Holy Family Catholic Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Holy Family Catholic Primary School Kendal Road, Boothstown, Worsley, Manchester M28 1AG

p.1

Outcome

Holy Family Catholic Primary School continues to be a good school.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils arrive at this welcoming school each day happy and eager to learn. They benefit from the warm and encouraging relationships that they forge with staff. Pupils know that the staff care about them and treat them as individuals. This helps pupils to develop confidence and a strong sense of their own self-worth.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils get on well together. Those who have joined the school recently said that they settled in quickly and made friends easily. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), work hard in lessons and achieve well.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils relish social times when they play energetic games outside or a enjoy a quiet chat over lunch with their friends. There is lots of laughter at this school. Pupils behave well at work and at play.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to make a difference by being a member of the mini-police or by raising funds for charities. Older pupils were keen to talk about the important role they play as buddies to the children in the Reception class.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils embrace the opportunities that they have to pursue their interests and talents in the wide range of clubs. Pupils take great pride in their success when representing their school in sports competitions and in musical performances.

p.1

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

Children in the Reception class are happy and confident. They socialise well with each other and learn to take turns with their friends. Warm encouragement from adults means that they eagerly access a range of appealing activities. However, some aspects of the curriculum for children in the early years have not been finalised. This creates a lack of clarity about what children should learn. As a result, some children do not learn all that they should to make a successful start when they enter Year 1. 8 and 9 May 2024

p.1

2

In contrast to the early years, the school has worked successfully to improve the curriculum across the rest of the school. It is interesting, broad and ambitious for all pupils, including pupils with SEND. For each subject, the important knowledge that pupils need to know and remember has been clearly identified. The content of subject curriculums is ordered carefully into small steps. This enables pupils to build on what they have learned before. Teachers use a range of strategies to check on pupils’ understanding and they act quickly to resolve any misconceptions. This helps pupils to know and remember more over time and progress well.

p.2

2

Most subject leaders provide valuable guidance for teachers about how to deliver curriculums effectively. Generally, teachers present information clearly and provide suitable opportunities for pupils to practise their learning independently. However, on occasion, the activities selected by teachers when designing learning do not move pupils’ learning forward. This sometimes hinders pupils’ achievement.

p.2

2

The school places a high importance on pupils learning to read. The structured phonics programme is taught from the start of the Reception Year. Children learn sounds and their corresponding letters systematically. They enjoy using their knowledge to read and spell words and sentences. Pupils practise reading regularly. They gain confidence by reading books that match the sounds that they know. Those pupils who need help to keep up with the phonics curriculum are supported well by staff. As a result, most pupils become fluent and accurate readers by the end of Year 2.

p.2

2

Older pupils are eager to talk about their favourite books and authors. They enjoy the opportunity to extend their knowledge by reading non-fiction books linked to the topics that they study.

p.2

2

The school ensures that the needs of pupils with SEND are identified early. No time is wasted in providing additional support when it is needed. Staff are skilled in a range of approaches to ensure that pupils with SEND can access the full curriculum with success. Children in the early years behave well and demonstrate positive attitudes towards their learning. These solid foundations are built on throughout the school. Pupils are respectful and well mannered. Staff offer sensitive support to pupils so that learning in lessons is rarely disrupted. Attendance is a high priority for all. The school communicates effectively with parents and carers to ensure that most pupils attend school regularly.

p.2

2

Throughout the curriculum, pupils have many opportunities to develop their understanding of the wider world. They know that people have different beliefs, cultures and families and the importance of equality. They confidently discuss important values such as respect and democracy and why they are important in society. Pupils develop a keen understanding of how to stay physically healthy and they excel at a wide range of sports.

p.2

2

Staff are proud to work at the school. They embrace the opportunities provided for their professional development and career progression. They value leaders’ consideration of their workload and well-being when reviewing policies. 8 and 9 May 2024

p.2

3

Members of the governing body are actively involved in the life of the school and committed to its ongoing success. They ensure that they are well informed about the strengths of the school and its priorities for improvement.

p.3

3

The large majority of parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the quality of education at the school and the care afforded to their children.

p.3

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 On occasion, some teachers do not design the most suitable activities to help pupils learn all that they should. This sometimes hampers pupils’ achievement. The school should ensure that subject leaders have the opportunities to support and advise teachers in effective subject-specific approaches.  Some aspects of the curriculum in the early years have not been finalised. This means that, in some areas, staff are unclear about what children need to learn. Some children do not learn all that they should in readiness for Year 1. The school should complete their work on the early years curriculum to clarify the important knowledge and vocabulary that children need to know and remember in readiness for their future learning.

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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in September 2014.

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. 8 and 9 May 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 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). 8 and 9 May 2024

p.4

School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

p.5

School details

Chair of governing body Michael McDonald

p.5

School details

Website www.boothstownholyfamily.wigan.sch.uk

p.5

School details

Date of previous inspection 27 February 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

p.5

Information about this school

 The school is a part of the Archdiocese of Liverpool. Its most recent section 48 inspection for schools of a religious character was in March 2023. The school is awaiting confirmation from the archdiocese about its next section 48 inspection.  Since the previous inspection, a new deputy headteacher has been appointed.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.

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. 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 held discussions with the headteacher, other school leaders and members of staff. 8 and 9 May 2024

p.5

6

 The inspector spoke with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors.  The inspector met with a representative of the local authority. She also spoke on the telephone with the school improvement partner and with a representative of the archdiocese.  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 observed pupils’ behaviour around the school and during lessons. She spoke with pupils to discuss their views of the school, their learning, their behaviour and safety.  The inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and art and design. For each deep dive, the inspector reviewed curriculum documentation and discussed

p.6

6

the curriculum with leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and reviewed samples of pupils’ work. The inspector observed some pupils reading to a familiar adult.  The inspector met with the special educational needs and/or disabilities coordinator and reviewed samples of documentation relating to SEND.  The inspector reviewed documentation about pupils’ attendance, safety and behaviour.  The inspector considered the views of parents through Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. She reviewed correspondence that she received from some parents. The inspector also took account of staff’s views through the responses to Ofsted’s staff survey and through other written communication. There were no responses to Ofsted’s survey for pupils.  The inspectors considered a range of documents shared by school leaders, including the school improvement plan, leaders’ self-evaluation document and the minutes taken

p.6

Inspection team

Janette Walker, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 8 and 9 May 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 looked after children, 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