St Pancras Catholic Primary School

Inspection of St Pancras Catholic Primary School Stratford Road, Ipswich, Suffolk IP1 6EF

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Inspection dates: 12 and 13 September 2023

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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

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Overall effectiveness Good

The head of school of this school is Mrs L Martin. This school is part of the Our Lady of Walsingham Catholic Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Mr F Vettese, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Mr P Bergin. There is also an executive headteacher, Mrs C Clark, who is responsible for this school. 12 and 13 September 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending St Pancras as they feel happy and are safe. All pupils respond well to the teachers’ high expectations. Pupils talk with confidence about what they are learning. They work well together. They listen carefully to each other and to the adults. They follow the school’s rules of ‘be kind, be safe, be respectful and do your best.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including in early years, behave well. Pupils know what bullying is. They say that bullying does sometimes happen, but that it is quickly dealt with. They appreciate that all staff keep a caring eye on them, at all times. Pupils value the trips, visitors and events that are linked to their learning. This includes participating in the Diocese’s singing programme and visiting a local zoo as part of a science animal project.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are also given opportunities to attend a wide range of clubs, such as sports, cooking and computer programming. This helps to develop their wider interests. Pupils are encouraged to take on extra responsibilities. They are proud to be an anti- bullying ambassador, house captain, school council member or ‘Mini Vinnie.’ Pupils like helping others as it makes them feel good and benefits the community.

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better?

The school has developed an ambitious curriculum. It makes clear, in each subject, what key knowledge is to be taught in each year group and how this knowledge builds on what pupils have learned before. Staff have had training to help them to deliver this curriculum.

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better?

Teachers adapt their teaching carefully, so that all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), can access the curriculum. Additional adults and resources are used effectively so that pupils with SEND achieve well. Adults regularly check what pupils know, in order to pick up any misconceptions. However, in some subjects and for some pupils, these checks are not precise enough. As a result, some pupils are not having gaps in their knowledge securely filled.

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better?

In subjects where the curriculum has been in place longer, pupils are able to talk about what they are learning now and how it links to what they have learned before. However, where some subjects have been more recently updated, teachers are still getting used to the curriculum content. This means in these few subjects, pupils are not yet gaining the understanding that leaders intended.

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better?

All staff are well trained to deliver the school’s chosen phonics programme and teach phonics effectively. This starts in the early years. Teachers regularly check what letter sounds pupils know. This means they quickly identify pupils who need extra 12 and 13 September 2023

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help and provide timely support to any pupils who are finding reading tricky, so they catch up. Reading is given high priority within the school. Pupils have daily reading sessions to help them develop their reading knowledge and vocabulary. As a result, older pupils read with confidence and fluency.

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Children in the early years make a positive start to their education. Teachers carefully plan opportunities for children to explore and learn. Teachers skilfully model spoken language. They support children to develop mathematical concepts, such as identifying numbers and being able to make repeating patterns. Consequently, children are well placed to succeed in Year 1.

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Pupils have a positive attitude to their learning. The school promotes this through assemblies, reward systems and adding pupils to the ‘recognition board’. This helps all pupils to know and understand the rules and routines. Staff know and apply the behaviour policy consistently and confidently. This ensures all pupils learn in a calm and purposeful environment.

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The curriculum effectively supports the wider development of pupils. Pupils learn about different cultures and beliefs, and they show tolerance and respect to others. Pupils know how to keep themselves healthy. They learn about fundamental British values, such as democracy, through their work and support for the school council.

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All staff say they are proud to work at the school and are valued. They know that leaders think carefully about their workload. Governors, including the trust, know the school well and have the expertise to hold leaders to account.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 A few subjects have recently had their curriculum content updated. Teachers are still getting used to the key knowledge they need to teach in these subjects and how to build on prior learning. This means that pupils are not yet acquiring knowledge and consistently building the identified key concepts in these subjects to the depth intended. The school needs to provide further training to staff to ensure that the whole curriculum is being taught as intended and that prior learning is being recalled effectively in all subjects.  The way in which the school uses the information that it gains from checking how successfully pupils are retaining key knowledge, is not always used precisely enough. This means some pupils have gaps in their learning which remain. The 12 and 13 September 2023

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school needs to ensure staff use assessment outcomes precisely to identify and support pupils to secure the key knowledge set out in the curriculum.

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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.

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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' is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school's pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 12 and 13 September 2023

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School details

Dates of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 St Pancras Catholic Primary School is part of the Our Lady of Walsingham Catholic Trust.  St Pancras Catholic Primary School joined the trust in April 2019.  The school runs a daily breakfast and after-school club.  The school currently uses one registered alternative provider.  As the school is designated as having a religious character, it is inspected under section 48 of the Education Act 2005. The last section 48 inspection of the school was in January 2022. The school’s next section 48 inspection will be within eight school years.

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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

Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school's education provision. 12 and 13 September 2023

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 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors met with the head of school, the executive headteacher, senior leaders, subject leaders and other leaders and staff across the school.  The inspectors met with the chief executive officer and one director from within the trust and four members of the local governing body.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics, art and design and geography. In each subject, inspectors met with subject leaders, visited lessons, spoke with pupils, looked at pupils’ books and met with class teachers and teaching assistants. The inspectors also listened to some pupils read.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors reviewed the single

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central record, took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspectors reviewed the school’s behaviour records, including records of incidents of bullying and how these are followed up and records of suspensions.  A range of other information and documentation was reviewed by the inspectors, including information available on the school’s website, school policies and information about the curriculum.  The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and at breaktimes.  The inspectors considered the 26 responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including 17 free-text comments. The inspector took account of the 14 responses to the staff survey. The inspectors spoke with a range of pupils across the school to gather their views as there were no responses to the pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Heather Hann, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Paul Fykin Ofsted Inspector 12 and 13 September 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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