel safe because of the caring relationships that they form with staff. Pupils explained to inspectors that: ‘School is like being part of a happy family.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils work hard in lessons and play cooperatively with their friends at social times. They understand leaders’ high expectations for their work and conduct. Pupils value the activities on offer at lunchtime. These include dancing, basketball and a movie club.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils explained that leaders do not tolerate bullying of any kind. Pupils understand how to raise concerns using the ‘talk team’ boxes. They trust supportive staff to swiftly resolve any bullying or unkind behaviour.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils can become a school councillor or ‘disciple’. These pupils help younger pupils to quickly settle into school life. Pupils support charities such as the local food bank. Year 6 pupils learn how to manage their finances in the school building society.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are ambitious for pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). However, pupils do not achieve well in several subjects. This is because leaders have not ensured that the curriculum is designed and delivered as well as it should be.

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better?

Leaders have established a broad and balanced curriculum. Some subject curriculums clearly identify in enough detail what pupils, including children in the early years, will learn. These well-designed curriculums help pupils to build new knowledge on what they already know. In these subjects, pupils achieve well. However, in some curriculums, this is not the case. Pupils do not achieve as well as they should. Leaders have not identified the important knowledge that pupils will learn from the early years to Year 6 in enough detail.

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better?

Many subject curriculums have been introduced recently. In some subjects other than English and mathematics, leaders have not checked how well teachers deliver the curriculums. As a result, some teachers do not deliver the curriculums as intended. This slows pupils’ progress in these subjects.

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better?

Teachers check pupils’ learning in lessons. This helps pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, to keep up with the intended curriculum. However, teachers’ checks do not identify the knowledge that pupils have missed or forgotten. This hinders pupils’ progress through the curriculum.

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better?

Leaders involve specialists and use assessment information to identify pupils with SEND. However, some teachers do not consider the needs of pupils with SEND well 28 and 29 September 2022

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enough. These pupils do not progress as well as they should. They do not get the support that they need to access the curriculum effectively.

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Leaders successfully promote a love of reading. Children learn phonics in a systematic way as soon as they start in the Reception Year. Staff deliver the phonics programme well due to high-quality training and ongoing support. Skilled staff quickly identify pupils, including those in key stage 2, who need help to keep up with the reading programme. These pupils receive effective support that helps them to catch up. As a result, many pupils become confident, fluent readers. However, leaders have not ensured that the curriculum identifies how pupils’ knowledge develops over time. This limits pupils’ achievement in reading.

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Pupils behave well around school. They listen carefully to adults and each other. Staff and leaders have established clear and consistent routines. Children in the early years learn to follow these routines quickly.

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Leaders ensure that pupils become responsible young members of society. Pupils respect people from families that are different to their own. Pupils learn how to keep themselves physically fit and about the importance of mental health.

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Staff are proud to work at the school. They reported that leaders are approachable and that their workload is considered carefully.

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Governors act swiftly and decisively to hold leaders to account. Governors have a clear knowledge of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. Leaders and governors understand that there is still work to do. They have established a clear vision that is focused on improving the quality of education.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have ensured that the culture of safeguarding is strong. Staff receive effective training so that they can quickly identify any signs of abuse or neglect. Leaders and staff involve suitable agencies to ensure that pupils and their families get help when required.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have designed a curriculum that helps pupils learn how to stay safe. Pupils learn how to recognise potential dangers when playing and working online, for example when people online may not be who they say they are. Pupils learn about healthy relationships. They trust staff to support them with any situations that make them feel uncomfortable.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some curriculums do not identify in sufficient detail the important knowledge that 28 and 29 September 2022

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pupils, and children in the early years, will learn. This means that in these subjects, pupils do not achieve as well as they should. Leaders should ensure that the curriculums make clear the important knowledge pupils will learn from the early years to Year 6.  Leaders have not ensured that the curriculum outlines in enough detail how pupils’ knowledge, and reading comprehension skills, will develop from the early years to Year 6. This means that some pupils do not progress as quickly as they should. Leaders should ensure that the curriculum clearly identifies the knowledge that pupils will learn from early years to Year 6 and that pupils receive improved opportunities to read across the curriculum.  Many subject curriculums are at an early stage of implementation. Some subject leaders have not had sufficient opportunities to check that teachers deliver these curriculums effectively. This leads to some inconsistencies in how well the

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curriculum is delivered and slows pupils’ progress. Staff are unclear about how well pupils know and remember the curriculum. Leaders should ensure subject leaders receive suitable support to check how well teachers deliver these subject curriculums.  Some teachers do not consider the needs of pupils with SEND well enough when delivering the curriculum. These pupils do not achieve as well as they should because they do not get the right support. Leaders must ensure that the information about pupils’ needs is clear, identifies appropriate additional support and is used effectively by teachers so that these pupils access the curriculum successfully.

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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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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 September 2022

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.st-josephs-pri.stockport.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 13 June 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 There have been significant changes to the leadership of the school since the previous inspection. This includes the appointment of a special educational needs coordinator in September 2022 and a substantive headteacher in April 2022.  Leaders provide before- and after-school care for pupils.  The school’s last section 48 inspection was conducted by the Diocese of Shrewsbury in March 2022.  Leaders do not make use of alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded 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. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 28 and 29 September 2022

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 Inspectors completed deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. They met with subject leaders, visited some lessons, reviewed children’s and pupils’ work and spoke to teachers and pupils. The lead inspector observed pupils reading to a familiar adult.  The lead inspector also met with the leaders for some other subjects. He reviewed pupils’ work and evaluated these curriculums.  Inspectors scrutinised a range of documentation. The lead inspector spoke to senior leaders throughout the inspection.  The lead inspector met with governors, including the chair of the governing body. He also spoke with representatives of the local authority and diocese by telephone.  The lead inspector held meetings with the staff responsible for safeguarding and scrutinised the single central record. Inspectors considered leaders’ safeguarding processes and procedures. They observed children and pupils during lessons and

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social times. Inspectors discussed safeguarding with children and pupils.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free- text comments. They also considered the responses to the staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Adam Sproston, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Tim Sherriff Ofsted Inspector 28 and 29 September 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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