St Teresa's Catholic Primary School and Nursery

Inspection of a good school: St Teresa’s Catholic Primary School and Nursery Long Elmes, Harrow Weald, Harrow, Middlesex HA3 6LE

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Inspection dates: 13 and 14 September 2023

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Outcome

St Teresa’s Catholic Primary School and Nursery continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and safe at St Teresa’s. The school’s values of trust, appreciation, respect, honesty and love are at the heart of this community. Pupils describe school as friendly and caring. Pupils have high expectations of themselves and others. They consistently rise to these high standards.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are ambitious for pupils to succeed. The curriculum has been carefully designed in response to what pupils need to learn. Behaviour and attitudes to learning are strong. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

A broad range of opportunities and experiences are provided that enrich the curriculum. For example, pupils complete a finance challenge as part of learning about money in mathematics. Additional activities, such as karate, boxing and French, develop pupils’ talents and interests.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to represent their school. For example, members of the choir have had the opportunity to sing at Wembley Arena. Pupils readily take on additional responsibilities, such as being an elected member of the school council and organising fundraising for different charities. Pupils take pride in their school community. This includes taking it in turns to complete litter picking around the site.

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

Pupils learn a broad curriculum which meets the ambition and scope of what is expected nationally. The most important knowledge pupils need to learn has been identified from early years onwards. This helps pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to build their knowledge and understanding in different subjects.

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

Careful thought has been given to how the curriculum is sequenced so that pupils practise and embed important concepts. For example, in mathematics, children in early years 13 and 14 September 2023

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practise making numbers in different ways. This helps older pupils to work more confidently with larger numbers, including those with decimals. Similarly, in history, pupils learn about different sources of information. This helps them to find out about different events in history, such as the Harrow and Wealdstone train crash.

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In most subjects, assessment is used well to check what pupils have learned. Any misconceptions are identified and corrected. However, in a few subjects this is less consistent. In these instances, some pupils do not develop as deep an understanding because gaps in their knowledge have not been identified and addressed. Pupils with SEND are swiftly identified and well supported. This is because staff understand the needs of pupils and ensure appropriate adaptations are in place. As a result, pupils access the same curriculum as their peers wherever possible.

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Reading is prioritised, from the early years. Pupils enjoy reading and being read to. For example, older pupils seize the opportunity to be buddy readers to their younger peers. Staff have received appropriate training to deliver the chosen phonics programme with consistency. Pupils have sufficient opportunity to read books that are well matched to the sounds that they know. Pupils who require additional support are accurately identified, and receive appropriate and timely intervention. This means that pupils learn to read with fluency and confidence.

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There are clear and consistently applied expectations for pupils’ behaviour. This ensures a purposeful, calm and orderly atmosphere in lessons and around the school. Pupils play well together at lunchtime and are respectful to each other. Appropriate systems are in place to ensure pupils attend regularly.

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Pupils’ broader personal development is well considered. For example, ‘Cultural Heritage Day’, where pupils dress in traditional clothing, is used to celebrate different cultures. The curriculum is designed to help pupils learn about different religions. Faith leaders in the school help support the spiritual life of the school. Pupils were proud to show the prayer garden as a space for reflection. Pupils learn to keep themselves safe when online and through developing an understanding of what constitutes a healthy relationship.

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Leaders at all levels understand the school’s strengths and priorities for further improvement. Staff value the consideration given to their workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 13 and 14 September 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, assessment is not used as effectively to check that pupils have secured the most important knowledge they need. This means that pupils’ understanding in these areas is not as secure. The school should ensure that assessment is used to check pupils know and remember the most important ideas across the curriculum. This will better help staff to identify and address any misconceptions pupils may have.

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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 March 2014.

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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’ 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). 13 and 14 September 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Barry O’Sullivan

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School details

Date of previous inspection 1 May 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has a Christian religious character. The last section 48 inspection took place in January 2019.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.  The school runs its own breakfast and after-school care.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher, the deputy headteachers and members of staff. They also spoke with a representative of the local authority, and met with a range of governors, including the chair of governors.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, history and mathematics. For each deep dive, the inspector met with subject leaders, visited a 13 and 14 September 2023

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sample of lessons, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of their work.  The inspector also considered the curriculum in some other subjects.  The inspector looked at a range of documents, including leaders’ self-evaluation and priorities for improvement.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: reviewed the single central record of pre-employment checks; 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 views of pupils, parents and staff were gathered through discussions and through their responses to Ofsted’s surveys.

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Inspection team

Sophie Healey-Welch, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 13 and 14 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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