St Bridget's Catholic Primary School

Inspection of St Bridget’s Catholic Primary School Capesthorne Road, Poulton-with-Fearnhead, Warrington, Cheshire WA2 0ER

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Inspection dates: 15 and 16 February 2023

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 15 and 16 February 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy at school. They feel included at St. Bridget’s Catholic Primary School. Staff expect pupils to achieve well. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils enjoy learning and they work hard in lessons. Pupils achieve well in most subjects.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff foster strong relationships with pupils. Pupils feel confident to reach out to adults if they have a problem. Staff deal with bullying effectively. This helps pupils to feel safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn about different cultures. They understand the importance of being tolerant and respectful of one another. Pupils are proud of the different cultures represented within their school community. They embrace diversity.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Overall, pupils behave with maturity around the school. Children begin to learn the expectations and school routines as soon as they start in the Reception class. Pupils enjoy lunchtimes because there are lots of games that they can play.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Older pupils appreciate the many opportunities to be role models for younger pupils. For example, pupils in Year 6 act as buddies for children in the Reception class. They benefit from going on trips to places of interest, such as museums and art galleries. Pupils also enjoy going on residential visits, where they take part in activities such as caving and canoeing.

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better?

Leaders have successfully addressed the areas for improvement from the previous inspection. They have raised their aspirations for what pupils can and should achieve. Leaders and governors have ensured that pupils benefit from a consistently strong quality of education.

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better?

Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum for pupils in key stages 1 and 2. The curriculum in the early years is equally ambitious. This enables children to flourish. Overall, pupils learn well across the curriculum. Children in the early years are well prepared for all that Year 1 has to offer.

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better?

Leaders make sure that the curriculum is accessible to all pupils, including those with SEND. Pupils with SEND develop a secure body of subject knowledge. Leaders have implemented appropriate strategies for identifying and assessing pupils with SEND. They make sure that these pupils achieve as well as others in the school. 15 and 16 February 2023

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In most subjects, leaders have made sure that they have identified the most important information that pupils should learn. They have successfully organised the curriculum so that most pupils build on what they already know and can do. For example, in art and design, pupils learn how to block print with repeated patterns in key stage 1. In key stage 2, they develop their knowledge further by learning about relief printing. Nevertheless, in a very small number of subjects, the curriculum design is at an earlier stage. The key knowledge that pupils should learn is less well defined. Consequently, some pupils do not learn all that they could in these subjects.

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Teachers use well-thought-out strategies to check that pupils remember what they have learned. They make appropriate use of assessment information to adapt the delivery of the curriculum to provide timely extra help to those who need it. Teachers address pupils’ misconceptions quickly and effectively.

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Leaders prioritise teaching pupils to read as soon as they start school. Leaders have successfully introduced a new phonics curriculum. Teachers have been trained to deliver the phonics programme so that it is implemented consistently well. Staff quickly identify any pupils who are struggling to learn to read and make sure that they quickly receive extra help. This is so that they can become confident and fluent readers. Pupils practise reading the sounds that they have learned with books that match the sounds that they know. Pupils said that they enjoy reading. They can talk in-depth about their favourite books and authors.

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Pupils typically behave well. They listen to teachers and try their best. Children in the early years settle into school well. This is because staff make sure that the learning environment is calm and well organised. Leaders take appropriate actions to make sure that all pupils attend school regularly.

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Leaders think carefully about the opportunities that they provide to support pupils’ wider personal development. Pupils can take on roles such as being play leaders and anti-bullying ambassadors. They said that they make a positive contribution to the school by carrying out these roles. Pupils benefit from a wide range of clubs, such as gardening, choir and yoga.

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The parents and carers who spoke with inspectors were positive about the school. They said that staff are approachable and helpful.

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Governors know the school well and provide effective support and challenge. They have a clear and ambitious vision for the school. Staff said that leaders are considerate of their workload. Staff are proud to work at the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 15 and 16 February 2023

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Staff know pupils and families very well. Adults are well trained in the school’s safeguarding procedures. This means that they can quickly identify those pupils who need extra help and support. Staff provide support in a timely manner and seek additional help from external agencies, when necessary.

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Pupils learn how to keep safe. They learn about keeping safe online, the risks associated with taking drugs, fire safety, road safety and water safety. Leaders invite visitors into school to talk to pupils about these issues, such as police community support officers.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a very small number of subjects, leaders have not decided the most important information that pupils should learn. This means that some pupils do not develop a sufficiently deep and rich body of subject knowledge in these curriculum areas. Leaders should refine their curriculum thinking in these remaining subjects so that pupils learn all the important information that they should.

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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. 15 and 16 February 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10268359 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.stbridgetscatholicprimaryschool.co. uk/ Date of previous inspection 15 to 16 October 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Leaders do not make use of alternative provision.  The governing body oversees the before-school club.  The school is part of the Archdiocese of Liverpool. The last section 48 inspection took place in February 2017.

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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 that 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.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, other leaders, staff and members of the governing body. The lead inspector also spoke to a representative of the local authority and the Archdiocese of Liverpool. 15 and 16 February 2023

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, geography and art and design. For each deep dive, inspectors 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. Inspectors also heard pupils from Year 1 to Year 3 read.  Inspectors also spoke to leaders about the curriculum in some other subjects.  Inspectors talked with pupils in meetings and around the school at breaktimes and lunchtimes.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free- text responses. Inspectors also reviewed the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for pupils and Ofsted’s online survey for staff.  Inspectors looked at the documentation provided by leaders, including the school improvement plan and school self-evaluation. They also reviewed minutes from

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meetings of the governing body, and a range of documentation relating to pupils’ attendance and behaviour.  Inspectors checked the arrangements for keeping pupils safe. They looked at a range of documentation and spoke to leaders and staff. Inspectors also spoke to pupils about whether they feel safe in school.

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Inspection team

Collette Mather, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Alison Lawson Ofsted Inspector 15 and 16 February 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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