St Marys Catholic Primary School, Wingate

= Inspection of a good school: St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, Wingate Welfare Park, Wingate, County Durham TS28 5AN

p.1

Outcome

St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, Wingate continues to be a good school.

p.1

Outcome

The executive headteacher of this school is Julie Hill. This school is part of Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Brendan Tapping, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Daniel O’Mahoney.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

St Mary’s Catholic Primary School is a small school, which is highly respected by the local community. It is a friendly and welcoming environment for pupils and their families. Staff, pupils and families are proud of the school.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

The school is highly inclusive. The mission that ‘each person is unique, talented and loved by God’ applies to everybody within this small school community. Pupils are safe and well cared for. They enjoy coming to school and attendance rates have greatly improved.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Staff have high expectations for pupils. They expect them to behave well, work hard and do their very best. Pupils respond positively to these expectations. Pupils are well supported within their mixed-age classrooms. As a result, they achieve well. This is particularly the case in reading and mathematics.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well. They move around the school sensibly and sit and chat together calmly in the dining hall. Pupils know each other well and they are supportive of one another.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Bullying is extremely rare and, if it happened, pupils know that adults in school would deal with it quickly. Pupils are confident that there is always an adult available to talk to if they have a worry or a concern.

p.1

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

Leaders, together, with the support of the trust, have worked with determination to strengthen the curriculum. Pupils follow an ambitious curriculum. This is based on a two- year rolling programme to manage the logistics of mixed-age classes. All subjects specify 16 April 2024

p.1

2

what pupils should learn and by when. The school recognises that further work is required to refine curriculum thinking. At times, pupils learn knowledge but may not revisit this knowledge in subsequent years. Consequently, there is a risk that pupils’ knowledge does not build, over time, as securely as it could.

p.2

2

The teaching of reading is a high priority. The school has invested heavily in training and resources to support the successful implementation of the new phonics programme. This approach is helping pupils to become confident, fluent readers. Pupils who struggle with reading are successfully supported to catch up quickly. Pupils read regularly. They talk with excitement about the books that they enjoy, demonstrating their love of reading.

p.2

2

The mathematics curriculum is organised and implemented effectively. Children in the early years make a prompt start to number work. There are regular opportunities for them to practise their number skills independently. Adults support this effectively through their use of questioning. As pupils progress through school, they continue to strongly develop their number and calculation skills. They have daily opportunities to revisit and embed prior learning. Pupils enjoy mathematics and achieve well by the end of Year 6.

p.2

2

The school uses assessments effectively in subjects such as English and mathematics to check pupils’ understanding of the curriculum. Any gaps in knowledge are quickly identified, and pupils receive the additional help that they need. However, in some foundation subjects, checks on pupils’ understanding are not as consistent. Sometimes in these subjects, teachers do not identify gaps in pupils’ learning well enough. This means some pupils do not securely build on previous learning, so they do not achieve as well as they could.

p.2

2

This is an inclusive school. Staff know pupils well. They are quick to identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). In classrooms, staff make use of a range of resources to meet the individual needs of pupils. Pupils with SEND are well supported. They work successfully alongside their peers. They access the same curriculum and achieve well.

p.2

2

Pupils benefit from an appropriate personal and social education programme. The school wants pupils to know about where they live and the wider world. The curriculum is carefully built around these aims. School visits and regular visitors add to the curriculum offer and support raising aspirations. Leaders have also invested in new texts that teach pupils about diversity, inclusion and relationships.

p.2

2

The school ensures that pupils behave well. Behaviour in and around the school is good. Pupils are keen and demonstrate positive attitudes towards their learning. They cooperate with each other and treat each other with respect.

p.2

2

The school is highly ambitious for all. Successful work across the federation has strengthened subject leadership. Staff expertise is now shared more widely. There has been a period of turbulence in staffing. The strong relationships forged across the federation have helped to minimise the impact of staff absences during these challenging times. 16 April 2024

p.2

3

Governors and trust leaders have a clear vision for the school. Governors visit the school often to check that the actions that leaders take to improve the school benefit all pupils. Staff value the high-quality, regular training available to help them teach the curriculum. They feel exceptionally well supported by leaders.

p.3

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some foundation subjects, the curriculum lacks sufficient detail and structure to address the mixed-age classes. This means that pupils may miss out on acquiring crucial knowledge as they move through the school. The school should continue to work at adapting the curriculum to support mixed-age classes and to ensure that all pupils are able to build their learning progressively as they journey through school.  In some foundation subjects, the school’s approach to assessment is inconsistent. Assessments are not always used effectively to check how well pupils have developed and retained important skills and knowledge. This means that teachers are not always sure what pupils know, understand and can do. The school should refine assessment procedures to ensure that teachers accurately determine what pupils know so they can precisely support next steps in learning. The school knows that these changes need to

p.3

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.

p.3

Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged St Mary’s Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School to be good in November 2016.

p.3

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. 16 April 2024

p.3

4

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

p.4

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.4

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). 16 April 2024

p.4

School details

Headteacher Julie Hill (Executive Headteacher)

p.5

School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

p.5

Information about this school

 St Mary’s Catholic Primary School is part of Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust, which consists of 30 schools in total. The school converted to become an academy in June 2020.  The school is part of the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle.  The school has a Roman Catholic religious character. Its most recent section 48 inspection was in November 2018. The next section 48 inspection will be within eight school years.  This is a small school, which is part of a federation with St Godric’s Catholic Primary School. The schools share a headteacher and a single governing body.  There are no pupils attending alternative provision. 16 April 2024

p.5

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. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the 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 met with the executive headteacher, the deputy headteacher, other school leaders and members of the local governing committee. They also spoke with the vice- chair of the board of trustees and a representative from the diocese.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and

p.6

Information about this inspection

history. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of their work.  Inspectors reviewed school documentation, spoke to staff with different responsibilities and held discussions with pupils, parents and carers about aspects of school life.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, and spoke to a sample of parents. Inspectors also considered the responses to the online staff and pupil survey.

p.6

Inspection team

Alison Stephenson, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

p.6

Inspection team

Chris Story Ofsted Inspector 16 April 2024

p.6

7

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.

p.7

7

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.7

7

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

7

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

7

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7