Our Lady of Walsingham Catholic Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Our Lady of Walsingham Catholic Primary School Occupation Road, Corby, Northamptonshire NN17 1EE

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Outcome

Our Lady of Walsingham Catholic Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Our Lady of Walsingham Catholic Primary School is a warm, caring and nurturing school. Pupils enjoy attending and feel safe in the care of staff. The school is at the centre of the community.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The youngest children get off to a strong start. They learn routines quickly and benefit from positive interactions with staff. Pupils across the school behave well in lessons and around school. They show that they are ‘ready, respectful and safe’. Pupils confidently share their thoughts and points of view, but also listen to others. They embrace and value everyone, irrespective of their differences. Pupils, parents and staff say that bullying is rare. They know that if bullying did occur, staff would deal with it effectively.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff share high ambitions for every pupil. They form caring and supportive relationships with them. Reading is strongly prioritised, recognising that this is pivotal to pupils’ future success. Pupils are motivated to try hard and succeed. They enjoy their learning, work hard and achieve well. They are rightly proud of their achievements.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers are overwhelmingly supportive of the school. They appreciate that staff see children as unique individuals.

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

Children get off to a strong start in Reception. This is underpinned by strong teaching of early reading. Leaders ensure that this continues throughout the school. The reading curriculum has been designed to make sure that pupils experience a wide range of genres, themes and cultures. Early reading books are carefully matched to pupils’ stages of learning. Children also make a strong start to learning mathematics in Reception. They explore numbers and how to group and represent them in different ways. Throughout the early years, purposeful activities support learning. For example, teachers carefully build children’s understanding of different types of minibeast through stories, photos, discussion, observation and investigation. 13 and 14 June 2023

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Leaders have designed a broad and ambitious curriculum. In most subjects, they have identified the most important knowledge, skills and vocabulary they want children to learn. This has been sequenced well. However, the content and sequence of the curriculum is not as clear in a few foundation subjects, such as art and history. Leaders are taking action to address this.

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Teachers have strong subject knowledge and present information clearly. They use ‘flashbacks’ and quizzes to help pupils remember prior learning before moving on. They systematically check what pupils know and remember. Leaders have made sure that staff have the training they need to teach phonics and other subjects effectively and consistently. Skilled staff provide tailored support for any pupils at risk of falling behind. They intervene quickly when children need extra support or challenge.

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Staff accurately identify the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Appropriate adaptations are made, as needed, to ensure that these pupils understand and keep up. Pupils with complex needs are very well supported in all areas of learning. Teaching assistants provide effective support in lessons for any pupils who need it. Links with external agencies enhance the provision for pupils with SEND.

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Staff have high expectations of pupils’ learning and behaviour. Pupils know what these are. They try their best and work hard. Pupils listen carefully in lessons and enjoy their learning. Low-level disruption is rare. Pupils treat staff and each other with respect and kindness.

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Provision to promote pupils’ personal development is a strength of the school. Parents greatly value this aspect of the school’s work. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding is at the heart of the curriculum. Pupils learn about equality and diversity. They recognise that everyone has worth, and value all members of their community.

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Leaders help pupils to understand how harmful discrimination of any kind can be and that it is never tolerated by the school. Pupils experience a range of trips, visits and events to broaden their life experiences. A variety of clubs are also in place for pupils. For example, pupils can join in with gardening, knitting, sports, dance or ‘laid back lunch’. Clubs are well attended by all, including disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND.

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Staff enjoy working at the school. They say that leaders are considerate of their workload and well-being. Leaders ensure that staff get the support they need, especially those who are new to the profession. Governors fulfil their duties well and offer strong challenge to leaders. The school receives good support from the trust.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders, including governors, prioritise the safety and well-being of pupils. They know pupils and families very well. Staff know the signs to look out for if pupils are at risk. They 13 and 14 June 2023

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are vigilant in reporting and recording concerns. Records are thorough and leaders take swift action to make sure that pupils and their families get the help they need. Leaders involve external agencies where appropriate.

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Pupils know that staff will help them if needed. They learn about risks they may encounter in life and how to avoid these. They know how to stay safe online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of foundation subjects, leaders have not yet identified, with enough precision, the component knowledge they want pupils to learn and remember. Nor have they carefully enough identified the order in which this knowledge will be taught. As a result, pupils do not always gain the small steps of sequential knowledge they need to in these subjects. Leaders should ensure that they continue to develop sequences of planned learning that identify component knowledge with greater precision so that pupils learn equally well in all subjects.

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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 February 2018.

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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. 13 and 14 June 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. 13 and 14 June 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10268982 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection 6 February 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school runs a breakfast and after-school care club for pupils who attend the school.  The school does not use any 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 has taken that into account in her evaluation of the school.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and art. 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.  The inspector listened to some pupils read to a familiar adult.  The inspector looked at subject plans and spoke with pupils and leaders about some other subjects. 13 and 14 June 2023

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 The inspector met with the designated safeguarding lead to discuss the actions taken to keep pupils safe. She reviewed a range of documents, including the school’s single central record.  The inspector met with leaders responsible for behaviour, personal development, the early years and the provision for pupils with SEND.  The inspector met with groups of pupils from key stages 1 and 2. They spoke informally to pupils outside at breaktimes.  The inspector reviewed a range of documents, including the school’s self-evaluation and improvement plan.  The inspector met with members of the local academy committee, the chief executive officer of the Our Lady Immaculate Catholic Academies Trust and the trust’s school improvement director.  The inspector considered the responses to the Ofsted Parent View survey and the results of Ofsted’s staff and pupil questionnaires.

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Inspection team

Alison Talbot, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 13 and 14 June 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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