St Mary's Catholic Primary School

Inspection of St Mary’s Catholic Primary School Ayr Drive, Jarrow, Tyne and Wear NE32 4AW

p.1

Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Good Leadership and management Outstanding Early years provision Good

p.1

Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 3 and 4 July 2023

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school. They feel very happy and safe here. Pupils are incredibly proud to be part of the school. They enjoy the different opportunies they experience. The relationships between pupils and staff are consistently caring and friendly.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and stakeholders have very high aspirations for pupils. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). These ambitions are realised through a shared vision and planned curriculum. This curriculum starts in the early years and prepares all pupils for their next steps in learning.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour around school is superb. Any issues with behaviour are picked up promptly by adults. Pupils rise to leaders’ high expectations for their behaviour in lessons and around school. Bullying is known and understood by pupils. Pupils say that bullying is not a problem in school.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders carefully plan opportunities to broaden pupils’ experiences. Pupils learn about water safety in inventive ways, such as visits to surf school. Pupils talk excitedly about residential trips.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

The leadership of the school is outstanding. Parents are overwhelmingly supportive of the school. Parents say that leaders and staff ‘go the extra mile’.

p.2

better?

Leaders have carefully planned an ambitious curriculum. This curriculum starts in the early years, building on what children know through the year groups. This ensures that pupils are ready for secondary school. Teaching plans are designed to ensure that pupils build knowledge over time. In mathematics, the use of daily retrieval work and checks on pupils’ learning help pupils to connect their learning. Teachers’ subject knowledge and confidence help to embed the aims of the mathematics curriculum.

p.2

better?

In wider curriculum subjects, such as art and design, and history, leaders have supported staff to understand the curriculum well. The curriculum makes purposeful links to the local area. In history, pupils talk enthusiastically about their learning. This learning starts in the early years, where pupils compare the seaside now to the past. Pupils’ work shows how they are thinking like historians in more detail as they move through school.

p.2

better?

Leaders have prioritised reading in school. A reading spine is in place to help pupils read a wide range of books. Pupils benefit from clearly structured phonics lessons. Teachers provide a range of opportunities for pupils to practise their reading and writing of sounds. Children in the early years enjoy sharing their knowledge and understanding. Staff use their training and ongoing support to teach phonics 3 and 4 July 2023

p.2

3

consistently. Pupils at the earliest stages of reading do not always have books that are well matched to their phonic knowledge. Pupils do not consistently develop early fluency using the sounds they know securely.

p.3

3

This is an inclusive school. Pupils with SEND take part in all aspects of school life. Leaders use appropriate specialist support and referrals where needed. Teachers make adaptations in classrooms for pupils who need additional support.

p.3

3

Around school and in classrooms pupils routinely show focus and determination in their learning. They rise to the high expectations set by leaders and staff for behaviour. Pupils know the school rules of ‘ready, respectful, safe’. Low-level disruption is extremely rare. If it does occur, staff deal with it quickly. As pupils move around school, they are respectful and show consistently good manners. Pupils are excellent role models to each other.

p.3

3

Leaders are proud of the offer they have beyond classroom learning. Pupils learn how to keep safe online and in the community. Leaders plan opportunities to explore careers and aspirations across the curriculum. Extra-curricular clubs and leadership roles for pupils are plentiful. Pupils understand what it means to be British. Pupils and staff do not tolerate discrimination. However, pupils’ knowledge and understanding of different faiths are not as secure as in other areas of the wider curriculum.

p.3

3

Leaders take the workload of staff seriously. Teachers feel that leaders act to manage their workload and well-being carefully. Teachers in the early stages of their career are supported well. Opportunities for leadership development are clearly planned. Work with trust and federated schools is building leadership capacity further. The trust and members of the local governing committee share leaders’ high ambitions. They challenge leaders to ensure that pupils are achieving well. Governors carry out their role extremely effectively.

p.3

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.3

Safeguarding

Leaders know their school community very well. The training given to staff means that they are knowledgeable and vigilant to any issues in the local area. Stakeholders also receive timely training to fulfil their duties. Where necessary, leaders make appropriate referrals to additional agencies. Record-keeping captures clearly the actions taken by the school to keep pupils safe. Those responsible for recruitment have the necessary training to ensure that adults who work with pupils are safe to do so. Safeguarding is considered throughout the recruitment process.

p.3

Safeguarding

Pupils feel very safe in school. They recognise all the things adults in school do to keep them safe. 3 and 4 July 2023

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Pupils who are at the early stages of reading are given books that are not consistently matched to the sounds they know. As a result, pupils do not always read with fluency or confidence. Leaders should ensure that the books they give pupils to read match the sounds they know so that they build fluency, automaticity and progress more rapidly.  Pupils have a limited understanding of the different world faiths and religions. While there is a planned curriculum in place to teach pupils about the different faiths and religions, leaders do not check effectively what pupils know, understand and remember from this learning. Leaders should ensure that they use assessment to check pupils’ knowledge and understanding of faiths and religions so that teachers can address any misconceptions that pupils may have.

p.4

How can I feed back my views?

or 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.

p.4

How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

p.4

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.4

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. 3 and 4 July 2023

p.4

School details

Inspection number 10268474 Type of school Primary

p.5

School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

p.5

Information about this school

 St Mary’s Catholic Primary School converted to become an academy school in May 2019.  The school is part of Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust.  The school shares a federated local governing body committee with another school.  The headteacher is an executive headteacher to another school. The headteacher is also supporting an additional school in the same role.  The school is a Roman Catholic primary school within the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle. The most recent section 48 inspection of the school’s religious character took place in July 2019.  The school has nursery provision for two- and three-year-old children.  The school operates a breakfast club and after-school club offering wraparound care.  The school does not use any alternative provision. 3 and 4 July 2023

p.5

Information about this inspection

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

p.6

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.  Prior to the inspection, the inspectors reviewed documents on the school’s website, as well as published information about the school’s performance and previous Ofsted inspections.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, history, and art and design. The inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons and spoke to teachers and teaching assistants. They spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The inspectors listened to pupils new to reading read with a familiar adult. The inspectors listened to additional readers in key stage 1.  To inspect safeguarding, the inspectors spoke to staff, pupils and a range of

p.6

Information about this inspection

stakeholders, including governors. Safeguarding documentation was scrutinised, including the safeguarding policies and the single central record of recruitment checks. The inspectors spoke to pupils and observed relationships between pupils and adults. The inspectors also met with the designated safeguarding lead.  The inspectors gathered views of parents, informally, in person and formally, through responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including free- text responses. The views of staff were considered through the staff survey and through meetings. Pupils’ views were considered through pupil meetings.  The inspectors spoke with representatives from the local governing committee and the trust.  The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in classes, at breakfast club, at the after-school provision and during breaks and at lunchtime.

p.6

Inspection team

Jenny Thomas, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

p.6

Inspection team

Sharon Common Ofsted Inspector 3 and 4 July 2023

p.6

7

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.

p.7

7

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.7

7

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

7

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

7

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7