St Wilfrid's Catholic Academy

Inspection of a good school: St Wilfrid’s Catholic Primary School Queen’s Avenue, Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire ST6 6EE

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Outcome

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

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high aspirations for all pupils at St Wilfrid’s. The school motto, ‘love one another as I have loved you’, is at the heart of leaders’ work. Pupils are happy and safe. They enjoy coming to school and say that bullying is rare. This is because teachers and leaders act quickly to resolve any concerns.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders make sure that pupils have the academic knowledge and personal development to prepare them for the next stage of their learning. Pupils enjoy reading. Leaders and staff actively promote a love of reading. The vast majority of pupils read at home and are rewarded for doing so. Pupils enjoy a wide range of clubs, which they choose and sometimes help to run. These include wildlife, origami and code and create clubs.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their school. They know and understand the school’s rules of respect for God, respect for self, respect for others and respect for property. One pupil commented, ‘They cover everything.’ Leaders ensure that pupils’ behaviour is managed consistently and fairly across the school. Parents and carers are positive about the school. One parent’s comment was typical of many when they said their children ‘always come home excited, wanting to tell me about their learning’.

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

Leaders have planned an ambitious curriculum for pupils and have high expectations of them. The curriculum is adapted to meet the needs of all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders have also thought about the order in which pupils need to learn new knowledge and skills in each subject. In many subjects, this enables pupils to learn what is most important. However, in some subjects, pupils do not always remember what they have learned in previous years. This is because they do not always have enough time to practise and revise what they have learned.

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

Reading is a high priority across the school. Books are central to the curriculum. This starts in early years, where there is a clear focus on children’s learning of language and 18 and 19 April 2023

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communication. Staff read to children regularly and explore a range of vocabulary. Staff have enhanced their expertise in early reading. The books pupils read are closely matched to the sounds they know. Staff use assessment strategies to identify where there are gaps in pupils’ knowledge. They provide extra support to pupils to help them catch up. This has helped many pupils to improve their phonics knowledge. However, there are still a minority of pupils who struggle to blend the sounds to read fluently.

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Teachers use assessment information to find out what pupils have learned in lessons. They use this information to plan pupils’ next steps in learning.

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Staff identify pupils with SEND quickly. Teachers make appropriate adaptations so that pupils with SEND can access the same curriculum as their peers. For example, pupils with SEND may receive extra adult support or practical equipment to help them to learn. As a result, these pupils participate fully in lessons, and complete work which is matched to their needs.

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Pupils behave well in and around school. They are polite and considerate, holding doors open for visitors and greeting them. Pupils are enthusiastic in lessons and concentrate well. They listen attentively and any disruption to learning is rare.

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Leaders prioritise pupils’ personal development. This is a strength of the school. Pupils value the opportunity to take on responsibilities, which develops their understanding of being responsible citizens who contribute to society. These include opportunities to be members of the school council, eco council and Catholic life leaders. They also take part in local litter-picking and have met with a local councillor regarding improvements at a local park. As a result, pupils believe they have an important role to play, saying, ‘We are making our school a better place.’ Leaders also plan a range of educational visits and visitors to school, which enhances the curriculum.

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Staff are extremely positive about the school and the support that leaders provide. They feel that leaders listen to them and are considerate of their workload. Changes to planning, marking and assessment have made a real difference. Workload and well-being have also been a focus for governors.

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The multi-academy company and governors consist of highly effective ‘critical friends’, who carefully monitor the priorities of the school. The trust brings expertise across the different schools in the trust together, to ensure strategic and focused improvement. The best interests of the pupils are central to the work of the company and governors.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility at this school. Regular training, updates and ‘quizzes’ ensure that safeguarding is at the forefront of everyone’s minds. Leaders ensure that staff are aware of any local issues regarding safeguarding and act on them. 18 and 19 April 2023

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The procedures to raise safeguarding concerns are clear, including how to report allegations against staff. Leaders take swift action to protect pupils. Leaders work in partnership with outside agencies to make sure that families get the right help when they need it. Pupils’ safety is promoted through the curriculum. Pupils learn how to stay healthy, have positive relationships and recognise risk, including when online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 A small number of pupils do not blend phonics well to read unknown words. As a result, they do not read as confidently or fluently as they could. Leaders should ensure that these pupils receive appropriate support in phonics to improve their ability to read.  A small number of subject leaders have not been able to evaluate the impact of the curriculum in their subject. This means that some pupils do not learn some subject curriculums as intended. Leaders should ensure that subject leaders are able to further develop their roles, including evaluating the impact of the curriculum on pupils’ learning.

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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 May 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. 18 and 19 April 2023

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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. 18 and 19 April 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10240305 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 16 and 17 May 2017

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Information about this school

 Leaders do not make use of any alternative provision.  The school is within the Archdiocese of Birmingham. It was last inspected under section 48 of the Education Act 2005 in June 2022.

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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 school leaders and has taken that into account in his evaluation.  During the inspection, the inspector held meetings with the executive headteacher, the head of school and five members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. He also met with three members of the multi-academy company, including the chair of the company.  The inspector held a telephone conversation with a representative of the diocese. He also spoke to parents and carers at the end of the school day. 18 and 19 April 2023

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 The inspector viewed a range of safeguarding documentation. He examined checks on safer recruitment and spoke with members of staff to check their safeguarding knowledge.  The inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and history. He met with subject leaders, visited lessons, spoke with teachers and viewed examples of pupils’ work. The inspector also spoke with pupils about their learning. The inspector also spoke to the subject leaders for art and design, geography and science.  The inspector observed children in the early years and pupils in key stage 1 read to a trusted adult.  The inspector spoke with members of staff about their workload and well-being.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school.  The inspector considered the responses, including the free-text comments, to Ofsted Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey. He also considered the responses to the staff and

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Inspection team

Barry Yeardsley, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 18 and 19 April 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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