St John Fisher Catholic Primary School

Inspection of a good school: St John Fisher Catholic Primary School Kineton Road, Coventry, West Midlands CV2 3NR

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Inspection dates: 12 and 13 September 2023

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Outcome

St John Fisher Catholic Primary School continues to be a good school.

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Outcome

The executive principal of the school is Dee Williams. The school is part of the Romero Catholic Academy, which means that other people in the multi-academy company also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the senior executive leader, Helen Quinn, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Brendan Fawcett.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school and feel welcomed by staff. Pupils care for each other. They listen to what their friends say and help with any worries that they might have. Pupils are happy and safe in school. They are tolerant and respectful. Pupils know about different cultures and religions. They open their arms in friendship to help new pupils settle in quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff model the behaviour that is expected throughout the school. Pupils respect and respond to these expectations and behave well. They are polite and show good manners towards each other and staff. In lessons, pupils show excellent attitudes towards learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff look and listen out for the welfare of pupils. Should any concerns arise, the school acts quickly and effectively. Pupils know the importance of their own mental health. They learn how to keep mentally and physically healthy.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school presents an ambitious curriculum for its pupils. Pupils are expected to acquire skills and knowledge that prepare them well for their secondary education. They thrive on the challenges that sit in the curriculum and achieve well. Pupils experience and gain from a wide range of opportunities, such as educational visits to local places of interest.

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

Staff at St John Fisher welcome all pupils. A strong Catholic ethos pervades the school. Pupils know and understand fundamental British values through their learning about school values. Pupils concentrate and persevere in their studies. They trust staff to listen and respond to what they have to say. In lessons, pupils share thoughts and ideas with 12 and 13 September 2023

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each other in a way that helps them reflect on their learning about other cultures and religions. They recognise the importance of celebrating being unique.

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Together with the multi-academy company (MAC), the school plans the curriculum carefully. MAC directors, along with the local governing board, support and challenge the school well. They are always seeking ways to improve their work further. The school ensures that staff teach subject skills and knowledge in the right order, starting from early years. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, use what they have already been taught to help with new learning. At the end of studying fractions, one pupil said, ‘... and now I can do it easily’.

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Teachers use their secure subject knowledge to deliver the curriculum well. In early years, for example, staff know how children’s current learning can support pupils with future learning. In computing, very young pupils learn how to put days of the week in sequence and how to solve simple problems. When pupils come across coding in later years, this learning serves them well, for example when debugging a programme.

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Pupils get off to a great start in learning to read. Staff ensure that they help every pupil to read fluently. Staff receive effective support to enable them to teach phonics well. Younger pupils choose books that enable them to practise sounds that they have already come across. This helps them develop fluency in their reading. Staff are quick to spot any pupil who needs a little extra support. Staff change their teaching approach to help these pupils keep up.

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The curriculum enables pupils to become knowledgeable in a range of subjects, particularly in mathematics. Working with MAC colleagues, school leaders check that pupils learn the curriculum well. This includes in early years, where a focus on teaching numbers and counting is effective. Pupils know how teachers support them in their learning. Time spent practising skills allows pupils to use mathematics confidently and competently across subjects.

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The school uses a range of strategies to know what is working well across subjects. This is more effective in some subjects than in others. Where this is finely tuned, leaders make astute decisions that strengthen teachers’ practice. This is not the case for all subjects.

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Pupils take part in a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities. These include sporting, musical and creative activities. Pupils enjoy and willingly step up to leadership roles. These include helping younger pupils get back to class safely after lunch.

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All leaders support staff well in managing workload. Staff feel supported and valued. They talk about feeling a strong sense of belonging to the school and its community.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 12 and 13 September 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school does not have the same depth of knowledge about specific strengths and areas for improvement across all subjects. This means that teachers’ subject knowledge is more secure in some subjects than in others. The school should continue to extend the effective monitoring strategies so that these are consistent across the curriculum.

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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, St John Fisher Catholic Primary School, to be good in 2012.

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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). 12 and 13 September 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority Board of directors

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School details

Website www.st-johnfisher.coventry.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 6 March 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 St John Fisher Catholic Primary School is part of the Romero Catholic Academy.  This Catholic primary school is part of the Archdiocese of Birmingham. Its most recent section 48 inspection for schools of a religious character took place in November 2021. The next inspection will be within eight years of the previous section 48 inspection.  Currently, no pupils attend alternative provision.  The school has a before- and after-school club on site. This provision is managed by the school.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school's education provision.

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Information about this inspection

This was the first 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 the evaluation of the school. 12 and 13 September 2023

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 The inspector met with the executive principal, MAC colleagues, and senior and other leaders. He also met with members of the local governing board and trustees.  The inspector carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics, and design and technology. For each deep dive, the inspector met with subject leaders, visited lessons, spoke with teachers and pupils and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Pupils were observed reading to members of staff. Other subjects were considered as part of the inspection.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: reviewed the single 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 inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school. He spoke with pupils about their experiences in school, including how safe they feel.

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 The inspector considered the views of parents and carers through Ofsted Parent View, an online survey. The inspector considered the views of staff and pupils through surveys and discussions.  The inspector reviewed a range of documents shared by school leaders.  The inspector spoke to staff about their workload and well-being.

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Inspection team

Jeremy Bird, lead inspector 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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