St Patrick's Roman Catholic Primary School

Inspection of St Patrick’s Roman Catholic Primary School Foxholes Road, Rochdale, Lancashire OL12 0ET

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Inspection dates: 21 and 22 November 2023

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding 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 Kathryn Bishop. 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.

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Overall effectiveness Good

Ofsted has not previously inspected St Patrick’s Roman Catholic Primary School as an academy under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 as, until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between inspections. Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last graded inspection of the predecessor school. 21 and 22 November 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school places no barriers on what pupils can achieve. It has high expectations for all pupils. Across the school, pupils live up to these expectations. This is particularly impressive in the early years, where children get off to a very strong start. They develop the attitudes to learning and solid foundation of knowledge that they need to be ready for the demands of Year 1 and beyond.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ behaviour and attitudes to learning are exemplary. They arrive each day happy to begin learning. Pupils take responsibility for their own behaviour and genuinely care about how their actions may impact on others. Highly respectful relationships feature throughout the school. The school knows pupils’ needs in detail. Pupils receive the support they need to behave well. Consequently, learning is rarely disrupted, and pupils do not worry about bullying. Pupils take the lead in ensuring that playtimes are calm and purposeful.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the impact that the school has on their children. They praise the individual care and attention that their children receive. Parents appreciate how the school communicates with them.

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better?

Pupils follow an ambitious curriculum. This begins in the early years, where the school carefully balances children’s interests with setting out the important knowledge that they need to know and remember. Children in the early years make exceptional progress from their starting points. This prepares them well for their future learning. In most subjects, pupils build a rich body of knowledge over time. Staff make precise checks on any gaps in knowledge that pupils have. They use this information to design learning to support pupils to build on what they already know. In a few subjects, the order that staff introduce key knowledge to pupils does not help them to learn as well as they could. Consequently, in these subjects, pupils do not remember enough of their learning over time.

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better?

Subject leaders share their expert subject knowledge with other staff. This means that staff are able to design learning activities that engage and interest pupils. Staff adapt learning well to enable all pupils to take part. Wherever possible, pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) follow the full curriculum alongside their peers. Staff identify pupils’ additional needs well. They carefully consider the support that pupils need to be able to learn effectively. Staff are tenacious in checking and improving the support that pupils receive.

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better?

Pupils develop a love of reading. Children in Reception value books and often read for pleasure. They learn about the sounds that letters make as soon as they join the school. Children quickly learn to read and write with increasing accuracy. Pupils throughout the school read books that match their reading knowledge. This helps them to be confident and fluent readers. Staff have the expertise they need to spot 21 and 22 November 2023

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if a pupil falls behind the pace of the phonics programme. If this happens, pupils receive the help that they need to catch up quickly.

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Pupils know the school rules well. They learn to build resilience, develop their confidence and show self-control. For example, in the early years, children maintain concentration and seek to improve their work without adult support. Pupils know that it is their responsibility to behave well, ‘even when no one is looking’.

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Pupils take pride in the school being a friendly and welcoming place. They encourage everyone to do their best. For example, through the buddy system, the Year 6 ‘gardeners’ help their reception ‘seeds’ to flourish. In the early years, children start each day and begin their learning activities with a sense of joy. Children know the routines and expectations that staff have of them. They are proud of their achievements and speak about their learning with confidence.

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The school prioritises pupils’ wider development. Pupils learn about the different lives that people live. This includes different types of relationships and different beliefs. Pupils benefit from a range of opportunities to develop leadership skills. For example, ‘Pat’s pals’ look out for others and signpost them to help if they need it. Pupils know how to keep safe online. They learn how to identify risks and how to report them to adults.

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The school has an accurate overview of what is working well. There are secure plans in place for the school’s next steps. Decisions about improvement are carefully balanced with the demands on staff workload. The school ensures that staff have the time that they need to embed new ideas. The trust provides suitable support and challenge to the school. It checks that the school’s actions have the intended impact on the quality of education that pupils receive.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, the order that pupils learn important knowledge does not help them to build knowledge as well as they could. Consequently, pupils do not remember enough of their learning over time. The trust and the school should ensure that the sequence of learning in all subjects helps pupils to know and remember more over time. 21 and 22 November 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). 21 and 22 November 2023

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School details

Website www.stpatricksprimary.stoccat.org.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 St Patrick’s Roman Catholic Primary School converted to become an academy school in October 2017. When its predecessor school was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be outstanding overall.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  The headteacher has joined the school since the previous inspection.  This is a Roman Catholic school and is part of the Diocese of Salford. The school’s most recent section 48 inspection for schools of a religious character took place in February 2019. Its next section 48 inspection is due before 2026.  The school runs on-site before- and after-school provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. 21 and 22 November 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 carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, science, and design and technology. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also spoke to the school about the curriculum in some other subjects.  Inspectors heard some pupils read to a trusted adult.  Inspectors spoke with school leaders, subject leaders, pupils and parents.  An inspector met with members of the local governing board, including the chair

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of governors, and the chair of the trust. They also met 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 considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View. This included the free-text responses. Inspectors also considered responses to Ofsted’s online staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Jane Dennis, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Elaine Jackson Ofsted Inspector 21 and 22 November 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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