Holy Cross and All Saints RC Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Holy Cross and All Saints RC Primary School Trafford Road, Eccles, Manchester M30 0JA

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Outcome

Holy Cross and All Saints RC Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff have created a joyful and nurturing learning community. Pupils feel safe and happy in school. They told the inspector that the teachers are the best part of Holy Cross and All Saints.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils appreciate the clear expectations that leaders have for their behaviour. Pupils understand and follow the ‘golden rules’. They rise to leaders’ high expectations and they behave well. Pupils are respectful towards staff and they treat each other with kindness. Leaders deal with bullying and name-calling swiftly and effectively. At social times, pupils enjoy playing happily together on the adventure playground or picnic area.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have established a culture where pupils are eager to learn. Pupils are equipped with the tools to respond positively to challenges and they demonstrate resilience. They want to do their best. Staff help pupils to recognise their own emotions. Pupils who act as emotionally friendly ambassadors are keen to be on hand to support their classmates.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils readily take on positions of responsibility. For example, they take delight in representing their peers as school chaplains, house captains or school council members.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy participating in a range of extracurricular opportunities, such as handball, football and crafts. They learn about and understand the importance of caring for the environment. To this end, many pupils were keen to take part in a recent community litter-picking event with their families.

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

Leaders have created a broad and ambitious curriculum from Nursery Year to Year 6. They have thought carefully about the key building blocks of knowledge that pupils need to learn and when content should be taught. This allows pupils, and children in early years, to build securely on previous learning and develop a deep body of subject knowledge. 17 and 18 May 2023

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In most subjects, teachers use appropriate resources to deliver the intended curriculum skilfully. They check regularly on what pupils know and remember and fill any gaps in their learning. As a result, in these subjects, pupils learn well. This is also the case in the Nursery and Reception classes, where staff are equipped well to design learning for children. That said, in one or two subjects where the curriculum has been introduced more recently, some teachers are still getting to grips with how best to deliver learning. From time to time, this hinders teachers in selecting the most appropriate activities for pupils.

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Leaders have made reading a priority. Pupils, and children in early years, are fond of reading and they appreciate the joy that books can offer. In the Nursery and Reception classes, children love recalling their favourite rhymes and stories. Leaders have chosen a wide and ambitious range of texts for pupils to enjoy. Pupils in key stage 2 read avidly.

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Leaders provide appropriate training to help staff to deliver the phonics programme with sufficient expertise. Staff are quick to identify those pupils who are in danger of falling behind. These pupils receive effective support from staff, which helps them to keep up. The books that pupils read, including those that they take home, accurately match the sounds and letters that they know. As a result, almost all pupils develop into confident and fluent readers by the end of Year 2.

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Leaders accurately identify the additional needs that pupils have. Staff use information about pupils with SEND competently to adapt the delivery of the curriculum. Leaders carefully check the progress that pupils with SEND are making. This group of pupils achieve well across the range of subjects.

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Staff put in place clear structures and routines for behaviour that help pupils to focus and engage positively during lessons. As a result, pupils’ learning is seldom disrupted.

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Leaders prepare pupils well for life in modern Britain. For instance, pupils learn about different religions and they enjoy visiting different places of worship. They are enthusiastic about taking part in democratic processes right from the start of Nursery class. For example, children are keen to vote on which books to read next. Pupils learn about diversity and they are accepting of those who are different from themselves. Leaders enrich the curriculum with trips and visits that build on pupils’ understanding of the world.

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Leaders and governors lead the school well. They are clear in their vision of what they want pupils to achieve and how to get there. Staff and leaders work collaboratively to cultivate a caring culture for pupils. Parents and carers told the inspector that they are happy with how staff care for their children. Leaders have taken steps to reduce staff workload, and staff said that they are appreciative of this.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 17 and 18 May 2023

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Leaders have ensured that staff have the knowledge they need to keep pupils safe. They are quick to identify pupils who may need help. Leaders respond swiftly and thoroughly to any safeguarding concerns that are raised. They work effectively with external agencies to ensure that vulnerable pupils and their families receive appropriate support.

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Leaders have ensured that pupils learn about potential dangers to their safety. For example, pupils learn about the risks that they may face when online and the dangers of drug misuse.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of subjects where the curriculum has been introduced more recently, from time to time, some teachers do not select the most appropriate learning activities. This hinders some pupils’ learning in these subjects. Leaders should ensure that teachers receive the support they need to be able to deliver these curriculums with confidence.

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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 November 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.

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school. 17 and 18 May 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. 17 and 18 May 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 7 March 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Leaders do not make use of any alternative provision for pupils.  The school is a Roman Catholic school and is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Salford. Its most recent section 48 inspection for schools of a religious character was carried out in December 2018.

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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 has taken that into account in her evaluation of the school.  The inspector checked on leaders’ safeguarding procedures. The inspector spoke with staff about their safeguarding knowledge and checked how well they understood their safeguarding responsibilities.  The inspector reviewed a wide range of documentation, including leaders’ self- evaluation documents, improvement plans, minutes of governing body meetings and records of pupils’ behaviour and attendance. 17 and 18 May 2023

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 The inspector met with the headteacher and other leaders. She spoke with representatives of the governing body. The inspector met with a representative of the local authority and a representative of the diocese.  The inspector conducted deep dives in early reading, physical education and mathematics. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with the subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with pupils about their work and reviewed samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector listened to pupils reading to a familiar adult.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View. She also spoke to parents and carers to gather their views about the school.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff survey. There were no responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Jenny Jones, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 17 and 18 May 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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