St Catherine's Catholic Primary School

Inspection of St Catherine’s RC Primary School Moss Lane, Leyland, Lancashire PR25 4SJ

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 23 and 24 May 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including children in the early years, are happy and proud to be part of the St Catherine’s family. Staff know the pupils very well, and relationships are strong. Pupils live out leaders’ vision to be kind every day. Parents and carers appreciate the support that their children receive.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations of all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils live up to these expectations and achieve well. They work hard in lessons and have good attitudes towards their learning. They behave well in their lessons and around the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe in the school because they know adults look after them effectively. Everyone gets along well together in lessons and at breaktimes. Leaders do not accept bullying. If it does happen, staff deal with it quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There are many opportunities for pupils to develop their experiences beyond the academic curriculum. Leaders help pupils to look after their mental health, share their feelings and express their emotions. This develops their independence, resilience and confidence. Leaders have ensured that there any many memorable experiences for pupils to enjoy. These include visits to museums and the chance to attend residential visits.

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better?

Leaders have been resolute in designing a well-organised and ambitious curriculum for all pupils, including those with SEND. In all subjects, leaders have thought carefully about what they want pupils to learn and when this will happen. The curriculum builds pupils’ knowledge effectively from early years to Year 6. Teachers are clear about what pupils should know and be able to do.

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better?

Teachers implement the curriculum effectively. They have a secure knowledge of the subjects that they teach because they receive regular training. They use effective assessment strategies to check pupils’ understanding and how well they are learning. As a result, pupils embed and consolidate their knowledge and understanding of subjects. They achieve well.

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better?

Leaders have placed reading at the centre of the curriculum. Children begin to learn phonics as soon as they start in the early years. Pupils read books that match the sounds that they are learning. This means that they can read with fluency and increasing confidence. Leaders ensure that they quickly identify pupils who are not keeping up with the phonics programme Staff help them to catch up without delay. Older pupils have developed a love of reading. They talked confidently about their favourite authors and the books that they enjoy reading.

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better?

Leaders identify pupils with SEND quickly. They collaborate with staff and with a range of external agencies to ensure that these pupils get the help that they need. 23 and 24 May 2023

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Teachers make sure that they adapt their resources so that these pupils can follow their lessons alongside their classmates. Pupils with SEND play a full and active role in all aspects of school life.

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Children in the early years settle quickly into school routines. Pupils across the school are polite and well mannered. They move around the school in a calm and orderly way. They are very clear about what staff expect of them. They listen attentively and work cooperatively with their peers. As a result, they rarely disrupt lessons.

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Leaders ensure that pupils, including children in early years, have many opportunities to gain experience beyond the academic curriculum. Pupils learn how to be active citizens in their school and community. They take on leadership roles such as school councillors and play leaders. They enjoy the many clubs and activities available to them. These include netball, choir and art, which help them to develop their interests and talents.

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Leaders ensure that pupils learn about the wider world. They learn about diverse cultures and religions. They know that everyone is equal. This gives pupils a good understanding of diversity. Pupils typically share comments such as ‘everyone is different, but they are all welcome here’.

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Leaders, including governors, know what the school does well and what it needs to do to improve even further. However, they do not support some teachers well enough to manage their workload effectively. As a result, leaders’ expectations of staff’s workload are sometimes too high.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff understand their responsibility to keep pupils safe. They are well trained and are alert to signs of harm, abuse or neglect. Leaders work closely with a range of agencies to ensure that vulnerable pupils and families get the help and support that they need.

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Safeguarding

Pupils know how to keep themselves safe including online and when they are out in the community. This includes learning to swim and to safely ride a bike. They learn about healthy relationships and what makes a strong friendship.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders do not fully support teachers in organising their workload effectively in some aspects of their role. At times, this causes staff to carry a heavy workload that can sometimes be unmanageable. Leaders, including governors, should 23 and 24 May 2023

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engage collaboratively with staff to ensure that workload is manageable.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents 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. 23 and 24 May 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 18 January 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher is new to the role since the previous inspection.  Leaders do not use alternative provision.  The school is a Catholic school. The last section 48 inspection was in 2016.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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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 conducted deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, science and geography. For each deep dive, they 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. They listened to pupils read to a familiar adult. 23 and 24 May 2023

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 Inspectors met with the headteacher and deputy headteacher. They also met with subject leaders and a group of teachers.  An inspector met with governors. The lead inspector also spoke with a local authority adviser to the school.  Inspectors spoke with pupils in meetings and around the school.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted Parent View and the responses to Ofsted’s staff and pupil questionnaires.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documentation about safeguarding. They spoke with staff to understand how they keep pupils safe. They reviewed the school’s record of checks undertaken on newly appointed staff.

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Inspection team

Emma Jackson, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Julie Peach 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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