St Edmund's Catholic Primary School

Inspection of a good school: St Edmund’s Catholic Primary School Hertford Road, Edmonton N9 7HJ

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Outcome

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

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils belong to a happy and inclusive school community. They show kindness and respect to others and enjoy school life. Staff build genuine, trusting relationships with pupils and their families. They help pupils to discover and develop their talents and interests.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations for pupils. They want them to achieve their best. Pupils respond well to these expectations. They are inquisitive and eager to learn. In lessons, pupils are attentive and work hard. They enjoy the trips and visits to museums and galleries that enrich their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well. Leaders have established a clear set of routines that pupils know and understand. This is a calm and orderly school where pupils learn how to manage their own behaviour. Bullying is quite rare. When it does happen, leaders deal with it effectively. Pupils are safe here.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have several opportunities to gain new experiences. There are visits to the beach, the cinema and to places of historical interest. In Year 6, pupils go on a residential trip to an activity centre. They benefit from a range of clubs and after-school activities, including choir, sports, dance and coding. Pupils enjoy these aspects of school life.

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

Leaders have designed a broad and well-sequenced curriculum. They are ambitious about what pupils can achieve and the content of the curriculum reflects this. Pupils learn about subjects in increasing depth as they move through the school. They build up their knowledge and subject-specific skills in a logical way. This begins in Reception, where teachers develop children’s language and communication skills. Children also get the basic mathematical knowledge that they need in preparation for Year 1. As pupils move through the school, they learn about people and events that reflect their own backgrounds. This helps them to develop an interest in their learning as well as providing them with valuable role models. 21 and 22 March 2023 Leaders have high aspirations for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They identify their needs well and provide effective extra help for these pupils. Most

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

pupils with SEND access the same curriculum as their peers. Those pupils who are not ready to do so get the specific individual support that they need.

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

Teachers have good subject knowledge. They use this well to present new information to pupils. They check pupils’ understanding regularly and give pupils feedback in lessons. This helps pupils to improve their work. Pupils have positive attitudes to their learning. Teachers do not tolerate low-level disruption in lessons. They are quick to address it should it arise.

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

From the start of Reception, children learn to read using phonics. Many pupils are reading with fluency by the end of Year 1. Those pupils who need extra help with their reading get it. Staff work with them to secure their phonics knowledge. However, further refinement of this support, and phonics teaching generally, would help pupils who fall behind their peers. As pupils reach the end of Year 2, they start to focus more on reading comprehension skills. Pupils build up their vocabulary and develop a range of reading skills. This allows them to explore and find meaning in texts.

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

Leaders understand the importance of reading for pupils’ life chances. They encourage a love of reading in many ways. For example, they choose class reading books that reflect pupils’ lives. Pupils also celebrate World Book Day and enjoy visits from authors.

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

Leaders have developed a comprehensive personal development programme. Teachers teach pupils about key issues in an age-appropriate way. Pupils learn about relationships, physical and mental health, and equality and diversity. Teachers emphasise the importance of pupils valuing themselves and others. Pupils learn about the richness of their local community. They experience culture days and make visits to homes for the elderly and to the local library. They learn what it is to be a global citizen and raise money for charities and world-wide appeals. Pupils can contribute to school life as school councillors and eco committee members too.

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

Leaders have a passion and determination to provide the best possible education for pupils. They are preparing pupils to become kind, caring and active citizens. Governors share leaders’ commitment to pupils’ education and welfare. They fulfil their responsibilities effectively. Staff enjoy working at the school. They feel part of a special community which welcomes all. Leaders prioritise staff workload and well-being. Staff have well-being days and leaders have worked with staff to make assessment of pupils’ learning both meaningful and manageable.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have established a strong culture of safeguarding. They emphasise the overriding importance of safeguarding to staff. Staff are clear about their responsibilities in helping to keep pupils safe. They receive regular training and updates. This ensures that they remain alert to the signs of risk for pupils. Staff report any concerns about pupils swiftly and 21 and 22 March 2023 appropriately. Leaders work well with external agencies to secure the help that pupils need. They also have staff who support pupils’ emotional well-being. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe. Leaders work hard to raise parents’ awareness of the potential risks to their children.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Sometimes, phonics teachers do not give pupils enough time to secure their phonics knowledge before moving on to the next stage of learning. Adults providing one-to-one phonics support do not focus precisely enough on pupils’ specific reading needs. Together, this means that those pupils at the earliest stages of reading do not read with fluency as quickly as they could. Leaders should ensure that teachers and those adults providing one-to-one phonics support adapt their teaching for pupils for whom reading fluency is the most significant need.

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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 June 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.

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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. 21 and 22 March 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10240511 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 22 and 23 June 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school uses no alternative provision.  The school is of the Roman Catholic denomination. It is in the Archdiocese of Westminster. The school’s last section 48 inspection took place in November 2016.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher, members of the leadership team, other school staff, members of the governing body, a representative from the local authority, and a representative from the archdiocese.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, and art and design. For each deep dive, the inspector met with the subject leader, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. 21 and 22 March 2023  The inspector met with the school’s designated safeguarding leads and looked at safeguarding documentation and record-keeping, including the single central record. The inspector also spoke with staff and pupils about safeguarding.  The inspector spoke to an additional group of pupils in relation to personal

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Information about this inspection

development.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey, staff survey, and to the online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View.

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Inspection team

Ian Rawstorne, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 21 and 22 March 2023 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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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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