St Swithun Wells Catholic Primary School

Inspection of St Swithun Wells Catholic Primary School Hunters Hill, South Ruislip, Ruislip, Middlesex HA4 9HS

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Inspection dates: 28 and 29 February 2024

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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 Previous inspection grade Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Good

This school was last inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 12 years ago and judged ‘Outstanding’ under a previous inspection framework. This reflected the school’s overall effectiveness under the inspection framework in use at the time.

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Overall effectiveness Good

From then until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between graded inspections under section 5 of the Act. 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. 28 and 29 February 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school expects pupils to treat each other with a great deal of respect and kindness. Pupils regularly meet these expectations. For example, in lessons pupils listen patiently to one another’s contributions. They are supportive and considerate when working together. Pupils are also encouraged to help people in the wider world. Some pupils take the lead on arranging fundraising events for charitable organisations.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Relationships between pupils and staff are professional, nurturing and caring. For example, in the early years, children and school staff role play being firefighters to rescue a teddy bear from the tree. Pupils are happy here. Typically, pupils said there are trusted adults in school to speak to if they are worried about anything. Pupils behave responsibly. If any incidents occur, the school deals with them swiftly and appropriately. Pupils are safe and feel safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff expect pupils to achieve strong outcomes. The curriculum is ambitious. The school checks that pupils learn and understand appropriate vocabulary and subject content. Published national assessment results reflect the school’s high expectations for pupils’ achievement.

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better?

Pupils at the early stages of learning to read receive daily phonics teaching. This begins in the early years or when pupils join the school, if they need it. Leaders ensure that pupils’ understanding of letters and the sounds that they make is regularly checked. Teaching and the books pupils read are matched carefully. Some pupils receive additional phonics teaching if necessary. Helpful information is provided to parents and carers so they know how to help with reading at home. Pupils quickly become confident and fluent readers.

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better?

Pupils study a broad range of subjects in line with the National Curriculum. Leaders have decided the important knowledge they want pupils to know and remember as they move up through the school. Mostly, important content is sequenced effectively from the early years onwards. Typically, teaching and resources help pupils learn the required material. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Expert therapists provide training for teaching staff and specialist support for pupils who need it. As a result, pupils with SEND receive appropriate adaptations to help them learn the curriculum alongside their peers.

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better?

Mostly, leaders and staff ensure that pupils recall key subject content. This enables pupils to build secure knowledge and connect new learning with what they have learned before. For example, pupils in Year 4 learn about the way volcanoes are formed. They recall and build on this knowledge in Year 5, when learning about the different parts of mountains. Sometimes, the essential prior knowledge that pupils should recall is not made explicitly clear. On occasion, teaching does not ensure that important prior knowledge is remembered securely. Sometimes, as a result, pupils 28 and 29 February 2024

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struggle to recall and connect important prior learning to their current learning. This leads to gaps in some pupils’ knowledge.

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Pupils are attentive in class. In the early years, children remain focused on learning for extended periods of time. Low-level disruption rarely interrupts learning. Leaders and staff pay close attention to pupils’ behaviour and take appropriate action, where necessary. The governing body and school leaders provide support for staff well- being. They consult staff on issues that may have an impact on their workload. Leaders keep a close eye on pupils’ attendance rates. Pupils and parents receive guidance about the importance of regular school attendance. If frequent absence is a concern, the school works closely with parents and finds solutions that ensure it improves.

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Leaders and staff encourage pupils to take care of their safety. This includes staying safe online. Recently, representatives of the police spoke to pupils in Year 6 about the dangers of knife crime. Pupils are encouraged to take part in a range of wider enrichment and character-building opportunities, such as taking up positions of responsibility in the school as house captains and sports captains. The school provides a range of extra-curricular clubs. These include netball, football and choir. The school ensures pupils have equal access to all these opportunities.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Sometimes, the prior knowledge that pupils must embed to their long-term memory is not made explicitly clear. Some content is not revisited frequently enough to commit key knowledge to pupils’ long-term memory, and pupils forget what they have learned. As a result, some pupils have gaps in their knowledge. The school must ensure that the important knowledge pupils must remember long term is made explicitly clear, recalled and connected to current learning.

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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. 28 and 29 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). 28 and 29 February 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.st-swithunwells.hillingdon.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection December 2012

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Information about this school

 This is a Catholic school under the Archdiocese of Westminster.  A section 48 inspection took place in June 2018. The next inspection in due to take place before June 2026.  The headteacher and chair of governors took up their posts after the previous Ofsted inspection.  There is a before- and an after-school childcare provision for pupils registered at the school.  The school does not make use of 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. 28 and 29 February 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 held meetings with representatives of the governing body, the headteacher and other senior leaders. An inspector also spoke with representatives of the local authority and the Diocese.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, science 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.  Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and

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considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  An inspector spoke with some parents at the start of the school day.  Inspectors reviewed the responses of parents and staff to Ofsted’s online surveys.  Inspectors also visited the dining hall and playground to observe pupils’ behaviour.

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Inspection team

Andrea Bedeau, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Meena Walia Ofsted 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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