St George and St Teresa Catholic Primary School

Inspection of St George and St Teresa Catholic Primary School Mill Lane, Bentley Heath, Solihull, West Midlands B93 8PA

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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 Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Good

The head of school for this school is Stephen Hainie. This school is part of Our Lady and All Saints Catholic Multi-Academy Company, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the Catholic senior executive leader, Peter Davis, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Paul Bentley. There is also an executive headteacher, Louise Flanagan, who is responsible for this school and one other. 19 and 20 March 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ well-being and care are at the heart of everything that happens in this school. New leaders have brought a clear vision and direction to the school. There are now high ambitions for every pupil, including disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). All adults want children to flourish and achieve well. And pupils do.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The pupils at this school are delightful. They are welcoming, friendly and curious. Pupils genuinely enjoy learning and attending school. The respectful relationships between the staff and students are a pleasure to witness. The pupils say that teachers are the best thing about their school. Behaviour is strong. Pupils are confident that staff will deal with any issues quickly, fairly and effectively.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school places great emphasis on pupils’ personal and character development. Pupils benefit from a huge range of activities that develop their personalities and further their interests. These activities include trips, residentials and after-school clubs. Pupils speak passionately about their roles as play leaders or school councillors. The school ensures that the school is fully inclusive. Pupils with SEND have the same valuable opportunities as their peers and thoroughly enjoy these.

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better?

New leaders have brought stability and clear direction to the school. They have improved the school and raised standards. The curriculum, which includes many new learning schemes, is broad and ambitious. All pupils learn in a wide range of subjects and achieve well. This is reflected in strong pupil outcomes.

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better?

The school has carefully planned what pupils need to learn over time in all subjects. Overall, this is effective. However, in some foundation subjects, this work is not yet complete. In these subjects, the precise knowledge and skills pupils should learn are not always clear. As a result, pupils are not able to build their knowledge over time.

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better?

The school makes sure that pupils with SEND receive the support they need. There has been some turbulence in the past, but new leaders are making a positive difference. New robust processes and systems are in place to identify and support pupils with SEND. Leaders have a strong oversight of how well pupils do. Teachers have been trained and receive clear information on how to best support pupils in lessons. Targeted support and effective intervention are in place to make sure that all pupils can access their learning and succeed. However, these strategies and systems are relatively new and consequently some parents do not fully understand them.

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better?

Reading is a top priority. All pupils enjoy reading, daily story time and reading in class. The reading curriculum is very effectively taught. Teachers are quick to identify students who may need extra help, and interventions are put in place to help them catch up quickly. All of this means that pupils achieve well in reading. 19 and 20 March 2024

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Teachers use assessments well to check on what pupils can do and what gaps exist. They adapt their teaching effectively in order to address these gaps and provide support where needed. Pupils receive appropriate work that is well matched to their needs, and this includes pupils with SEND. However, at times, teachers do not move pupils’ learning on even when they are ready to learn new things. Consequently, this slows their learning.

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Children in the early years settle well into school. They are safe and happy. The school works hard to get to know children and ensure that they become used to daily routines and expectations. The early years curriculum is well structured and ensures that children get off to a strong start. Children begin learning about letters and numbers straight away. Children enjoy learning and playtime in the outside spaces. By the time they move on to Year 1, they are very well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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The school supports pupils’ personal development very well. This is reinforced by the school’s Catholic values and the strong relationships between staff and pupils. The personal, social and health curriculum ensures that pupils have many varied opportunities to grow as people. For instance, pupils take on leadership roles, support in the local community and participate in the many activities to extend their learning beyond the classroom. The curriculum also emphasises respect for different faiths and cultures. Pupils say that everyone is equal. All of this prepares them well for life in modern Britain.

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Senior leaders are now able to identify any issues that fall short of their high expectations and address them. The trust supports this work effectively. All staff are proud to work at the school. They believe that leaders care about their workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The curriculum in some foundation subjects does not clearly identify the precise knowledge and essentials skills that pupils should know. As a result, in these subjects, pupils are not able to build up their learning over time. The school should ensure that staff members have a clear understanding of the knowledge and skills pupils are expected to know.  Some teachers do not effectively adapt their teaching to extend the learning of pupils who are ready to learn new content. This slows the learning of some pupils. The school should ensure that all staff have the expertise to support pupils’ learning effectively. 19 and 20 March 2024

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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 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). 19 and 20 March 2024

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 21 and 22 September 2021, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is an average-sized catholic primary school. It is part of the Our Lady and All Saints Catholic Multi-Academy Company.  The executive headteacher and head of school commenced their roles in September 2023, after a period of staffing turbulence.  The school runs a daily wraparound care for its pupils.  The school does not use any alternative providers for its pupils.

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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.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the second routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 19 and 20 March 2024

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 Inspectors met with the executive headteacher, head of school and other senior leaders. The lead inspector held a meeting with the governing body, including the chair of governors. Meetings were held with representatives from the multi- academy company, including the chair of the board, chief executive officer and the trust school improvement lead. The lead inspector held a telephone conversation with a representative from the diocese. Inspectors met with curriculum leaders, early career teachers and the special educational needs coordinators.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, history and art & design. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors visited the early years for each of the deep dives.

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 An inspector listened to pupils read to a familiar adult.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour and interactions during lessons and at breaktimes and lunchtimes and spoke to many pupils during the inspection.  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 spoke to parents at the school gate to gain their views about the school.  Inspectors took account of the parent free-text comments and the responses on Ofsted Parent View. Inspectors also considered the responses to the pupil and staff surveys.

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Inspection team

Bianka Zemke, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Harjit Chahal Ofsted Inspector 19 and 20 March 2024

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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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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