St Mary & St Joseph Catholic Primary School - a Catholic voluntary academy

Inspection of St Mary & St Joseph Catholic Primary School – a Catholic voluntary academy Maxwell Road, Pocklington YO42 2HE

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

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Overall effectiveness Good

The executive headteacher of this school is Julie Sutherland. This school is part of St Cuthbert’s Roman 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, Karen Siedle, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by David Laws. 4 and 5 October 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Adults have high expectations of what pupils will learn across the curriculum at St Mary and St Joseph’s Academy. Pupils are happy, feel safe and achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils discuss their learning well in subjects such as science and history. Carrying out science experiments helps pupils to know how to keep their teeth clean. Pupils understand that correct diet and exercise are key to good health.

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What is it like to attend this school?

In lessons and around the school, pupils behave well. They like to collect team points so that their team will receive the team point trophy. They are respectful to adults and each other. If bullying happens, adults resolve it promptly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils vote to elect school council members. All members of the school community embrace equality of opportunity. Pupils understand the importance of treating everyone fairly. To support Catholic Aid for Overseas Development, pupils are proud to raise money. They know this money will improve the lives of less-fortunate communities.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There are many opportunities for pupils to develop their talent and interests. Educational visits linked to the curriculum help pupils gain a deeper knowledge about the subjects they study. Pupils enjoyed the visit to Eden Camp as part of their learning about the Second World War.

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better?

The school has put in place a well-sequenced curriculum in all subjects. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) learn the same curriculum as their peers. Curriculum leaders have strong knowledge from training they have accessed. Trust leaders have empowered curriculum leaders to make improvements in the teaching of their subject.

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better?

In lessons, teachers choose tasks that help pupils to remember key knowledge from the curriculum. Teachers use appropriate resources, which helps pupils with SEND to access the same curriculum. All pupils learn together.

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better?

In foundation subjects, teachers know to check what pupils can remember. However, the approach to doing so is inconsistent and not fully effective. This is because the school has not yet exactly identified what pupils need to know and remember at some specific points in time. Although the school is aware of this, and work to address it is underway, further work is needed.

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better?

Early reading is delivered with consistency. It starts straight away in Reception. Pupils enjoy taking part in phonics lessons and learn to read quickly. The books pupils read match the sounds they are learning. All staff, including those who teach extra phonics, teach it with the same approach. This means that pupils catch-up quickly in reading. 4 and 5 October 2023

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Reading is celebrated in many ways across the school, such as listening to class readers. Pupils are motivated to read by taking on the ‘100 book reading challenge’ during their time at the school.

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The curriculum in early years is well organised and sequenced. Through stories, adults identify vocabulary they want children to know and use. Story time is very exciting. Children are especially attentive. Adults ask questions that extend children’s language. Children respond to adult requests and behave well. In small groups, children concentrate at length when drawing and cutting. They independently recall songs and rhymes they have learned, such as ‘The Wheels on the Bus’. Children have many opportunities to be active outdoors. They move and play around the area well.

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There is a carefully considered personal, social, health and economic curriculum in place to support pupils’ well-being. Pupils develop good character by following the ‘Superhero Challenge’ They show perseverance with comments like ‘Keep it up Captain’.

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Pupils understand how to stay safe online, while bicycling and in water. They enjoy taking part in a variety of sports in physical education. Pupils participate in a cross- country competition with other schools. There are many after-school clubs that pupils like to attend, such as choir. Pupils learn how to play board games or dance.

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Leaders have been thorough in making sure attendance has improved. They promote the importance of attending school to parents. Pupils’ high attendance ensures they are able to access the curriculum offer fully.

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Trustees perform statutory duties diligently. They hold senior leaders to account for the quality of education in the school. Teachers feel well supported. Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Across the foundation subjects, the approach to checking what pupils know and can do is inconsistent and not fully effective. This hampers the school’s ability to identify and address any gaps in pupils’ knowledge. The school needs to ensure that what they want pupils to know at specific points in time across all foundation subjects is clear and that all teachers check this effectively. 4 and 5 October 2023

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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). 4 and 5 October 2023

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School details

Local authority East Riding of Yorkshire

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School details

Website www.stmaryandstjosephrcprimary.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school is part of St Cuthbert’s Roman Catholic Academy Trust.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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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.

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Information about this inspection

 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 held meetings with the headteacher, curriculum leaders and other staff. They reviewed a range of documentation.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, science and history. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with 4 and 5 October 2023

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subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors met with leaders with overall responsibility for safeguarding and looked at school safeguarding records. They also reviewed the single central record.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted’s staff survey and the Ofsted Parent View questionnaire, including any free-text responses. Inspectors talked to pupils to gather their views on school life. They also talked to parents.

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Inspection team

Lesley Allwood, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Linda Collier Ofsted Inspector 4 and 5 October 2023

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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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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