Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School Tollgate, Bretton, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire PE3 9XD

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Outcome

Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School continues to be a good school.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Thomas Claxton. This school is part of St John the Baptist Catholic Multi Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Kim Payne, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Ruth Hollis.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, parents and staff describe Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School as a family. Each member of the community is valued as an individual. The motto ‘together we live and learn; we play and pray’ effectively underpins the school’s work.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are polite and welcoming, greeting visitors with a smile. They feel safe because trusted adults support them with their worries. The caring and nurturing staff quickly build positive relationships with pupils in this inclusive school. The school provides high- quality support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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What is it like to attend this school?

Expectations of pupils’ behaviour are high. Pupils have positive attitudes and work hard during lessons. They are ready to learn and behave well. Pupils and parents rightly agree that bullying is rare. Pupils believe that anti-bullying training has given them the skills they need to deal with bullying should it occur. Carefully chosen educational visits to places of interest bring topics to life.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from opportunities to develop their leadership skills. They serve on the school council and as chaplains. In these roles, they help the school and local community. This builds pupils’ empathy for others. Pupils are well prepared for their future lives.

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

The school’s curriculum is ambitious. It sets out what pupils will learn and by when. Subject documents include the vocabulary that pupils will learn to help them read and write with confidence. Pupils meet the same themes in later lessons and topics. This helps 25 and 26 June 2024

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them to develop a deeper understanding and remember their learning.

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The school has improved the curriculum. Where aspects of it are well developed, pupils remember more. They use this knowledge on new tasks. In some subjects, the school’s improvements are more recent. In these areas, teachers are still getting to grips with the curriculum documentation. Occasionally, the activities that teachers select are not always as helpful to pupils as they should be. This means some pupils struggle to remember what they have learned. In these few instances, pupils do not learn as much as they could.

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Staff ensure that children settle quickly when they join the school. Staff identify the needs and barriers to learning for pupils with SEND. Pupils receive the help they need to become independent learners. The school has clear processes for early identification of pupils’ additional needs. It ensures pupils with SEND take part fully in the life of the school and learn well.

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In the Reception Year, there is a strong focus on developing children’s communication and language. This provides a secure foundation for children to learn to read. Pupils read books that match the sounds they have learned. This helps them to read with confidence and fluency. Timely, additional support is put in place for those pupils who need it. This helps them to catch up. Pupils access a range of high-quality texts. These texts skilfully link to knowledge in other subjects. They help pupils to understand key ideas more deeply. Pupils enjoy visiting the school library to select books to read in their leisure time. Pupils understand the importance of reading. They talk about their favourite authors and stories with enthusiasm.

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The school supports pupils’ personal development well. Pupils are taught how to look after themselves both physically and emotionally. Pupils know about the importance of exercise and a balanced diet. They also value the pastoral support they receive, including the opportunities to pray. Pupils behave respectfully towards each other and staff. Lessons are calm and purposeful.

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Pupils understand the Catholic values well. They learn about them through visits and school events. Pupils learn about different cultures, diversity and fundamental British values of, for example, democracy and tolerance. Pupils learn to become active citizens through assemblies, as well as through leadership roles. Pupils understand the challenges that people face. For example, older pupils understand issues such as homelessness. They know that everyone deserves fair and respectful treatment. This develops pupils’ character and compassion effectively.

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Leaders approach school improvement with determination. Staff training is a priority. Staff value this support and say that their workload is well considered. They enjoy being part of the school’s supportive and caring community. The trust works closely with the local governing board to support and challenge the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 25 and 26 June 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The curriculum documentation in some subjects is new. As a result, teachers have not yet got to grips with the best ways to teach the key knowledge. This means that some learning activities are not well chosen or matched to the intended learning. Consequently, in these subjects, pupils do not learn as much as they could. Leaders should ensure that staff are well trained to implement the curriculum in all subjects and monitor this work effectively.

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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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Sacred Heart RC Primary School, to be good in January 2018.

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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 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). 25 and 26 June 2024

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School is part of St John the Baptist Catholic Multi Academy Trust.  Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School converted to become an academy school in September 2019. When its predecessor school, Sacred Heart RC Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good overall.  The school has a religious character and is part of the Diocese of East Anglia. It was last inspected under section 48 of the Education Act 2005 in December 2021. It will be reinspected under section 48 within 5 years.  The school does not make use of any alternative education provisions.

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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 the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has 25 and 26 June 2024

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taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher, other senior leaders, subject leaders, governors and representatives of the multi-academy trust, including the chief executive officer.  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 carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. 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 listened to pupils from different classes read to a member of staff.

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 The inspector reviewed a range of documentation, including the school’s self-evaluation and improvement plan.  The inspector spoke to groups of pupils during lessons and at social times to gather their views.  The inspector spoke with parents and considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments.  The inspector spoke to several staff and took account of responses to the Ofsted staff survey.

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Inspection team

Simon Eardley, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 25 and 26 June 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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