Our Lady's Catholic Primary School

Inspection of Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School Henshaw Road, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire NN8 2BE

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Inspection dates: 31 January and 1 February 2024

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Good

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

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

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The headteacher of this school is Elise Gribble. This school is part of Our Lady Immaculate Catholic Academies Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Tony Bishop, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Christopher Donnellan. 31 January and 1 February 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school, alongside the trust, have prioritised the development of the curriculum and systems to support pupils’ behaviour. However, it is early days. Some pupils do not attend regularly enough to benefit from these developments. Pupils, particularly the most disadvantaged, do not recall the school’s curriculum with increasing fluency.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know that adults will listen to any worries or concerns they may have. They understand that the new school behaviour systems are fair. The ‘I can and I will’ celebration assemblies help pupils to develop their understanding of how to be a good learner.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils are well mannered and courteous. They like their teachers. They enjoy participating in events such as visits to the pantomime and performing in school productions. Pupils appreciate the roles and responsibilities they have such as eco- warriors and the well-being champions. The wide range of after-school clubs helps pupils to participate in different sports, arts and musical activities. Where needed, the school ensures all pupils can access these activities.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Every week, children in the early years enjoy sharing a ‘book and biscuit’ with a family member. This has helped some parents and carers to understand how to help their child at home.

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better?

The school has navigated a period of significant staffing and leadership changes. It is now in a more stable position. Improvements to the school are now being secured. However, some of the school’s shared values, policies and systems are not yet fully embedded.

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better?

The school, alongside the trust, has raised its expectations of what pupils can and should achieve. Developments in the curriculum and in systems for supporting pupils’ behaviour have been introduced. However, many of these developments are at the very early stages of being implemented. They have not yet made a meaningful impact on outcomes for the most disadvantaged pupils in school.

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better?

The recent revisions in the school’s curriculum have ensured that there is a clear, logical order of knowledge that pupils must know and recall. It matches the breadth of the national curriculum. However, the curriculum is not implemented as the school intends. Sometimes adults do not address misconceptions. At other times, the curriculum is not taught with accuracy. Adaptations to meet the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are not consistent. As a result, in some subjects, pupils find it more challenging to learn the curriculum. Where this is the case, pupils find it difficult to remember important knowledge and to talk about their learning. 31 January and 1 February 2024

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Staff have received training to teach the school’s early reading programme. Most pupils learn to sound out unfamiliar words with increasing confidence. Children in the early years use this knowledge in their play. They confidently apply the sounds they learn in their independent writing. Older pupils learn to read with more fluency. They are developing their knowledge of how to read and understand more complex texts. However, some disadvantaged pupils do not attend school regularly enough to benefit from the school’s approach to reading.

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Most pupils understand and respond well to the new expectations for behaviour. For some, it has supported them to regulate their behaviour successfully. Where needed, the school seeks advice from external agencies to meet the needs of some pupils. Although there are early signs of improvement, further developments are required to ensure that all pupils, including the most disadvantaged, develop positive attitudes to learning and attendance.

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Children in the early years get off to a strong start. Staff have a clear understanding of gaps in children’s early development. They adapt the learning environment and the curriculum to ensure these early gaps are addressed. For example, the mathematical provision has increased because checks indicated children’s sense of number needed more development.

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The school places a strong emphasis on fostering pupils’ wider personal development. Pupils’ talents and interests are considered when developing this offer. They learn how to keep themselves physically and mentally healthy. They learn how to stay safe online. Pupils respect and value different communities in society. They have a sense of equality and fairness. As one pupil commented, ‘If people are treated differently, it is so they get the same as everyone else.’

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Most staff enjoy working at this school. They recognise the recent improvements that have been made. They appreciate the training and development they receive from the trust. Those responsible for governance support the school well and recognise the areas that need to improve.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 After a period of turbulence, leaders have set ambitious plans for pupils in school. However, these ambitions are not yet fully realised. This means that not all pupils, particularly the most disadvantaged, reach their full potential and are not completely prepared for their next stage in education. The school must ensure that all pupils receive a high-quality education through strong, shared values, policies and systems. 31 January and 1 February 2024

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 New systems for promoting behaviour and attendance have been recently introduced. Many of these are not yet fully embedded which means some pupils have not yet fully benefited from these approaches. The school must ensure that it fully implements the new systems for attendance, behaviour and attitudes so they impact positively on pupil outcomes.  The school’s curriculum is implemented inconsistently. Sometimes staff do not address pupils’ misconceptions. At other times, the curriculum is not taught with accuracy. This limits the progress pupils, particularly the most disadvantaged, make. The school must make checks to ensure the curriculum is implemented as intended. It must ensure that all staff have the expertise to teach it.

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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). 31 January and 1 February 2024

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School details

Website www.ourladyscatholic.northants.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School is part of Our Lady Immaculate Catholic Academies Trust.  Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School converted to become an academy in January 2021. When its predecessor school, Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted in March 2020, it was judged to be inadequate overall.  The last section 48 diocesan canonical inspection for this school took place in June 2023. This is an inspection of the school’s religious character.  There have been significant changes to the leadership of the school. The headteacher was appointed in April 2022. The deputy headteacher took up position in June 2023. Many staff are new to the school.  The school uses three alternative providers. Two of these providers are unregistered.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education 31 January and 1 February 2024

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 Inspections are a point-in-time judgment about the quality of a school’s educational 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.  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.  The inspectors spoke with school leaders, subject leaders, parents, pupils, representatives from the trust and those responsible for the governance of the school.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, geography and art and design. For each deep dive, the inspectors

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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 leaders and pupils about the curriculum in some other subjects.  The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site. Additionally, inspectors spoke to pupils to discuss their views about the school. They considered information about pupils’ behaviour and attitudes, including information for pupil attendance and suspensions.  The inspectors considered responses to Ofsted Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey for parents, and met with some parents during the inspection. Inspectors also considered responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff.

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Inspection team

Shaheen Hussain, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Halil Tamgumus Ofsted Inspector 31 January and 1 February 2024

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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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