St Cuthbert's RC Junior and Infant (NC) School

Inspection of a good school: St Cuthbert’s RC Junior and Infant (NC) School Gumbleberrys Close, Off Cotterills Lane, Stechford, Birmingham, West Midlands B8 2PS

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Inspection dates: 23 and 24 November 2022

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Outcome

St Cuthbert’s RC Junior and Infant (NC) School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy their learning and play at St Cuthbert’s. They look out for one another. Staff care for all pupils. Pupils and staff feel a strong sense of belonging to the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils live and breathe the school’s values. In lessons and around school, pupils show care and respect for themselves, their classmates and staff. Pupils refer to valuing everyone, no matter what their background. They understand what it is like to live in a diverse society. Through their studies, pupils learn about different faiths, cultures and relationships. In lessons and in assemblies, pupils and staff celebrate diversity.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils conduct themselves extremely well. They live up to staff’s expectations of behaviour in their day-to-day activities. Pupils do not have concerns about poor behaviour or bullying. They know that they will be kept safe because leaders manage behaviour and deal with bullying effectively.

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What is it like to attend this school?

In lessons, pupils are diligent and meet leaders’ high expectations about learning. They want to learn and also support their classmates with their learning. Pupils willingly share their ideas, knowing that others will listen to what they have to say. The effective curriculum enables pupils to achieve well.

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

Leaders think carefully about what they want pupils to learn. They strive to ensure that pupils understand what it is like to live in a global society. Leaders have set out what pupils should learn and when. Children begin building the essential skills and knowledge they need in early years. This stands them in good stead for their later learning in different subjects. 23 and 24 November 2022

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Teachers teach the curriculum well. They plan work that interests and challenges pupils. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), work hard in lessons, sustaining their concentration. They show positive attitudes towards their studies. Pupils are not distracted from their learning.

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Teachers know what they want pupils to learn in each unit of study. Most of the time, pupils learn what has been taught. When pupils remember content covered, they make good progress in their learning. However, teachers do not systematically check how well pupils retain information. This restricts the progress that pupils make because teachers do not identify and address gaps in pupils’ knowledge.

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Leaders recognise the importance of early reading provision. When children join early years, staff make sure that they learn phonics. Pupils are given time to practise their reading skills. This helps them to read with greater fluency. Teachers and teaching assistants support groups of pupils well by showing them how to sound out and blend sounds together. Staff carefully check each pupil’s progress in early reading. Pupils in danger of falling behind are quickly identified. They receive extra support from staff that helps them to embed knowledge of sounds.

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Pupils enjoy reading. Staff in all year groups encourage pupils to develop a love of reading. They do this by selecting reading material that interests pupils. Pupils enjoy the storylines of books that staff read to them in each class. Pupils learn new reading skills and how to write accurately using increasingly complex grammar and punctuation. Teachers use a range of skills and resources to support pupils well.

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Pupils benefit from learning in a school where staff promote values of respect, tolerance and compassion. Staff encourage pupils to reflect on their learning by asking them to recall and discuss their experiences. From early years through to Year 6, pupils learn about, and reflect on, world and cultural events, such as the celebration of Diwali. Pupils consider their school’s values when talking about current conflicts and world events.

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Senior leaders have effective systems in place to identify pupils who need extra help. Additional support is quickly put in place. Pupils with SEND learn well. Senior leaders make sure that subject leaders know how their subjects are taught in early years. This helps them to plan what is taught from Year 1 through to Year 6.

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Leaders oversee the continuing development at St Cuthbert’s well. Governors ensure that staff, including the headteacher, have a reasonable workload. Staff recognise that leaders want them to enjoy positive well-being. Governors ensure that staff promote compassion and care in their day-to-day work with pupils and parents and carers.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Safeguarding leaders have good knowledge and experience of arrangements to keep pupils safe. They use this knowledge to work well with safeguarding partners, particularly in respect of those pupils at risk. Well-trained staff know what to look out for. This helps 23 and 24 November 2022

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them to identify any pupil who might be at risk. However, leaders have not ensured that written evidence and information are recorded clearly and precisely enough.

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Pupils learn about healthy relationships. They link this learning to the school’s values of respect and celebrating diversity. Pupils know how to keep safe when learning and playing online. A vigilant safeguarding culture is evident at St Cuthbert’s.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Occasionally, teachers do not check closely enough what pupils have remembered from their previous learning. As a result, some pupils have gaps in their knowledge. Teachers should check carefully that pupils can recall and use skills and knowledge from previous learning as they progress through units of study.  Sometimes, staff do not write with sufficient precision when recording safeguarding incidents. This weakens the accuracy of record-keeping. Leaders should check that staff write safeguarding information accurately and in detail.

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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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in November 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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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school. 23 and 24 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. 23 and 24 November 2022

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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Date of previous inspection

12 January 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This Roman Catholic primary school is part of the Archdiocese of Birmingham. The most recent section 48 inspection of the school’s religious character took place in March 2014. The next inspection will usually be within eight years of the previous section 48 inspection.  Currently, no pupils attend alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first inspection the school had 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 met with the headteacher and senior leaders. He also met with seven members of the governing body, including the chair.  The inspector met with representatives from the local authority and the diocese.  The inspector carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspector met with subject leaders, visited lessons, spoke with teachers 23 and 24 November 2022

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and pupils and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Pupils were observed reading to members of staff. Other subjects were considered as part of the inspection.  The inspector checked the arrangements for keeping pupils safe. He reviewed a range of documentation and spoke with leaders, staff and pupils about the school’s safeguarding arrangements.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school. He spoke with pupils about their experiences in school, including how safe they feel.  The inspector spoke to staff about their workload and well-being.  The inspector considered the views of parents through Ofsted Parent View, an online survey. The inspector considered the views of staff and pupils through surveys and discussions.  The inspector reviewed a range of documents shared by school leaders. This included external reviews and attendance and behaviour information.

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Inspection team

Jeremy Bird, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 23 and 24 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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