St Peter's Catholic Primary School - a Catholic voluntary academy

Inspection of St Peter's Catholic Primary School - a Catholic voluntary academy North Leas Avenue, Scarborough, North Yorkshire YO12 6LX

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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

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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 executive headteacher of this school is Andrew Krlic. 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 interim chief executive officer, Karen Siedle, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by David Laws. academy 5 and 6 March 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their school. They reflect Catholic values in their behaviour, making sure that everyone feels welcome. All pupils are included in all aspects of school life, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils appreciate the support they receive from staff. They know that staff listen to worries and help resolve problems. This helps pupils to feel safe and happy.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has developed its curriculum since academisation. Leaders continue to refine the curriculum to improve pupils’ attainment. Expectations are high. Staff are ambitious for all pupils, including those with SEND. This helps to motivate pupils to achieve their best. Pupils enjoy earning a ‘golden ticket’ and eating lunch with the headteacher for working hard.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy looking after the environment and people in the local community. Activities include, planting trees, collecting litter and singing at a nearby care home. Pupils learn to be good citizens in their roles as well-being champions, ‘Eco Warriors’ and ‘Junior Chaplains.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

On the whole, parents and carers are happy about the school. They appreciate the education, range of clubs and support that their children receive. However, a few parents say that the school does not communicate well with them.

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better?

The school’s ambitious curriculum begins in Reception where children develop positive attitudes to learning. Pupils benefit from the wider experiences on offer such as visits to Scarborough Castle and the beach. This helps pupils to develop their knowledge of history and geography in the local area.

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better?

In most subjects, such as reading and mathematics, the order in which pupils learn subject content, is clear. The detail in curriculum content supports teachers to design activities. This helps pupils to learn important knowledge in the right order. However, in a few foundation subjects, the precise sequence of knowledge is not mapped out clearly enough. Some activities in lessons do not deepen pupils’ understanding. Consequently, pupils struggle to make connections between previous topics and new learning.

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better?

In mathematics, teachers explain ideas clearly. They ensure activities help pupils to remember what they have learned in previous lessons. For example, pupils answer ‘quick fire’ multiplication tables questions. This helps pupils to answer increasingly complex problems over time. However, pupils’ misconceptions are sometimes not identified quickly enough. They are not addressed effectively. Where this is the case, pupils do not have secure knowledge to quickly move on to the next steps in learning. academy 5 and 6 March 2024

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The school supports pupils to develop a love of reading from the start in Reception. Pupils enjoy the choice of books available such as ‘The Porridge Pot’, in Year 1. They benefit from regular visits to the library. The school ensures that the selection of books available contain rich vocabulary. This helps to develop pupils’ language skills. Staff with expert knowledge in phonics teach a well-structured reading curriculum. In Reception, pupils develop the phonics knowledge that they need to get them off to a flying start. Pupils practise reading books that match the sounds they know. The school routinely checks pupils’ phonics knowledge. Pupils receive effective help to catch up. Pupils achieve well in reading.

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Pupils with SEND have their needs identified quickly. Effective support from staff enables pupils to access the same tasks as their peers most of the time. Staff receive regular and specialist support from the local authority. This helps staff, for instance, to use effective strategies to help pupils to develop their language and communication skills. Pupil ‘passports’ show personalised targets, which are reviewed and updated often. As a result, pupils achieve the best possible outcomes.

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The new behaviour policy is understood and followed by pupils. They value the rewards that they receive such as earning house points. Pupils are effectively supported to improve their behaviour by nurturing staff. Leaders work well with parents to improve attendance. Most pupils attend school often and on time.

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The school prioritises pupils’ personal development. The Catholic ethos in the school ensures that pupils understand equality and celebrate difference. The personal, social, health and economic curriculum is carefully planned and taught to ensure pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain. This includes understanding healthy relationships and how to stay safe online. Pupils know how to keep healthy. They enjoy the snacks available at breaktimes. Pupils make the most of the wide range of lunchtime and after-school clubs on offer. For example, well-being and reflection; scripture doodle and beach school in the summer.

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Leaders on all levels know the school’s strengths and areas to improve. They make sure that actions taken to improve the school benefit all pupils. Staff value the professional development on offer. They feel well supported by leaders to manage their well-being and workload.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some foundation subjects, the steps of learning do not identify the important knowledge that pupils must learn. As a result, some lessons do not build on prior learning well enough to deepen pupils’ knowledge. The school must identify the academy 5 and 6 March 2024

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important knowledge, skills and vocabulary that pupils must learn so they are well prepared for future learning.  In mathematics in some lessons, pupils’ misconceptions are not identified and resolved swiftly and effectively. This means that some pupils are not prepared for future lessons as well as they should be. The school should ensure that checks on pupils’ learning are timely and that feedback addresses any gaps in knowledge.  A small number of parents have mixed views of the school. Some parents, including those of pupils with SEND, do not feel that communication is effective. The school needs to ensure that engagement with parents informs them of the work of the academy to improve provision.

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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). academy 5 and 6 March 2024

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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 the Roman Catholic Diocese of Middlesbrough. Its most recent section 48 inspection was in December 2018. The next inspection will be within eight years of the last.  The school converted to become part of St Cuthbert’s Roman Catholic Academy Trust in September 2022 following the closure of its previous trust.  When the school’s predecessor school, St Peter’s Roman Catholic Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good.  The school runs a breakfast club for pupils who attend the school.  The school does not currently make use of 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. academy 5 and 6 March 2024

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 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 spoke to senior leaders, including the executive headteacher and assistant headteacher who is also the special educational needs coordinator.  The lead inspector held meetings with the interim chief executive officer and school improvement partners for the trust. The chair of the trust joined online. The lead inspector also met with the chair of the local governing board and director of the board of trustees.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector listened to

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some pupils read to a familiar adult.  Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, 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 reviewed a range of school documents and policies, including curriculum policies for all subjects.  The views of parents, staff and pupils were considered from the responses to Ofsted questionnaires and discussions with them.

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Inspection team

Kathryn McDonald, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Katie Lowe Ofsted Inspector academy 5 and 6 March 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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