St Peter's RC Primary School

Inspection of a good school: St Peter’s RC Primary School Brentford Avenue, Whitleigh, Plymouth, Devon PL5 4HD

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Outcome

St Peter’s RC Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

St Peter’s is the hub of the community. Pupils are happy and enjoy coming to school. Staff set high expectations and model what these look like in all that they do. Staff, parents and pupils work in harmony to achieve the best possible outcomes for pupils. Often, pupils join the school who have not been successful in other settings. These pupils settle quickly and achieve well. All parents who completed Ofsted’s survey would recommend the school. Many parents comment that ‘St Peter’s is a lovely family.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders prioritise pupils’ personal development. A core feature of the curriculum is for pupils to learn about the world beyond Plymouth. Leaders ensure that pupils understand the challenges that society faces today. Leaders provide pupils with opportunities to play their part in tackling these challenges. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ behaviour during learning and social times is very positive. Older pupils say that bullying was a problem in the past. They are confident that this is no longer the case. Pupils feel safe in school. One pupil told inspectors, ‘No matter what the situation, adults will always help you.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff have put together a wide range of extra-curricular clubs. Pupils participate in and appreciate these opportunities. They enjoy being part of wider school life.

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

The headteacher arrived during the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time, leaders and staff got to grips with improving the quality of education further. They are conscientious and continue to make effective adaptations to the curriculum. This is because they want the best possible outcomes for all pupils.

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

Pupils enjoy their learning and display positive attitudes when in lessons. Leaders recognise that the implementation of the curriculum in some subjects is more developed 21 March 2023

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than it is in others. For example, leaders have not considered well enough how assessment can be used to identify what pupils know. This means that teachers do not know how well pupils have understood the curriculum in these subjects.

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Staff teach an ambitious curriculum that starts in the early years. They ensure that all pupils follow the curriculum successfully. In most subjects, teachers use their strong subject knowledge well. Teachers provide bespoke support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Teachers scaffold tasks effectively and use resources well to support pupils’ understanding. As a result, pupils with SEND learn well. Inclusivity is at the heart of leaders’ vision for the school.

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Leaders place great emphasis on ensuring that pupils learn to read confidently. The teaching of early reading is effective. All staff are well trained. Children in the Reception class get off to a strong start. They particularly enjoy their ‘guest reader Tuesday,’ where a member of staff reads to them. This builds pupils’ familiarity with all adults who work at the school. Teachers make regular checks to ensure that pupils have remembered new phonic sounds. Any pupil who needs to catch up does so quickly. However, the curriculum does not develop pupils’ comprehension skills well enough, particularly in key stage 2.

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Pupils’ personal development is a strength of the school. Pupils have many different opportunities to develop into well-rounded citizens. For example, pupils take part in an ‘intergenerational project’, supporting elderly citizens in the community. They have done much work locally and globally, such as supporting the local foodbank and a community kitchen. Pupils collect and send supplies to families affected by war.

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The school’s approach to personal, social and health education (PSHE) is well considered. Pupils know how to stay healthy and safe, including when using the internet. They learn about different types of relationships in a way that is appropriate to their ages.

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Staff are extremely committed to the school. They told inspectors, ‘We are a family and we look after each other like a family.’ Staff are very positive and are proud to work at St Peter’s. A strong sense of collective responsibility permeates the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Ongoing safeguarding training makes sure that staff receive up-to-date knowledge. Staff know what to do if they have a concern about a pupil. They understand the important role they have in keeping children safe.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn how to stay safe through the school’s curriculum. Leaders ensure that families that need support receive it in a timely manner. They work well with other agencies.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure appropriate checks are made when recruiting staff. Pupils say that they feel safe. This view is supported by parents. 21 March 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 There are inconsistencies in leaders’ approach to assessment. In some subjects, systems for checking what pupils know and remember are not precise enough. This leads to some pupils having gaps in their knowledge of the curriculum. Senior leaders need to ensure that teachers use what they know from assessment to plan the curriculum more precisely.  Pupils in key stage 2 do not develop strong comprehension skills and knowledge. Consequently, some pupils do not read as well as they could. Leaders need to ensure that the approach to reading is effective in improving older pupils’ reading ability.

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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 predecessor school, St Peter’s RC Primary School, to be good in February 2010.

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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 March 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10211200 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection 17 January 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher was appointed in September 2021.  The school is part of Plymouth CAST multi-academy trust.  The school does not use any alternative education provision.  The school received its last section 48 inspection of church schools in March 2015. The school has been notified that the next inspection will be in March 2023.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection 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 held meetings with the headteacher, trust leaders, curriculum leaders and teaching and support staff.  The lead inspector met with the chair of the local governing body.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, history and mathematics. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at 21 March 2023

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curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning, looked at samples of pupils’ work and listened to pupils read.  Inspectors examined a range of documentation provided by the school, including leaders’ self-evaluation and improvement plans.  Inspectors scrutinised safeguarding records, tested staff’s safeguarding knowledge and spoke with pupils. The lead inspector also met with the designated safeguarding leader.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View. Inspectors also took into consideration the responses to the staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Matt Middlemore, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Gary Chown Ofsted Inspector 21 March 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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