Penwortham, St Teresa's Catholic Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Penwortham, St Teresa’s Catholic Primary School Stanley Grove, Penwortham, Preston, Lancashire PR1 0JH

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Outcome

Penwortham, St Teresa’s Catholic Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

St Teresa’s Catholic Primary School is a warm and supportive community. Pupils are proud ambassadors for their school. Their school motto permeates everything that they do. They are keen to be awarded the weekly ‘role-model award’ for being kind and respectful.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Positive relationships between staff and pupils are evident throughout the school. At breaktimes, pupils play happily together. They feel confident that staff will listen to them if they have any worries. Leaders deal with any incidents of unkind words or behaviour, including bullying, promptly and effectively. This helps pupils to feel safe and happy.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff have high ambitions for the achievement, behaviour and personal development of pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). In lessons, pupils listen carefully to teachers’ instructions and are eager to contribute to discussions. They live up to leaders’ high expectations. Across the school, most pupils achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a range of opportunities to develop beyond the academic curriculum. For example, they go on residential visits and school trips. This allows them to gain an understanding of their local community and the wider world. They are fully involved in school life. They speak proudly about the sporting achievements of their school. Older pupils enjoy roles such as being representatives on the school council, digital leaders and well-being ambassadors. Play leaders help to organise playtime activities for younger pupils.

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

Leaders have developed an engaging and ambitious curriculum. They have constructed the curriculum while taking into consideration the mixed-age classes in the school. They 12 and 13 July 2023

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have organised the curriculum effectively and designed it to help pupils build up their learning logically from early years to Year 6.

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Teachers have the skills to implement the curriculum well. This is because leaders ensure that staff receive relevant training to hone their subject knowledge. As a result, teachers select appropriate activities to help pupils to learn well.

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Teachers make regular checks on pupils’ learning. They use this information effectively to find out how well pupils have remembered earlier work and to shape future teaching. Pupils develop detailed knowledge in most subjects.

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In a small number of subjects, pupils struggle to connect new learning with earlier concepts. This is because leaders have only recently clarified the most important knowledge and concepts that pupils need to learn in these subjects. As a result, pupils have not developed a deep understanding of these subjects over time.

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Reading is central to the school’s curriculum. Pupils develop a love of reading. They enjoy reading the books that the pupil reading leaders recommend to them each month. These pupil leaders regularly read to younger children in the school library. Older pupils strive to achieve awards for their reading. They read a wide range of books with confidence.

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Leaders have implemented an ambitious curriculum that introduces children to phonics in a systematic way. They have provided training for staff to teach this curriculum well. The teaching of phonics starts as soon as children join Reception class. Leaders ensure that the books that pupils read match the sounds that they are learning in class. Staff give effective help to those pupils who need to catch up. This means that most pupils become confident and fluent readers.

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Staff quickly identify pupils with SEND. Effective systems are in place to help these pupils receive the support that they need in school. Leaders use external specialist support where required. Teachers know how to make appropriate adaptations to learning activities. This ensures that pupils with SEND can follow the same ambitious curriculum as their peers.

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Pupils behave well throughout the school. They can concentrate on their learning because lessons are rarely interrupted by low-level disruption.

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Through the curriculum, pupils develop a strong understanding of British values, such as democracy. They learn about different types of family and different religions. They understand the importance of treating everyone with respect. Through such opportunities, leaders help pupils to develop as caring and thoughtful citizens.

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Governors know the school well. They work with leaders to ensure that they are mindful of the workload of staff in the decisions they make. Staff appreciate the care that leaders show for their well-being. They feel that leaders value them. 12 and 13 July 2023

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders provide staff with regular and up-to-date safeguarding training. This helps staff to identify any signs of physical and emotional harm in pupils. Staff act in pupils’ best interests. Leaders deal with safeguarding issues quickly and effectively. They work with a range of other professionals, when needed, to ensure that pupils are safe.

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Safeguarding

Teachers use the curriculum well to ensure that pupils understand how to keep themselves safe. They teach pupils about road safety and the risks associated with drugs and alcohol. Leaders ensure that pupils know what inappropriate online content is and that they should report this to an adult if they see it.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of subjects, the refinements that leaders have made to the key knowledge that pupils need to learn are relatively new. As a result, some pupils struggle to make deeper connections between earlier knowledge and new learning. Leaders should ensure that they embed the changes to these curriculums well so that pupils develop deeper knowledge and understanding of key concepts over time.

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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?

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. 12 and 13 July 2023

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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. 12 and 13 July 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.st-teresas-penwortham.lancs.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 27 March 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Archdiocese of Liverpool. Its most recent section 48 inspection for schools of a religious character took place in March 2019.  Leaders do not make use of alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school had 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 conducted deep dives in early reading, history and mathematics. For each deep dive, the inspector met with subject leaders and teachers. She visited lessons, looked at examples of pupils’ and children’s work, and talked with groups of pupils about their learning.  The inspector heard pupils from key stage 1 and key stage 2 read to a familiar adult. She also considered the curriculum, spoke with pupils about their learning and evaluated their work in some other subjects. 12 and 13 July 2023

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 The inspector spoke with members of the governing body, the headteacher and other school leaders.  She also spoke with a representative of the local authority and a representative of the archdiocese.  The inspector talked with staff about their workload and well-being.  The inspector met with leaders who are responsible for attendance, behaviour, early years and SEND.  The inspector spoke with pupils about safeguarding and their wider experience of school. She looked at a range of policies and documents related to pupils’ and children’s welfare and education. She observed pupils’ and children’s behaviour in lessons and around the school.  The inspector reviewed leaders’ policies and procedures to keep pupils safe. She discussed safeguarding arrangements with leaders and staff. She also checked the single central record.  The inspector took account of the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff and

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pupils.  The inspector met with parents and carers at the start of the school day. She took account of the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including free-text comments.

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Inspection team

Rebecca Jewitt, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 12 and 13 July 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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