St Urban's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy

Inspection of St Urban’s Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Tongue Lane, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS6 4QD

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Inspection dates: 29 and 30 November 2022

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 29 and 30 November 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, parents, carers and staff are proud to be members of this warm, welcoming school community. Leaders ensure that the school’s Catholic ethos and values of ‘living, learning and growing together’ thread through all aspects of school life. These values are made meaningful to the pupils. Pupils are taught about the character virtues and strengths that can support decision-making, positive relationships and life in the wider world. The very positive relationships between staff and pupils reflect these core values.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations of all pupils. They create a calm and highly positive environment in school, which allows pupils to develop exceptional attitudes and behaviours. When appropriate, skilled adults support pupils to manage their emotions. Pupils know they are cared for and that their teachers believe in them. They feel safe, happy and get on well together. Pupils are considerate of each other in tricky times and work incredibly well together in class and on special projects.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders give considerable emphasis to positive relationships with parents, carers and the community. Parents highlight the support they have received from the school during the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent return to school. Parents value the care that staff give to pupils. This caring approach from all staff is evident in the daily life of the school. The strong links between home and school support pupils to attend well and participate in the wider experiences that the school offers.

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better?

Leaders have reviewed the curriculum and made significant improvements in many subjects. In mathematics, teachers follow a comprehensive curriculum that runs from Reception to Year 6. Pupils use accurate vocabulary to discuss mathematics. Well-trained teachers model mathematical methods well, and pupils enjoy their mathematics a great deal. In subjects such as music and physical education (PE), leaders have thought carefully about what they want pupils to learn. They have ensured that learning builds over time, with well-planned opportunities to recall and revisit learning. For example, leaders have defined the composers and pieces of music they want every pupil to recognise. Pupils revisit this knowledge, and by Year 6 can confidently discuss music from different eras.

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better?

Leaders have improved assessment approaches so that teachers prioritise what pupils have remembered. Teachers check what pupils can recall about their previous learning and that everyone has understood the new knowledge shared in lessons. Pupils find this useful. They like the swift advice they get on making improvements and feel confident to complete tasks. 29 and 30 November 2022

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Leaders are ambitious for all pupils and have built a broad curriculum. In most cases, teachers adapt the work they give to support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Teachers use additional adult support or resources. However, this is not consistently the case, and sometimes teachers do not plan activities that are suitable for pupils with SEND. Pupils with SEND do not grasp new concepts or skills when this happens. Leaders are aware that there is more to do in this area.

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Leaders are determined that all pupils will learn to read. They have adopted a new programme to support reading and are evaluating the impact closely. Children start learning to read soon after joining Reception, and pupils in key stage 1 make strong progress with their phonics knowledge. Pupils enjoy the books and opportunities to read that their teachers plan for them. Many pupils become avid readers and are inspired to write their own mini books, becoming authors themselves. Leaders put in place additional support for pupils who are catching up with their reading knowledge. However, some staff are not able to deliver this as well as leaders have planned. Consequently, pupils who require additional support for their reading are not catching up as quickly as they should.

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The behaviour and attitudes of pupils are exceptional. Leaders have established a culture of calm, kind and thoughtful behaviour. The result is a happy, harmonious school, where pupils rarely need any reminders from staff to get on with the business of the day. They like the school’s approach to noticing good behaviours and how positive behaviours shine out. Pupils have a strong regard for each other, and older pupils told inspectors that ‘we have grown up together’ and know each other well. In lessons, pupils are industrious and keen to learn. They throw themselves into learning, listen attentively to feedback and keep trying to improve. For example, in their music lessons, pupils sing with enthusiasm but pause immediately to listen attentively to their teacher’s advice.

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Leaders have developed a clear aim: to develop the character of all pupils based around the idea of the school ‘virtues’. Pupils describe how their growing knowledge of themselves, their peers and the wider world links to the idea of the virtues. Leaders link what pupils learn in the curriculum to assemblies and the enrichment programme. Pupils develop a strong sense of fairness and an understanding of fundamental British values throughout the school. Leaders ensure that the policy for relationships education develops pupils’ understanding of and respect for different family structures. Through encounters at play time, pupils are building connections with their peers at a local special school and becoming aware of the diversity of society.

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All members of this well-established staff are proud to work at St. Urban’s. They feel supported by leaders and are confident that there is a high regard for their well- being and ongoing professional development. Governors know the school well and are ambitious for the continued development of the school. Trustees have established new systems, which support a high-quality training offer for many subjects. 29 and 30 November 2022

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Safeguarding leaders work closely with families, staff and external agencies to maintain a strong focus on pupils’ safety and welfare. Leaders take rapid action to follow up any concerns over pupils’ safety and take the voice of the child seriously.

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Safeguarding

Staff receive ongoing training so that they are aware of local risks to pupils’ safety. Leaders make sure that staff know the procedures to follow to keep pupils safe. Leaders work closely with safeguarding partners and keep thorough records of any actions taken to help pupils. The well-planned personal, social and health education (PSHE) curriculum develops pupils’ understanding of how to recognise inappropriate behaviours, both online and in daily life. The wider personal development programme develops the confidence of pupils to speak up and express their concerns. Pupils know how to make trusted adults aware if they are worried about themselves or a friend.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 There is variance in how effectively staff are trained to deliver the phonics programme. This inconsistent delivery means that some pupils are not becoming fluent readers as quickly as they should. Leaders should improve staff training to ensure that the phonics programme is delivered consistently well, enabling all pupils to become fluent readers.  Teachers do not consistently make the necessary adaptations to their teaching to enable pupils with SEND to gain the knowledge they need. When these adaptations are not made, this limits what pupils with SEND remember in some areas of the curriculum. Leaders should train teachers on how to make appropriate adaptations to teaching to better meet the needs of pupils with more complex needs.

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How can I feed back my views?

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. 29 and 30 November 2022

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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. 29 and 30 November 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10211889 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 St Urban’s Catholic Primary school joined the St Gregory the Great Multi Academy Trust in 2020, becoming a voluntary academy school. When its predecessor school, St Urban’s Catholic Primary school, was last inspected by Ofsted in 2007, it was judged to be outstanding overall.

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Information about this school

 The last section 48 denominational inspection of the predecessor school took place in June 2018. Inspectors judged the school to be outstanding.

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Information about this school

 The headteacher and deputy headteacher, who were in post before the school became an academy, remain in post.

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Information about this school

 The school does not use 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. 29 and 30 November 2022

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 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and have taken this into account in their evaluation of the school.

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 The inspectors did deep dives in the following subjects: early reading, mathematics, music and PE. The inspector spoke to leaders about the curriculum, visited lessons and met with teachers from the lessons visited. The inspector looked at samples of pupils’ work and spoke to some pupils about their learning.

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 Inspectors listened to a range of pupils from different year groups read.

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 Inspectors met with the special educational needs coordinator, the leader for early years, members of the academy council, as well as members of the Trust board and the chief executive officer of the Trust.

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 Inspectors looked at the single central record of recruitment and vetting checks, and spoke to leaders, teachers, governors, trustees and pupils about safeguarding.

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 Inspectors talked to parents at the start and end of the school day and considered the responses made by parents to the online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View, and free-text responses. The inspector also considered responses to Ofsted’s online staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Gabrielle Reddington, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

David Milligan His Majesty’s Inspector 29 and 30 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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