Holy Family Catholic Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Holy Family Catholic Primary School Arncliffe Road, Halewood, Liverpool, Merseyside L25 9PA

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Outcome

Holy Family Catholic Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils flourish in this welcoming and friendly school. They feel that they belong and that adults include and value them. Leaders’ vision of ‘only the best is good enough’ is at the centre of everything that they do.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff have high aspirations for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils show a real enthusiasm for learning during lessons. They achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Adults expect pupils to behave well across all year groups. Pupils rise to these expectations. They display positive attitudes to learning. Pupils’ conduct around the school building and during breaktimes helps to make the school a calm and orderly place. Incidents of low-level disruption are uncommon. Pupils are safe. On the rare occasions that bullying happens, adults deal with it swiftly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy a wide variety of clubs and activities, including sports, choir and mindfulness club. Older pupils embrace the added responsibilities that they have. For example, they help children in the early years at lunchtime and act as members of the school council.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers who shared their views with the inspector would readily recommend the school to others. They typically commented that ‘the staff at Holy Family go the extra mile’.

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

Leaders have developed an ambitious and broad curriculum. In most subjects, they have identified the essential knowledge that they want children in the early years and pupils across the rest of the school to learn and remember over time. Teachers are well trained to deliver the curriculum in these subjects. They present information 23 and 24 May 2023

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clearly. Teachers use assessment strategies effectively to check pupils’ understanding. This helps them to identify gaps in pupils’ learning and to spot any misconceptions.

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In a small number of subjects, leaders are still refining their curriculum thinking. There is so much content within some of the units of work that teachers are unclear about the most essential knowledge they should teach. As a result, pupils do not remember the most important knowledge that they need for future learning.

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Reading is at the heart of the school. Staff and pupils share a love of reading. This begins in the early years, where staff read story books to the children each day. Leaders make sure that pupils have access to high-quality books. Visits to the school library enable pupils to choose from a wide range of diverse books.

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Leaders ensure that staff receive thorough and well-structured training, so that they are confident to teach pupils to read. Staff follow the systematic phonics programme closely. They make sure that the books that pupils read are well matched to the sounds that they are learning. Any pupils who need extra help receive additional daily support. This helps them to keep up with the reading curriculum. Pupils, including those with SEND, achieve highly in reading.

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Leaders support staff to identify pupils with SEND early. Leaders make sure that pupils with SEND receive effective support in class. This helps them to learn alongside their peers and to access the full curriculum. Consequently, pupils with SEND achieve well.

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Leaders promote pupils’ wider development very well. There is a well-organised personal, social and health education programme. Pupils develop a well-informed understanding of fundamental British values. They are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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Leaders have created a respectful culture across the school. Pupils show positive attitudes towards their learning. Lessons are calm, and learning is not disrupted. In the early years, children settle quickly and follow the routines of the day well.

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Governors carry out their statutory duties effectively. They bring a wide range of knowledge and experience to their roles. Governors provide well-informed challenge and support to school leaders. They help to ensure that leaders continually improve the quality of education for pupils. Staff are proud to work at the school. They feel well supported and valued. Leaders prioritise staff’s well-being and are mindful of their workload when making decisions about the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that safeguarding is a high priority. Staff know pupils and their families very well. They are swift to identify any pupils who may be at risk of harm. 23 and 24 May 2023

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Leaders respond to these concerns in a timely manner. They work closely with external agencies to offer families the support that they need.

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Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe in a range of ways, including when working or playing online. In return, they know what to do and who to talk with if they do not feel safe.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of foundation subjects, leaders have not identified the essential knowledge that pupils need to learn and remember. Consequently, pupils do not remember the knowledge that they need to be successful in their future learning. Leaders should refine their curriculum thinking in these subjects so that teachers support pupils to build on what they know and can do as they move through the school.

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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 September 2013.

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How can I feed back my views?

to 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. 23 and 24 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. 23 and 24 May 2023

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Local authority

Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council Inspection number 10283627 Type of school Primary

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Appropriate authority The governing body

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Date of previous inspection 22 February 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Leaders make use of one registered alternative provider.  Holy Family Catholic Primary School is part of the Archdiocese of Liverpool. The school’s most recent section 48 inspection took place in February 2019.

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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 this into account in her evaluation of the school.  The inspector held meetings with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher and other senior leaders. The inspector met with representatives of the governing body, the archdiocese and the local authority.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and art and design. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers 23 and 24 May 2023

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and teaching assistants, spoke to some pupils about their learning, listened to pupils read and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  To inspect safeguarding, the inspector looked at the single central record of staff suitability checks. She met with the leaders responsible for safeguarding and sampled case studies and documentation.  The inspector met with pupils and spoke to pupils during breaktimes and lunchtimes. She also considered the responses to the Ofsted’s pupil survey.  The inspector spoke with some parents as they dropped their children off at school. She also reviewed the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments.  The inspector held meetings with members of staff and considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.

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Inspection team

Kelly Butler, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 23 and 24 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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