SS Mary and John's Catholic Primary Academy

Inspection of SS. Mary and John’s Catholic Primary Academy Caledonia Road, Wolverhampton, West Midlands WV2 1HZ

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Inspection dates: 30 April and 1 May 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 Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Good

The principal of this school is Krystyna Bickley. This school is part of St Francis and St Clare Catholic Multi-Academy Company, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Toni Ellis, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Dr Chris Walker. 30 April and 1 May 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils wholeheartedly live by the school rules of ‘be respectful, be safe, be ready to learn’. They enjoy attending school and have positive attitudes to their learning. There are caring relationships between pupils and staff. These relationships are underpinned by kindness and mutual respect. Staff know their pupils well, and pupils know who to speak to if they have any worries.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s Catholic foundation permeates throughout school life. The school day starts with a prayer and all pupils are invited to take part. The school welcomes many pupils from different cultures and faiths. It is inclusive and diverse, with many opportunities to celebrate differences such as celebrating international languages, religious festivals and different cultures. Pupils also take part in clubs such as football, choir, dance and bhangra dance.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have many opportunities to take up leadership roles in school. The ‘eco- warriors’ have worked to reduce the use of plastic in school. The ‘reading champions’ help their peers to select books from the school library matched to their interests. The ‘school councillors’ organise fundraisers to raise money for charity and collect clothes donations for the children’s hospital. All of this helps pupils to play an active role in the community.

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better?

The school has been on a journey of improvement. The principal has been recently appointed and has already had a positive impact on the school. Leaders have used their thorough analysis of this information about the school’s work, particularly their behaviour and attendance data, to make sensible changes. As a result of what they have put in place, pupils behave extremely well, and the vast majority attend school daily.

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better?

The school is determined that every child will become a confident and fluent reader. It achieves this well. As soon as children start in Reception, they learn to read. Pupils who struggle to read are given extra support. This helps them to read with increased confidence and fluency. As a result, pupils catch up with their reading quickly. There are also systems in place to ensure that more advanced readers are given further support to enhance and deepen their reading skills.

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better?

The school has designed a structured curriculum to build what pupils will learn from the early years through to Year 6. It identifies what pupils will learn and when they will learn it. However, in some subjects, staff have not had appropriate training to help them identify the core knowledge that pupils need to know and remember and why pupils need to learn it. This means that in some subjects, some pupils do not progress as well as they could.

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better?

Staff use a range of exciting tasks to capture pupils’ interests in lessons. This helps pupils to make links between their learning and build on learning over time. 30 April and 1 May 2024

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However, in some subjects, some staff do not adapt the lessons to support the differing abilities of pupils in their class. This means that some pupils who need more opportunities to practice new learning are not always able to do so. As a result, these pupils struggle to embed learning securely and do not develop fluency as well as they could.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are accurately identified. The school works closely with families, external agencies and the child to develop strategies that will support the pupil to learn. This information is shared with staff, who then put the strategies into practice. As a result, pupils with SEND progress well.

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The school’s personal, social and health education (PSHE) is well planned and sequenced. As soon as pupils join in early years they are taught how to make the right decisions. PSHE lessons teach pupils about topics such as e-safety and how to make the right choices when online. Pupils also learn about different types of families and what a healthy relationship is. Topics are taught in an age-appropriate way. The school has strong links with the police who often lead workshops in school to make pupils aware of how to stay safe in the local area. All of this helps pupils to make the right choices and know how to contribute positively to society.

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Staff feel well supported and enjoy working at the school. Leaders have a clear evaluation of the school. They know what is working well and what they need to do to be even better.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, the school has not ensured that staff identify the core knowledge that pupils need to know and remember and why pupils need to learn it. This means that some pupils do not progress as well as they could in some subjects. The school should ensure that staff develop their expertise to identify the core knowledge they want pupils to learn in each lesson and that staff understand why this knowledge is crucial to pupils’ future learning.  The school has not ensured that staff always adapt the learning to meet the needs of all pupils. This means that some pupils struggle to embed knowledge securely and do not develop fluency as well as they could. The school should ensure that pupils consolidate and embed the learning securely before introducing new knowledge. 30 April and 1 May 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 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). 30 April and 1 May 2024

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 8 and 9 March 2022, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is one of 12 schools that are part of the St Francis and St Clare Multi- Academy Company.  The school uses no alternative provisions.  The school is a Catholic school. The last section 48 inspection took place in May 2016. It is due its next section 48 inspection before August 2024.  The principal took up post in September 2023.

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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.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and 30 April and 1 May 2024

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have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school  Inspectors held discussions with the principal, other senior leaders, the chief executive officer, the chair of the local governing body and an additional governor, a representative from the diocese, the chair of trustees and other trustees, the school improvement adviser, and directors from the trust.  Inspectors met with the school’s special educational needs coordinator and reviewed the five education, health and care plans.  Inspectors met with the school’s attendance and behaviour leaders and reviewed records and analysis of exclusions, behaviour incidents, use of restrictive physical intervention and attendance data.  Inspectors observed pupils’ arrival and departure to and from school and spoke to some parents at the gate.  Inspectors met with the early years leaders and visited early years.  Inspectors met with pupils formally and informally and spoke to pupil leaders.

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 Inspectors held meetings with the pupil premium and sports premium leaders.  Inspectors discussed the wider development of pupils with leaders.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, history and mathematics. 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.  Inspectors carried out learning walks 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 considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.

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Inspection team

Sultanat Yunus, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Diane Pye Ofsted Inspector 30 April and 1 May 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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