St Gregory's Catholic Primary School

Inspection of a good school: St Gregory’s Catholic Primary School Montreal Road, Netherley, Liverpool, Merseyside L27 7AG

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Inspection dates: 22 and 23 February 2024

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Outcome

St Gregory’s Catholic Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy at this school. They enjoy learning and playing in the vibrant and nurturing environment that staff have created for them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Two- and three-year-olds in the early years settle down quickly, listen to adults and each other, take turns and share resources. This very positive behaviour continues through to the end of Year 6. Pupils follow instructions immediately, enjoy sharing ideas in pairs and groups and concentrate intently on learning activities.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know that staff expect them to do their best at all times and to persevere when they encounter difficulties. They enjoy the challenge of rising to these high expectations, and most achieve well in many subjects.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), take full advantage of the wide range of activities that the school provides. The school encourages pupils to put themselves in the shoes of those less fortunate than themselves. For example, they help to organise activities to raise money for local and global charities. As they get older, pupils have increasing opportunities to take on responsibilities. For instance, some lead assemblies and some are play leaders or ambassadors for subjects, including mathematics.

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

The school has ensured that its curriculum in all subjects is well devised and ambitious. The curriculum has been carefully designed so that new learning builds on what pupils already know. This extends to the early years, including the provision for two-year-old children. The curriculum gradually develops the subject-specific vocabulary that pupils need to be successful learners. In a range of subjects, the curriculum ensures that pupils 22 and 23 February 2024

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learn about the local area. Pupils with SEND successfully follow the same curriculum as their peers and confidently learn alongside them. Teachers know what to teach and the order in which pupils should learn subject content. Staff use a wide variety of resources effectively to explain tasks and concepts. They choose appropriate activities to help pupils learn.

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In the main, staff use appropriate strategies to help pupils remember what they have learned in the past. This helps most to connect new learning to what they already know. However, for some, the strategies that staff use to build long-term memory do not work well enough. As a result, in some subjects, some pupils struggle to remember important learning.

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The school regularly checks pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the curriculum in each subject. Teachers often use this information to adapt teaching to address any gaps in learning. However, some teachers do not check pupils’ understanding carefully enough. On occasion, they do not spot those pupils who have not fully understood and who might benefit from further explanation or practice. Consequently, at times, unaddressed misconceptions hinder learning.

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Reading is a priority in this school. Children in the Nursery classes, including those who access the two-year-old provision, learn about letters and their corresponding sounds. They enjoy joining in with stories, songs and rhymes. From the start of the Reception Year, children follow the school’s phonics programme. Teachers and teaching assistants are highly skilled at teaching early reading. They make sure that pupils keep up and that most become confident and fluent readers.

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Pupils enjoy reading. Staff encourage them to read a wide range of books for pleasure. They share their own enthusiasm for reading and give pupils frequent opportunities to listen to adults reading to them.

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The school quickly identifies the needs of pupils with SEND. It liaises with parents and carers, and outside agencies to ensure that these pupils receive the best possible support. The school makes sure that pupils with SEND benefit from all that the school has to offer, socially and academically. Pupils with SEND achieve well.

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Staff’s infectious enthusiasm for the subjects that they teach contributes to pupils’ positive behaviour and attitudes to learning. Pupils enjoy well-established learning routines. When they encounter difficulties, they help each other and use resources to find things out for themselves.

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The school gives pupils many opportunities to develop personally and socially. Pupils learn about people who are different from themselves, including in culture, race and religion. They gain an age-appropriate awareness of consent and healthy relationships. They learn about their responsibilities as citizens, including responsibility for the school’s carbon footprint.

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Staff are proud to work at this school. They feel valued. Changes to the school’s policies and procedures take account of their impact on staff’s workload. Governors use their 22 and 23 February 2024

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considerable experience, expertise and knowledge of the school to contribute strongly to its development. The school involves parents as partners in their children’s education, including inviting them to workshops about how to support their child’s reading.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 For some pupils, the strategies that teachers use to help them remember learning over time are not sufficiently effective. As a result, some pupils do not remember enough of what they have learned in the past. The school should ensure that teachers make effective use of opportunities to revisit learning so that pupils know and remember more over time.  Sometimes, teachers do not spot when some pupils have not fully understood their learning. They move on to new learning too quickly for some pupils. As a result, at times, learning is hindered by lingering misconceptions. The school should ensure that teachers check that all pupils have understood what has been taught before new knowledge is introduced.

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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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in November 2018.

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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. 22 and 23 February 2024

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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). 22 and 23 February 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 27 and 28 November 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 St. Gregory’s Catholic Primary School is a voluntary-aided school in the Archdiocese of Liverpool. The school’s last section 48 inspection took place in July 2019. The next section 48 inspection is due to take place in 2025.  The school runs before- and after-school clubs for pupils.  The school has provision for two-year-old children.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision for pupils.

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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 her evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher and members of the senior leadership team. She also met with a cross-section of staff. 22 and 23 February 2024

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 The inspector conducted deep dives in these subjects: early reading, geography and mathematics. For each deep dive, she 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. She listened to some pupils read to a familiar adult.  The inspector had a discussion with members of the local governing body. On the telephone, she spoke to a representative of the Archdiocese of Liverpool. She spoke to a representative of the local authority.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the 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 inspector had a discussion with pupils about their experiences of school.

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 The inspector considered responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. She also considered the responses to Ofsted’s surveys for staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Liz Kelly Ofsted Inspector 22 and 23 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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