Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy

Inspection of Our Lady & St Paul’s RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy Sutherland Road, Darnhill, Heywood, Lancashire OL10 3PD

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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 Outstanding

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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 headteacher of this school is Marie Gavin. This school is part of St Teresa of Calcutta Catholic Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Chris Foley, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Marie Garside CBE. 12 and 13 September 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy coming to this welcoming and caring school. The school is building positive relationships with families across the school community. Pupils feel safe. They know that staff will listen to them and give them the support that they need. Pupils praise the care offered by the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children get off to a flying start in the early years. The school is ambitious for the achievement of all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The majority of pupils achieve well in most subjects.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are polite and have good manners. They speak confidently with visitors. They are proud to take on leadership roles, for example as members of the school council. The school deals with any bullying effectively. There are high expectations for behaviour. Classrooms are calm. This allows pupils to do their best in lessons.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a wide range of high-quality opportunities that enhance their learning and support their personal development. The school has made many links with outside organisations and this helps to support its vision to raise aspirations. Pupils participate in interesting trips and visits. There is also a wide range of clubs, including arts, crafts and numerous sports.

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

The school, with the support of the trust, is successfully reversing a legacy of underachievement. It has made improvements to the curriculum in recent years. These have had a positive impact on results in the reading, writing and mathematics assessments at key stage 1. However, results at the end of key stage 2 in 2022 were affected by the legacy of instability of staffing and the negative impact of the COVID- 19 pandemic.

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

The trust has supported the school in addressing its staffing issues, and there is now greater stability and strength across the school. The school has reviewed the curriculum. It is ambitious for all pupils, including pupils with SEND. The school has identified the key knowledge that pupils should acquire. However, in some subjects, staff’s variable subject knowledge and levels of confidence mean that learning is not precise enough to ensure that pupils acquire and retain this knowledge over time.

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

The curriculums in most subjects are organised well. However, some subjects are less well developed. In these subjects, teaching is not precise enough to ensure pupils learn more and remember more over time.

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

Teachers make checks on pupils’ learning. This helps them to identify which pupils need more help or guidance. In most subjects, the school gathers a range of information about how the curriculum supports pupils’ learning. However, in some subjects other than mathematics and English, pupils show an insecure recall over time of what they have learned. 12 and 13 September 2023

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Children make an excellent start to their education in the early years. The curriculum in early years has been developed over a greater period of time. It is well designed to meet the identified needs of children in the Nursery and Reception classes. As a result, children make excellent progress from their starting points. They are well prepared for their future learning in Year 1.

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The school has introduced a well-ordered phonics curriculum. Teachers in the early years and in key stage 1 build pupils’ phonic knowledge skilfully. They make sure that pupils read books that are carefully matched to their phonic knowledge. Teachers are swift to spot any pupils who may be falling behind with their reading. Staff help these pupils to catch up quickly. Pupils are developing effective reading habits.

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Pupils behave well. They rarely disturb the learning of their peers. The school has developed a highly effective programme of learning to support pupils’ personal development. It makes sure that pupils learn about a range of important issues, such as equality and fundamental British values. The school has created a link with a primary school in a different community to enhance pupils’ understanding of diversity. Pupils have extensive opportunities beyond the classroom. For example, working alongside a local football foundation, they are able to develop confidence and pride in their talents. Pastoral support for pupils is very effective.

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The school identifies the needs of pupils with SEND accurately. Detailed learning plans set out precisely the help that these pupils should receive in school. Staff implement these plans well, and this gives pupils with SEND access to the same curriculum as other pupils. The school works closely with outside agencies and specialist providers to ensure that pupils with SEND receive the support that they need.

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The trust and members of the local governing body have worked effectively to monitor progress against the actions in the school’s development plan. The school takes staff’s workload and well-being into consideration when making decisions. Staff feel respected and valued.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some foundation subjects, the school’s curriculum development is not as far forward as in others. This means pupils’ knowledge in these subjects is not as secure as leaders would wish. The school and trust should sharpen aspects of teaching, which will help pupils to know more and remember more over time. 12 and 13 September 2023

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 Across some foundation-subject curriculums, teachers’ subject knowledge and confidence are not secure. Consequently, sometimes learning activities do not provide pupils with opportunities to deepen and remember their knowledge sufficiently well. The school and trust need to support teachers in improving their subject knowledge and confidence so that teaching enables pupils to know more and remember more.

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How can I feed back my views?

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

Date(s) of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Our Lady and St Paul’s RC Primary School is a member of the St Teresa of Calcutta Catholic Academy Trust.  Our Lady and St Paul’s RC Primary School converted to become an academy in September 2020. When its predecessor school, Our Lady and St Paul’s RC Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be inadequate overall.  The school does not make use of any alternative providers for pupils.  This school is a Roman Catholic voluntary-aided school. The school’s last section 48 inspection, for schools of a religious character, took place in June 2023. The next inspection will take place within five years.  An acting deputy headteacher was appointed for the autumn term.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. 12 and 13 September 2023

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 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. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors spoke with the headteacher, the acting deputy headteacher and with other leaders and members of staff. They also spoke with members of the multi- academy trust and the local governing body, and with a representative of the diocese.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: 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.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics, history, and art

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and design. They talked with curriculum leaders of these subject areas. Inspectors also visited lessons, looked at examples of pupils’ work, held discussions with teachers and talked with pupils. They also observed some pupils reading to staff.  Inspectors also considered other subjects. They discussed the curriculums with leaders.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in class and as they moved around the school. They also observed pupils in the dining hall and playing outside at lunchtime.  Inspectors spoke with two groups of pupils about their experiences at school.  Inspectors looked at the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text responses. They also met with parents before school to find out their views on the school.  Inspectors also took account of the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff and for pupils.

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Inspection team

Ian Shackleton, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Lisa Whittaker 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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