Cardinal Newman Catholic Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Cardinal Newman Catholic Primary School Arch Road, Hersham, Surrey KT12 4QT

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Outcome

Cardinal Newman Catholic Primary School continues to be a good school.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Catherine Burnham. This school is part of the Xavier 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, James Kibble, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Peter O’Brien.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils really enjoy attending this happy, inclusive school. Some pupils explained that the best thing about their school is the way that everyone is welcomed here. They work hard and are proud of their own and each other’s achievements. Pupils live up to the school’s high expectations to strive to achieve their very best. Pupils achieve well in a broad range of subjects. Their achievement in English and mathematics is particularly high.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Respect, courtesy and warm relationships typify daily life. Pupils behave exceptionally well and fully engage with their learning. They feel very well supported and cared for by staff. Pupils know that it is important to tell their teachers if anything is worrying them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils fully embrace the school’s ambition for them to be a community of ‘learners, believers and friends’. Every pupil is supported to play their part in helping, serving and caring for others in the school and wider community. They commit wholeheartedly to their responsibilities, such as being one of the prayer or school councillors.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from the many and varied extra-curricular activities and clubs on offer. Musical performances and other special events enable pupils to showcase their talents. Every pupil is encouraged to ‘shine’ in their own unique way.

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

The school has put in place a curriculum that is rich and ambitious for all pupils. This begins in Reception, where children get off to a strong start to their education. In English 19 and 20 March 2024

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and mathematics, the school has meticulously planned pupils’ curriculum ‘pathways’ from early years through to Year 6. Along with high-quality teaching, this enables pupils to excel in these subjects. However, the same rigour is not so evident in some wider curriculum subjects. In some subjects, the school has not precisely identified or sequenced clearly enough the knowledge that pupils need to learn and remember. As a result, pupils do not achieve as highly or acquire a greater depth of learning in the way that they do in English and mathematics.

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Pupils benefit from a high-quality phonics programme and effective teaching. This begins in Reception, where children get off to a flying start in learning to read. Swift support is put in place to address any emerging gaps in learning. Almost all pupils quickly learn to read, and they enjoy reading. Pupils get to know many high-quality texts. This contributes well to their understanding and acquisition of vocabulary. Pupils share their book reviews through the monthly reading newsletter to parents. This is just one of the many ways that the school fosters a love of reading.

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The school identifies pupils’ additional needs quickly and accurately. Strong systems and skilled leadership ensure that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) get the support that they need. Staff make well-considered adjustments to their teaching approaches. This enables pupils with SEND to fully access the curriculum and to achieve well.

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Teachers have strong subject knowledge. There is impressive consistency in the way that reading and mathematics are taught. This ensures that in these subjects, important strategies, vocabulary and knowledge are taught and embedded from early years through to Year 6. Staff use the ‘fast fives’ at the start of each mathematics lesson to revisit previous learning. They provide plenty of opportunities for practice, repetition and quick recall of number facts. This helps to ‘cement’ pupils’ learning and develops their fluency. Staff are quick to spot and iron out any errors in pupils’ understanding. Typically, they also pre-empt any misconceptions that pupils could develop.

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Pupils learn about the importance of respect for all, no matter their faith, culture or family background. They are respectful and kind to others. Pupils make the most of school life and all that is on offer. The school makes sure that disadvantaged pupils have priority places for enrichment activities. Financial assistance, when needed, is provided to remove any potential barriers to pupils’ attendance at extra activities. Pupils talk excitedly about the three residential visits, including the Year 6 visit to France. These experiences hold special and lasting memories for pupils.

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Pupils’ attendance levels are high. Robust systems mean that any attendance concerns are followed up without delay. The school puts in place swift support to address any barriers to pupils’ regular attendance.

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Staff thoroughly enjoy working at the school and there is a strong sense of teamwork here. They value leaders’ consideration for their well-being. Staff also appreciate the training and opportunities they have to share expertise with their counterparts in other trust schools. Trustees and governors provide effective oversight, support and challenge to the school. 19 and 20 March 2024

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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 school has not identified or sequenced precisely enough the knowledge it would like pupils to learn. This means that staff do not have clear enough guidance about the precise content they need to teach and emphasise. Consequently, pupils are not achieving as highly as they are in other subjects, such as English and mathematics. The school needs to refine the curriculum in these foundation subjects. It needs to identify and sequence with precision the most important knowledge that pupils need to learn and remember so that they can achieve the depth of learning and high standards that they do in core subjects.

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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 predecessor school, of the same name, good in December 2012.

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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. 19 and 20 March 2024

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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

Headteacher Catherine Burnham (executive headteacher) Gerry Flower (head of school) Website www.cardinalnewmanschool.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 25 September 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is a Catholic school within the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton. The school’s most recent section 48 inspection took place in September 2021. The next section 48 inspection is due to take place in the school year 2026/2027.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.  There have been some recent changes in the leadership structure of the school. In September 2023, the headteacher became the executive headteacher and the deputy headteacher became the head of school. Other leaders stepped up to become assistant headteachers. The executive headteacher works with other schools in the diocese for part of each school week.  The school is one of 17 schools in the Xavier Catholic Education Trust. The trust has delegated some responsibilities to the school’s local governing committee. 19 and 20 March 2024

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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 first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in her evaluation of the school.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and music. For each deep dive, the inspector 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 inspector also considered the curriculum and sampled pupils’ work in some other subjects.  The inspector met with the chair of the board of trustees and three members of the local governing committee. The inspector held a separate meeting with the chief executive officer.  The inspector held a telephone discussion with a representative from the diocese.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: reviewed the single

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Information about this inspection

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 views of staff and pupils during discussions and through staff’s responses to Ofsted’s survey.  The inspector took account of parents’ responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including parents’ free-text comments.

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Inspection team

Sue Cox, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 19 and 20 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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