St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy

Inspection of St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy Mount Pleasant Road, Pudsey, West Yorkshire LS28 7AZ

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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 Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

The headteacher of this school is Clare Barker. This school is part of The Bishop Wheeler Catholic 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, Darren Beardsley, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Diane Gaskin. 12 and 13 June 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a friendly, welcoming school. A strong Christian culture underpins its work. Pupils are proud to belong to the school family. Relationships between staff and pupils are positive and caring. Staff know each pupil very well. They greet pupils individually every morning. This helps pupils to feel happy and safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Most pupils achieve well. They are ready for the next stage of their education by the time they move to secondary school. The broad curriculum is enhanced by educational visits and experiences. For example, key stage 1 visited a toy museum as part of their history topic. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 access a range of experiences through residential visits.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are polite and well mannered. The majority of pupils behave very well, most of the time. There is very little bullying. Pupils are confident that if bullying does occur, the school will deal with it effectively. They trust the adults in school to take good care of them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils care about others. The charities they choose to support often have personal links to people they know. Pupils take on responsible roles such as reading volunteers, ‘Mini Vinnies’ or school councillors. This helps them to establish leadership skills and develop their character.

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better?

The school has designed the curriculum to give pupils knowledge of the local area and the wider world. Important knowledge is identified and taught in a logical sequence. Teachers give pupils tests and quizzes to help them remember more of what they learn. Pupils appreciate the structured curriculum information sheets that they receive. They say these help them to know what key information they need to remember. Pupils in key stage 2 have a strong grasp of mathematical language. This helps them to explain and discuss calculations and problems. Pupils are ready for the next stage of learning by the end of primary school.

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better?

Pupils with SEND study the full curriculum. Adaptations to resources and routines are matched to the individual needs of pupils. This helps them to access the entire curriculum. Pupils are extremely well supported socially and emotionally. This helps them to be fully involved in every aspect of school life.

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better?

Reading for pleasure is a priority. Teachers share their favourite books with pupils. Pupils enjoy reading a wide range of books. Older pupils volunteer to read with the younger ones. Children start learning to match letters to sounds as soon as they begin Reception. The books that children use to practise reading are well matched to the sounds that they know. Pupils in the earliest stages of reading receive effective support to help them to become fluent readers. However, sometimes, some 12 and 13 June 2024

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pupils have misconceptions in their phonics knowledge. Staff have not received recent phonics refresher training to support pupils precisely with this.

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Children in early years enjoy learning in the local area. For example, children make celebration cards, write their own address on the envelope and walk to the post box to post them. They visit the local shop to buy resources and seeds for their topic on ‘growing’. Staff plan challenges for children across all areas of learning. However, the curriculum has limited opportunities to develop children’s ideas and vocabulary to extend their learning. Staff have not accessed relevant training to refresh their knowledge in this area.

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Pupils attend school well and are keen to learn. They appreciate the rewards, such as house points and badges, that they receive for good work and behaviour. A small number of pupils with SEND sometimes find it difficult to regulate their behaviour. The school provides effective support to help pupils manage this.

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Pupils have many opportunities for reflection and spiritual development. They plan and lead collective worship in school. The school has reorganised the curriculum for religious education. This is to ensure that pupils learn more about different world religions. Pupils make a difference in the local community with local residents. Visitors to school, including from local rugby and football clubs and a famous boxer, inspire pupils and help them learn how to keep healthy and safe. A variety of clubs give pupils opportunities to develop their talents and interests.

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School and trust leaders know the school’s strengths and areas for improvement very well. They have clear plans for improvement. The local governing board provides strong support and challenge for the school. Staff feel well supported. They appreciate strategies such as staff well-being day.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some pupils have misconceptions in their phonics knowledge. Staff do not address these consistently. The school should ensure that staff have effective support and refresher phonics training to ensure that they are equipped to address any misconceptions swiftly to maximise pupils’ learning.  In the early years, opportunities in the curriculum to extend children’s ideas and their vocabulary are limited. The school should ensure that all adults receive the relevant training to understand when and how to fully develop children’s vocabulary, communication and language. 12 and 13 June 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). 12 and 13 June 2024

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School details

Website www.stjosephscatholicprimary.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 13 November 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this school

 The school is a Roman Catholic primary school within the Diocese of Leeds. It is part of the Bishop Wheeler Catholic Academy Trust. The most recent section 48 inspection took place in June 2019.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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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.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 12 and 13 June 2024

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 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.  The inspectors had several meetings with the headteacher and other senior leaders during the inspection. They met with leaders from the trust and members of the local governing body.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in: early reading, mathematics, art and design, physical education and history. They 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 inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour throughout the school day, including during lesson visits and at breaktimes.  Pupils talked to the inspectors, formally and informally, about their learning, their

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views on behaviour and the wider experiences they receive at school. The inspectors also considered the responses received through Ofsted’s pupil survey.  The inspectors scrutinised records for behaviour and attendance.  The inspectors spoke with a number of parents in the playground and reviewed the responses received through Ofsted’s survey, Ofsted Parent View, including free-text responses. The inspectors also considered the responses received through Ofsted’s staff survey.  The inspectors met with the special educational needs coordinator to consider the curriculum for pupils with SEND.

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Inspection team

Janet Keefe, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

John Davie Ofsted Inspector 12 and 13 June 2024

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