St Katharine's Church of England Primary School

Inspection of a good school: St Katharine’s Church of England Primary School Rolls Drive, Southbourne, Bournemouth, Dorset BH6 4NA

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Inspection dates: 28 February and 1 March 2023

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Outcome

St Katharine’s Church of England Primary School continues to be a good school. There is enough evidence of improved performance to suggest that the school could be judged outstanding if we were to carry out a graded (section 5) inspection now. The school’s next inspection will be a graded inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

‘Forever Flourishing’ is the school’s ethos, which encourages pupils to always do their best. Pupils live the school’s values of grace, integrity and aspiration every day. They develop their well-being through the school’s ‘head, heart, hands’ approach, while thinking ‘inside out’ promotes their individual spirituality.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There is a buzz about what pupils experience at the school. Leaders are adamant that all pupils will play an active role in school life. Leaders, including governors, are steadfast in ensuring pupils receive a high-quality education. Pupils are proud of being part of the school and are grateful for the opportunities they receive. Leaders encourage pupils to ‘find your thing’ to promote wider experiences and individuality.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have very high expectations for behaviour, and the pupils do not disappoint. Pupils engage well in the classroom, allowing each other to learn. To support playtime behaviour, many older pupils support the youngest in purposeful play. The playground is a hive of activity, with respectful interactions and joyful play. All staff focus on positive recognition when a pupil does the right thing. The headteacher delights in recognising pupils with an award when they do well over time.

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Highly credible leadership, which is ambitious and inspirational, runs through the heart of this school. Staff are overwhelmingly positive about the support they receive from leaders. Staff say leaders enable them to focus on what they want pupils to learn and experience, including how this is delivered. Pupils learn individual subjects and build progressively towards aspirational outcomes by the time they leave. More than that, leaders, including governors, are determined that pupils leave as fully rounded individuals, ready for the next step in their lives.

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Leaders prioritise reading so that pupils learn to read as soon as they start at the school. No time is wasted. Teachers are skilled to teach whole-class phonics effectively. Appropriate support is in place for pupils who are finding reading difficult. They are given plenty of opportunity to practise. However, a minority of support staff do not confidently support pupils to read well. Older pupils develop into tenacious readers and stick with the books they choose. They speak maturely about the quality texts used in class, which develops their comprehension skills, as well as those they simply enjoy hearing being read to them.

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Pupils remember what they have learned. For example, in Reception Year, pupils learn about how shadows can change size while being introduced to the term ‘experimenting’. Year 3 pupils learn terminology such as ‘evidence’, ‘archaeology’, ‘invasion’ and ‘excavating’. This develops further as pupils in Year 6 discuss with clarity the meaning of the term ‘propaganda’. Year 6 pupils also discuss how facts around the D-Day landings can be interpreted positively by both sides of the conflict.

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Appropriate checking of what pupils learn enables teachers to target support to the pupils with the greatest need. Provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is very well led. The team provides appropriate academic and pastoral support for each pupil at the right time. Individual learning plans are comprehensive, manageable and targeted to pupils’ needs. This enables all pupils to learn with appropriate adaptations in the classroom.

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Pupils’ general behaviour and conduct are very strong. Information leaders keep on behaviour shows no pattern around bullying. When behaviour does not meet the highest of standards set, appropriate support is in place.

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Cultural development is pivotal to the pupils’ experience. Pupils develop a host of creative skills through arts and storytelling festivals. Musical elements are extremely strong, with pupils experiencing a whole host of different opportunities to perform and be performed to, including with other schools. Pupils, alongside peers from Rwanda, performed a dance motif to each other around the theme of ‘love grows’, using Makaton signs. This received a spontaneous round of applause from those watching. Leaders and pupils are very proud of the host of physical education and sporting achievements. The community is proud of the work the school has carried out with regard to the needs of families in the school, particularly concerning adoption and autism spectrum disorder.

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The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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There is a strong safeguarding culture at the school. All staff understand the policies and procedures to keep pupils safe. Training is thorough and regular. This enables staff to identify when there may be a concern and how to respond. When further action needs to be taken to keep pupils safe and protected, leaders make prompt referrals. Record- keeping is accurate and appropriately detailed.

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Governors assure themselves that pupils and staff are safe and that staff members have had all the appropriate pre-employment checks completed.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 A small number of staff are not fully skilled to teach the new phonics scheme effectively. This means a small number of pupils are not learning to read as quickly and as effectively as they could. Leaders need to ensure that all staff have the expertise to confidently deliver the new early reading scheme.

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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 February 2013.

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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. 28 February and 1 March 2023

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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. 28 February and 1 March 2023

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School details

Local authority Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole

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School details

Inspection number 10256739 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Kerry Leighton-Bailey

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School details

Website www.st-katharines.bournemouth.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 20 June 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is designated as having a religious character. Its last Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools took place in September 2016, when it received an outstanding judgement overall.  The school uses no alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher and members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. The inspector also met with a representative from the local authority, a representative from the diocese and other leaders within the school. 28 February and 1 March 2023

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 The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, science and history. For each deep dive, the inspector 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.  In addition, the inspector also looked at other curriculum areas, including mathematics, music and geography.  The inspector reviewed the arrangements for safeguarding by scrutinising safeguarding records, interviewing staff, and through discussions with pupils.  The inspector considered the views of parents shared through Ofsted’s parent questionnaire, Parent View. They gathered the views of pupils and staff through surveys, interviews and discussions conducted throughout the inspection.  The inspector reviewed a range of the school’s documentation, including self-evaluation reports, minutes of governing body meetings and behaviour incident logs.

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Inspection team

Chris Parker, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 28 February and 1 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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