Our Lady's Catholic Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Our Lady's Catholic Primary School East Meadway, Tile Cross, Birmingham, West Midlands B33 0AU

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Inspection dates: 28 and 29 February 2024

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Outcome

Our Lady's Catholic Primary School continues to be a good school.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Sarah Cahill. This school is part of Our Lady and All Saints Multi-Academy Company (MAC) which means other people in the MAC also have responsibility for running the school. The MAC is run by the catholic senior executive leader, Peter Davis, and overseen by a board of directors, chaired by Paul Bentley.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Positive and caring relationships are at the heart of this school. Pupils attend happily and regularly. They are greeted warmly each day by staff who put their needs first. This helps pupils to feel safe in school. They say, ‘there is always someone to help.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious that pupils achieve well. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Many curriculum areas have plans that support learning. These now help pupils to make stronger progress. This is evident in high-quality work in books.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff model the school’s high-behaviour expectations consistently. They are excellent role models in how pupils should treat each other. This is evident in how beautifully pupils behave and how kindly they talk about each member of the school community. Mutual respect is commonplace and a praiseworthy feature of the school. Pupils behave well in lessons. They listen carefully to their teachers and engage well with each other to support their learning. This starts in the early years where children show high levels of concentration and cooperate with each other impressively well.

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

Pupils have many opportunities to develop a love of books and stories. Carefully chosen texts are used to support the teaching of the curriculum. Other books are shared for pupils to enjoy. The school has carefully considered the books they use so pupils can identify with the characters. 28 and 29 February 2024

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The school places a high priority on ensuring all staff are trained well to teach phonics. Careful assessments ensure pupils are grouped according to their ability. The school quickly notices pupils at risk of falling behind. Swift support is put in place to provide extra sessions to help them keep up and catch up. However, some of the books pupils read do not carefully match pupils’ individual phonics ability. This hinders some of the good work the school does in teaching phonics. Pupils do not get the opportunity to consistently apply their knowledge to reading unknown texts with confidence and fluency.

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The school has introduced innovative and exciting ways to engage pupils with their learning. This leads to pupils who are interested in lessons and keen to contribute. This includes pupils with SEND. The school uses many approaches to support pupils to remember what they have learned before. This supports them with future learning. Teachers address misconceptions in lessons and support pupils well to address any aspects of the lesson they are unsure about. Pupils take great pride in their work. Books are presented to a high standard and staff show that they value the pupils’ efforts.

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Pupils with SEND are identified quickly. The school does all it can to ensure these pupils are fully involved in the life of the school. Careful adaptations in lessons allow pupils to learn effectively alongside their peers. Some pupils need more tailored support. Skilful staff support the social and emotional needs of these pupils very well. They also support them to achieve carefully agreed targets in a stimulating and purposeful setting.

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The school places a high priority on pupils and staff behaving with courtesy and respect towards each other. The expectations are well embedded and well understood and start in the early years. Pupils quickly learn what is expected of them. A highly effective pastoral team provides a great level of support for any pupil who finds it difficult to rise to these high expectations. Leaders take proportionate and appropriate action in the best interest of every pupil in the school when issues arise. Difficult decisions are made with a strong sense of moral purpose and with the needs of all pupils at the centre.

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The school provides a wealth of opportunities for pupils to develop into caring and active citizens of the future. There are wide and varied opportunities that extend well beyond the classroom and help bring learning to life. This includes trips to London and to Lourdes. Pupils realise the difference they can make in the world by suggesting innovative ways of raising money for local, national and international charities. They have opportunities to develop leadership skills. The pupil governors have a strong voice in school and work with leaders to bring about improvements they suggest.

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The school is led with drive and compassion. Staff fully support the school’s vision. The highly effective support provided by the MAC drives this further. Staff are proud to be members of the Our Lady’s family. They feel valued and cared for because they are. They appreciate the efforts to support workload and understand that the school’s determination to look after their personal well-being is a priority. It is an effective staff team, that works in the best interest of children and pupils. 28 and 29 February 2024

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some pupils have reading books that are not well matched to their phonic level. This means that some pupils do not receive enough opportunities to practise what they are being taught in phonics lessons and are not developing fluency in reading quickly enough. The school should ensure that pupils read books which are closely matched to their abilities and that staff monitor this effectively.

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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 to be good in April 2016.

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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. 28 and 29 February 2024

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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). 28 and 29 February 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority Board of directors

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School details

Date(s) of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 This is an average-sized primary school.  The school is a Roman Catholic School.  The school is part of the Our Lady’s and All Saints multi-academy company.  The school has a school-led breakfast club and after-school club.  A section 48 inspection to evaluate the distinctiveness and effectiveness of Our Lady’s Catholic Primary school as a Catholic School took place in July 2023.

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Information about this inspection

The inspector carried out this ungraded inspection under section 8 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.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 28 and 29 February 2024

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 The inspector held meetings with the headteacher, deputy headteacher and subject leaders.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and computing. For each deep dive, the inspector 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.  The inspector also looked at samples of pupils’ work in a range of subjects, including English, geography, and art and design.  The lead inspector spoke with the chair of directors and three members of the local academy board.  The inspector met with the CESL of the MAC and the director of school improvement.  The lead inspector spoke on the telephone with a representative from diocese.  The lead inspector listened to a sample of pupils read to a familiar adult.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons at different times of the day and at

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breaktimes and lunchtimes. They spoke formally with groups of pupils, as well as talking to pupils in lessons and around school.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the lead 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 lead inspector reviewed a wide range of documents, including the school’s self- evaluation and improvement plans and information on the school’s website.  The inspector talked informally with pupils and staff to gather general information about school life. In addition, they took account of the responses to Ofsted’s surveys of staff’s, pupils’ and parents’ views.

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Inspection team

Keri Baylis, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector 28 and 29 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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