St George's Catholic Primary School

Inspection of a good school: St George's Catholic Primary School Dennett Close, Maghull, Liverpool, Merseyside L31 5PD

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Inspection dates: 24 and 25 January 2023

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Outcome

St George's Catholic Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

St George’s pupils enjoy school. They like to socialise with their friends during breakfast club. Pupils also like to share their ideas and learn new things. They are polite, respectful and welcoming to visitors. Pupils are happy and safe at school. They know that they can speak with any member of staff if something is worrying them. Leaders make sure that any incidents of bullying are dealt with swiftly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils understand British values, including those of tolerance and individual liberty. They are passionate about the environment. They recently planted trees as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy initiative.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are active citizens. They share their views in different ways, including through the eco-council. Pupils like to sing in the community. They raise money for different good causes, including food banks and shoebox appeals. Pupils engage in sports and playing musical instruments. They often visit museums and local places of interest, such as an aquarium.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils respond well to leaders’ high expectations of their behaviour and achievement. This helps to ensure that most pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve well in a wide range of subjects. Children in the early years also learn well.

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

The curriculum is ambitious for all pupils, including those with SEND and children in the early years. Leaders have thought carefully about the content of the curriculum and the order in which each subject should be taught. Teachers help pupils to become confident readers and critical thinkers.

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

Subject leaders make sure that teachers are implementing the curriculum effectively. Teachers are trained well. Typically, they check how well pupils are learning. Staff also 24 and 25 January 2023

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check whether pupils are enhancing their resilience, extending their vocabulary and developing their fluency in reading and mathematics. Across the curriculum, teachers’ checks help them to develop future learning, and to support pupils at risk of falling behind their peers.

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Pupils achieve especially well in reading. However, there was a dip in standards in some subjects at the end of Year 6 in 2022. Leaders anticipated this dip and supported pupils in this year-group well. As a result, most pupils were ready for their learning in high school. Current pupils, including those in Year 6, are learning well in a wide range of subjects.

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Leaders have developed a strong culture of reading in the school. Pupils who find reading difficult do not give up. Just like their peers, they read aloud in character, and with good comprehension. Pupils who were heard to read commented that they like to ‘get lost in a good book’.

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Children in the Nursery class relish story time. Typically, they enjoy sounding out words and repeating nursery rhymes. Children in the Reception class respond well to phonics. Skilled staff implement the phonics and early reading curriculums well. As a result, pupils, and children in the early years, develop their reading fluency quickly. Pupils at risk of falling behind with their reading are well supported. As a result, they are developing the skills that they need to become confident readers.

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Leaders ensure that pupils with SEND are identified quickly. They work with staff, and different external specialists, to make sure that pupils with SEND get the help that they need promptly. This means that pupils with SEND have access to the same curriculum as their peers. Due to leaders’ considered approach, pupils engage in learning and achieve their potential.

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Pupils, and children in the early years, behave well. Their mature and responsible behaviour helps to ensure that lessons usually run smoothly and without disruption.

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Leaders develop most aspects of pupils’ personal development appropriately. For example, opportunities are available for pupils to develop their leadership skills as school council members and as ‘spirit squad’ representatives. Pupils know that a healthy mind and body are essential to their physical and emotional well-being. Pupils enjoy engaging in sports, including football and basketball, and playing different musical instruments, such as the ukulele and glockenspiel. However, some pupils do not make the best use of the current range of enrichment activities on offer. This limits opportunities for these pupils to develop their talents and pursue their interests.

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Staff describe leaders as ‘highly approachable’. Those who spoke with the inspector said that they are not burdened with unnecessary work. Staff also said that leaders are mindful of their mental health and well-being.

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Governors know which areas of the curriculum are strongest. They also know what needs to improve. Most parents and carers are positive about the school. They are of the view that their children are happy, safe and learning well. 24 and 25 January 2023

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Governors and leaders ensure that staff follow the school’s rigorous safeguarding policies and procedures. Leaders frequently brief staff on matters relating to pupils’ safety. Leaders also make certain that staff are familiar with the government’s current guidelines on keeping pupils safe in education.

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Safeguarding

Staff know how to spot concerns about pupils’ welfare. If staff are worried about a pupil, they report their concerns quickly. Leaders work with different specialists to ensure that, when needed, pupils get the help that they need promptly.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn about how to keep themselves safe. For example, they are taught about how to use the internet, and electronic devices, responsibly.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders do not promote some aspects of pupils’ personal development as well as they should. As a result, some pupils do not have enough opportunities to develop further their talents and pursue their interests. Leaders should ensure that they encourage these pupils to participate in a broader range of experiences.

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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 April 2013. 24 and 25 January 2023

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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.

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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. 24 and 25 January 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10256148 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 31 October 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Leaders do not make use of alternative provision.  The school is a voluntary-aided Roman Catholic school. The last section 48 inspection was carried out in January 2018.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection of the school 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 held meetings with the headteacher and assistant headteachers to discuss provision for pupils with SEND, attendance and pupils’ behaviour, welfare and personal development.  The inspector met with five governors. He also met with a representative from the Archdiocese of Liverpool. The inspector held a telephone conversation with a representative from the local authority.  The inspector carried out deep dives into these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, he discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, 24 and 25 January 2023

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visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector met with pupils to discuss their learning in some other subjects. He spoke with staff about their workload and well-being.  The inspector met with parents and reviewed the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. He reviewed the responses to Ofsted’s staff and pupil surveys.  The inspector spoke to safeguarding leaders about the reporting and recording of safeguarding incidents. He talked with pupils about their safety and welfare. He examined a range of policies and documents relating to safeguarding, including the school’s safeguarding policy.

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Inspection team

Lenford White, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 24 and 25 January 2023

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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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