St Paul's Catholic Primary School

Inspection of a good school: St Paul’s Catholic Primary School Turner Lane, Hyde, Cheshire SK14 4AG

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Outcome

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

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy at St Paul’s Catholic Primary School. They have extensive grounds and spacious classrooms in which to play and learn. Staff have high expectations of what pupils can and should achieve. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils achieve well across all subjects. Children in the early years are well prepared for the demands of Year 1.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are enthusiastic about books and reading. Year 6 pupils spoke with passion about a range of fiction and non-fiction books. They are articulate and spoke with pride about their reading and their wider schoolwork.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are keen to take on responsibilities around the school. For example, older pupils enjoy working weekly with their buddies in the Reception Year. Pupils learn from a range of activities through the personal development curriculum. They respect others for their differences, such as different faiths and beliefs.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe. They learn how to play and learn safely when they are online. Staff have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Pupils behave well in class and around the school. They can concentrate on their work with little disruption. Incidents of bullying are rare. When bullying does occur, staff will deal with it effectively. Staff take appropriate action to prevent and follow up on any name-calling, racism or homophobia.

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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. They have thought carefully about the essential knowledge that children and pupils must learn and how this builds from the Nursery class through to Year 6. Pupils with SEND cover the same content as the rest of the pupils. Teachers make suitable adaptations to their delivery of the curriculum for pupils with SEND so that these pupils can join in learning with their peers. 2 and 3 November 2022

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Teachers cover the content of the national curriculum securely. Teachers make effective use of resources to explain new content to pupils. In the main, the curriculum develops pupils’ knowledge and skills well.

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Teachers assess pupils’ learning well, including in the early years. They make sure that pupils understand what they have already learned before moving on to the next topic or concept. In some cases, teachers appropriately repeat content when they know pupils did not fully understand. Teachers address pupils’ misconceptions well. Most pupils have a strong recall of the many things that teachers have taught them.

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Despite the many strengths in the curriculum, from time to time, teachers do not design activities to deliver new concepts in sufficient depth. On occasions, this hampers pupils’ understanding of some concepts and ideas. Sometimes, a few pupils struggle to readily remember some key knowledge. Nevertheless, overall, pupils achieve well. Most pupils are ready for the next stage in their education.

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Leaders prioritise reading. They see it as crucial to unlocking the rest of the curriculum. Teachers introduce children in the Nursery class to loving and understanding books. They teach the mechanics of reading from the start of the Reception Year. Pupils across the school read widely and often. They talk with confidence about books and authors. Books and libraries are well maintained. Staff assess pupils’ reading knowledge frequently. Staff use their expertise to help pupils to keep up or catch up with their phonics.

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Teachers have accurately identified those pupils with SEND. Some pupils with SEND benefit from specialist resources and others from extra support. A few pupils with SEND struggle to read fluently and with expression. However, by the end of Year 2, most of these pupils have successfully caught up with the rest of the class.

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Children in the Nursery class settle and follow routines and instructions well. Pupils across the school concentrate well on their activities. They take pride in their learning. Pupils respond well to teachers’ questions and feedback. There is little disruption in class.

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The school promotes diversity well. Pupils learn about people of different genders, sexualities, ethnicities and disabilities. Leaders have planned exciting field trips and visits to museums and galleries to complement the curriculum. Pupils have the chance to play sports and attend clubs outside of school. Pupils’ spiritual, social, moral and cultural development is strong.

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Leaders use effective systems to train staff and develop staff’s expertise. Leaders support teachers new to teaching and new to the school to settle quickly. Governors have an accurate understanding of the quality of education that pupils receive. Governors challenge and support leaders well. Leaders make sure that staff’s workload is manageable. They look after staff’s well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 2 and 3 November 2022

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Leaders ensure that there are effective procedures in place to train staff about how to protect pupils from harm. This includes staff who are new to the school and new to teaching. Leaders update staff’s knowledge of safeguarding throughout the year. Staff are knowledgeable in how to recognise the potential risks that pupils and their families may face.

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Staff work well with other professionals and agencies to safeguard pupils. They are open to advice from the police, medical professionals, social services and other external agencies. Staff act in a timely manner to safeguard pupils and their families.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 On occasions, teachers do not design learning activities to deliver new topics and concepts in sufficient depth. This hinders some pupils from learning all that they should. Leaders should ensure that teachers cover the curriculum in sufficient depth to enable pupils to build a secure body of subject knowledge.

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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 an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in April 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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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school. 2 and 3 November 2022

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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. 2 and 3 November 2022

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.st-pauls-hyde.tameside.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 25 to 26 April 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 St Paul’s is a Roman Catholic primary school in the Diocese of Shrewsbury. The last section 48 inspection took place in November 2017.  Leaders do not make use of alternative provision.

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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 spoke with a representative of the local authority, a representative of the diocese and with a school improvement professional.  The inspector spoke with a large group of governors. He also spoke with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher and several teachers who are leaders of subjects. The inspector spoke with the special educational needs coordinator.  The inspector took account of the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free- text responses, and the responses to Ofsted’s pupil and staff surveys. 2 and 3 November 2022

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 The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: art and design, mathematics and early reading. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector also spoke to leaders about the curriculum in some other subjects.  To check the quality of safeguarding, the inspector held a discussion with the headteacher and staff, spoke to pupils and checked documents.

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Inspection team

Allan Torr, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 2 and 3 November 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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