All Souls' Catholic Primary School

Inspection of a good school: All Souls’ Catholic Primary School Abercorn Road, Chapelfields, Coventry, West Midlands CV5 8ED

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Outcome

All Souls’ Catholic Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending All Souls’ Catholic Primary School. They describe the school as being like a family. Older pupils care for younger pupils. They play collaboratively at lunchtimes. All pupils say that they feel safe. They say that pupils are kind to each other.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well. They are calm and polite. They hold doors open and greet adults with a cheerful ‘good morning’. Pupils enthusiastically follow the school rules ‘be ready, be respectful, be safe’. Pupils are attentive in lessons and move in an orderly way around the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff and pupils have warm relationships. Pupils are confident that they can share their worries and that staff will resolve their concerns quickly. Bullying is rare. Pupils look forward to their weekly ‘superstars’ assemblies. Good behaviour, work and attendance are celebrated here.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils are enthused about the wide range of opportunities the school offers. One parent commented, ‘Wow – the opportunities that are available are amazing.’ The school enriches pupils’ learning through a wide range of trips. For example, there are visits to Coventry Cathedral and a residential centre in Wales.

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

Since the last inspection, there have been several changes in staffing and leadership. The school has managed these changes well. New staff receive effective support. The school’s evaluation of the impact of these changes is accurate. The school is clear about what it needs to do next.

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

The curriculum is well sequenced across all subject areas. The school has identified clearly the key knowledge it wants pupils to learn. The subject-specific vocabulary across subjects is a particular strength. For example, in the topic ‘earthquakes and volcanoes’, 16 and 17 April 2024

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pupils know how to use the phrases ‘tectonic’, ‘divergent’ and ‘convergent’. As a result, pupils’ knowledge is improving. However, the curriculum in a small number of subjects has recently been revised and these changes are at an early stage of becoming embedded. This has led to some gaps in pupils’ knowledge.

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In the previous year, pupils did not achieve as well as expected in mathematics . The school has now made effective improvements in this area. Younger children use counters successfully to help them learn numbers up to 20. The school has also identified key mathematical facts to focus on. Prior learning is revisited regularly, such as through daily ‘Take 5’ questions. Pupils have a better recall of these facts as a result. Pupils are learning the intended mathematics curriculum well.

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The school has successfully implemented effective ways to help pupils learn. For example, in the early years, staff carefully model and re-phrase language. This ensures that all children understand what they need to do. As a result, children achieve well in the early years. Staff allow older pupils time to discuss in pairs the questions asked by teachers. Staff listen carefully to pupils’ answers to understand what they know. This helps staff to identify what to teach next. The school uses assessment well in most, but not all, subjects. In a small number of subjects, the school does not know how well pupils have understood the planned curriculum.

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Pupils are well supported to develop their reading skills. In the early years, children are encouraged to ‘stick’ at harder tasks. They are therefore happy to sit and share a storybook together. Pupils who fall behind in phonics are identified quickly. Extra sessions ensure that pupils catch up and achieve extremely well. The love of reading is promoted successfully across the school. For example, unknown ‘special’ visitors read stories to the pupils. Pupils read regularly and can confidently discuss their favourite authors. They enjoy it when the teacher reads their class stories to them. Pupils learn to read accurately and fluently.

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The additional needs of pupils are accurately identified and supported quickly. There are clear systems that help to identify pupils who may need more support. Effective training has helped staff to support the needs of pupils with SEND. As a result, staff accurately implement small steps of learning to help pupils with SEND. All this means that pupils with SEND achieve well.

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There is an extensive range of additional clubs and sporting competitions. All pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, are supported to take part regularly. Pupils also enjoy their responsibilities, such as eco-squad, prefects and house captains. Older pupils are proud that they are close to completing their school ‘pledge’ of 101 life experiences. Pupils raise funds for charities through cake and toy sales. This helps them to become kind citizens.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 16 and 17 April 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of foundation subjects, the curriculum has been recently revised and is at an early stage of becoming embedded. This means that there are some gaps in pupils’ knowledge in these subject areas. The school should continue its work to implement these curriculum changes and further develop ways to help pupils remember their learning in these subjects.  In a small number of foundation subjects, the school has not ensured that assessment is used effectively to identify what pupils have understood. This means that teachers do not always know where there are gaps in pupils’ learning. The school should ensure that assessment in all subjects enables teachers to identify gaps in pupils’ understanding and address these.

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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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in November 2013.

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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.

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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 16 and 17 April 2024

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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 and 17 April 2024

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School details

Chair of governing body Shirley Langford

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School details

Date of previous inspection 2 October 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not make use of any alternative provision for pupils.  Since the last inspection, there has been a change in the headteacher and other senior leaders.  The school’s last section 48 inspection was in December 2022.

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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 that the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in his evaluation of the school.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, the inspector 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. The inspector also considered history, art and computing. 16 and 17 April 2024

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 The inspector listened to pupils read to a familiar adult and listened to some pupils read.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons, around the school and at breaktimes and lunchtimes.  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 considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, and the views of staff from Ofsted’s online survey. The inspector also held conversations with parents and carers who were dropping off their children at school.  The inspector also spoke with pupils and staff informally during the inspection.  The inspector looked at a range of documentation provided by the school. This included the school’s self-evaluation, school improvement priorities, school policies,

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curriculum documents, SEND records and minutes of meetings held by the governing body.

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Inspection team

Mark Cadwallader, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 16 and 17 April 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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