Divine Saviour Roman Catholic Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Divine Saviour Roman Catholic Primary School Broomfield Rise, Abbots Langley, Hertfordshire WD5 0HW

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Outcome

Divine Saviour Roman Catholic Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Divine Saviour is a happy and welcoming school. Pupils enjoy their learning. They come to school looking forward to the exciting experiences that await them. Pupils want to do their best. They rise to the high expectations of teachers. They are encouraged to ask questions and show curiosity from when they start in the early years. Pupils achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave exceptionally well. They know what is expected of them. Pupils enjoy their playtimes and lunchtimes. They use a wide range of equipment that promotes team- building and learning opportunities through play. Pupils learn how to assess the risk with their play. Pupils are happy and feel safe in school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils attend a range of after-school clubs and school trips. They are proud to represent the school in competitions and at events. These events are carefully selected to further enhance the curriculum. The outdoor camp, for example, further develops pupils’ understanding of survival and life in the stone age.

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

Leaders have set out what they want pupils to achieve in each subject, starting from the early years. In most subjects, leaders have broken down each aspect of the curriculum and set out what they want pupils to learn and do. The knowledge and content that pupils will learn in these subjects is ordered so that it builds on pupils’ previous learning. Staff use questioning skilfully to extend and deepen pupils’ learning. Staff are highly skilled at spotting when they can move pupils on quickly with their learning. In a few other subjects, this is not yet the case. Pupils develop gaps in their learning in these subjects, as staff do not know precisely what they need to teach. Leaders have not checked that the curriculum in these subjects is being taught as they intend.

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

Leaders have established high expectations for the teaching of reading. They have ensured that staff have the expertise to teach reading well. Leaders monitor closely what pupils know and can do. They target pupils who need further support with reading so that 13 and 14 June 2023

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they catch up and keep up with their peers. Most pupils are confident and fluent readers. The foundations for this are laid in the early years. Children know the sounds that letters make and apply this to their reading and writing. Staff ensure that all pupils have books that match their reading stage to help develop fluency. Older pupils are well supported to develop and use their reading skills across the curriculum.

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Leaders have recently implemented new systems to ensure that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are identified quickly. Pupils with SEND get the support they need to access the curriculum, but this could be better. Some staff do not always have the knowledge needed to adapt the curriculum appropriately to support some pupils with their learning needs as well as they could. This means that some pupils with SEND are not making as much progress as they should.

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Pupils are confident and articulate. They know what it means to be a good friend and how to resolve conflict when their peers are being unkind. Pupils know what bullying is. They say that it does not happen in their school because leaders deal with behaviour issues swiftly. Adults help pupils to make better behaviour choices. Pupils know how to resolve disagreements sensibly.

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Pupils make good use of the playground equipment. This helps them to be creative in their play and build a strong understanding of how to stay safe. Pupils learn about other religions and cultures and know why it is important to respect others’ beliefs. Leaders create opportunities so that pupils are well prepared for being active citizens in their school community. Pupils learn tolerance, compassion and respect across a range of experiences, including sharing a weekly choir with the local special needs school where songs are adapted with sign language.

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Leaders have created a teamwork ethic among staff. Staff are proud to work at the school. They know that leaders will support them with a work–life balance. Leaders ensure that staff have dedicated time to lead their subjects effectively. Governors work closely with school leaders to ensure that leaders continue to develop and improve the curriculum. Governors hold leaders to account for all aspects of school performance.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and staff know pupils and their families well. They are quick to spot any concerns and put support in place to keep pupils safe. Leaders work with external agencies effectively to ensure families get the right support. Leaders follow safer recruitment practices and carry out the necessary pre-employment checks on staff.

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Safeguarding

Leaders prioritise teaching pupils about ways that they can keep themselves safe and recognise risk in a variety of situations. This includes how to stay safe online and how to stay safe on the road. Pupils feel safe in school and trust adults to help them if they become upset or worried. 13 and 14 June 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, leaders have not set out precisely the knowledge they want pupils to learn. This means that teachers do not always know exactly what to teach so that pupils are building on previous knowledge and prepared for future learning. Leaders must set out clearly their expectations for the curriculum and what they want pupils to learn and do for each subject. Leaders must check that the curriculum is being taught as they intend.  Some pupils with SEND are not supported as well as they could be. This is because their learning needs are not always well understood by some staff and the support given does not always meet their learning needs. Leaders must ensure that all staff have the information and expertise to support pupils with SEND effectively and know how to adapt the curriculum appropriately.

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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 predecessor school, Divine Saviour Roman Catholic Primary 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.

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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. 13 and 14 June 2023

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 A new headteacher has been appointed since the previous inspection.  Divine Saviour Roman Catholic Primary School’s most recent section 48 inspection took place in March 2017. The school’s next section 48 inspection will be within eight school years.  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 their evaluation of the school.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, subject leaders and the special educational needs coordinator. The inspector also met with four governors, including the chair of the governing body and the trust’s chief executive officer.  The inspector met with a representative from the local authority to gather information about school support and development.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and 13 and 14 June 2023

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physical education. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with the subject leader, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The inspector also looked at other curriculum plans, including for history, geography and art.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector scrutinised a range of documentation relating to safeguarding, behaviour and attendance.  The inspector took account of the 52 responses and free-text comments submitted to the online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View.  The inspector also took account of the 17 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey and the 82 responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey. The inspector also spoke to pupils during playtimes and lunchtimes and during lessons to seek pupils’ views. She spoke with groups of staff to gather their views on the school.

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Inspection team

Nerrissa Bear, lead inspector His Majesty’s 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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