St Patrick's Catholic Primary School

Inspection of St Patrick's Catholic Primary School Blackswarth Road, Redfield, Bristol BS5 8AS

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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 Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Good

The headteacher of this school is Michele Marshall. This school is a single-academy trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Joanna Deasey.

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Overall effectiveness Good

This school was last inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 11 years ago and judged ‘Outstanding’ under a previous inspection framework. This reflected the school’s overall effectiveness under the inspection framework in use at the time.

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Overall effectiveness Good

From then until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between graded inspections under section 5 of the Act. Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last graded inspection. 9 and 10 July 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to attend St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School. They talk positively about how the school values enable them to feel part of a ‘community’ where everyone is kind, gentle and fair. Many parents comment favourably about the school’s nurturing and inclusive ethos and the care that staff show to pupils and their families.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff follow the school’s ‘behaviour charter’ to model the high expectations for pupils’ behaviour. This starts in the early years where children listen carefully and follow instructions well. Across the school, pupils are polite, friendly and well mannered. They behave well in lessons and move around the school calmly and sensibly. Staff and pupils enjoy positive and respectful relationships. Pupils feel safe and trust adults to listen to them when they need to share any worries or concerns.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils take their roles as members of the chaplaincy team or school council seriously. They understand how these roles help them to plan and lead school events. Pupils enjoy the range of opportunities they have to develop their interests and talents outside the classroom. They take pride in playing a variety of instruments, such as piano and guitar, in concerts.

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better?

The school is ambitious for what all pupils can achieve. It has managed recent staffing changes effectively so that there has been no impact on the quality of education pupils receive. The school’s curriculum is designed and sequenced well. It carefully considers the school’s context by emphasising the importance of spoken language for pupils who have English as an additional language. This enables these pupils to access and progress through the curriculum well.

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better?

The school prioritises reading. Pupils enjoy choosing a range of texts from the newly refurbished library. They understand how the books they read help them to become more aware of individual differences. Children begin to learn to read as soon as they start school. They learn and remember new sounds well. If pupils fall behind, they receive the support they need to help them to catch up quickly. As they move through the school, pupils read with increasing accuracy, fluency and expression.

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better?

In most subjects, assessment is well used to check on what pupils know and to inform future learning. In mathematics, for example, staff use a range of strategies, such as ‘flashback 4’, to help pupils remember and practise what they have learned before. Children in the early years confidently use words such as ‘full’ and ‘half full’ when talking about capacity. Older pupils use their previous knowledge of addition and subtraction when solving more complex worded problems. However, in some wider curriculum subjects, assessment is not used as effectively. While pupils can discuss their current learning, they struggle to make links to what they have learned before. This hampers the progress that some pupils make. 9 and 10 July 2024

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The school understands the needs of an increasing number of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). It makes effective use of the advice it receives from external agencies to tailor the support that pupils receive. Staff make effective use of resources to help younger pupils sustain their focus. Older pupils show increasing levels of independence when writing. However, some pupils’ plans lack precision. Some staff do not routinely adapt learning well enough to help these pupils build their knowledge. This means that some pupils with SEND do not progress as well through the curriculum.

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Pupils are enthusiastic about their learning. This starts in the early years where children take turns and follow the established routines that are in place. During social times, pupils enjoy the range of sporting activities on offer to them and play well together.

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The school promotes the importance of regular attendance. Robust systems are in place to monitor patterns of attendance. The school intervenes quickly if a pupil’s attendance declines.

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The school promotes pupils’ personal development well. Pupils understand the importance of respect when talking about different beliefs. They learn to look after their physical and mental health. Pupils develop their character by raising money for local hospitals and charities. They are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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Governors and trustees share the school’s ambition for what pupils can achieve. They have an accurate understanding of what the school does well and where it needs to develop. Staff value the support they receive from colleagues. They benefit from the opportunities they have to collaborate with other local schools which in turn develops their practice.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Assessment is not yet used effectively in some wider curriculum subjects to ascertain what pupils know and remember and to decide next steps in learning. As a result, some pupils have gaps in their knowledge and do not build their knowledge well over time. The trust needs to ensure that teachers use assessment effectively across all subjects and use this information to inform future learning.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, learning is not adapted well enough to meet the needs of some pupils with SEND. As a result, these pupils find it difficult to access their work and do not learn as well. The trust should ensure that staff understand how to provide 9 and 10 July 2024

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the support that each pupil with SEND needs in order to learn and make progress across the curriculum.

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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). 9 and 10 July 2024

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School details

Date of previous inspection 11 and 12 June 2013

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Information about this school

 St Patrick's Catholic Primary School converted to become an academy school in August 2012.  The school is a Roman Catholic school, within the diocese of Clifton. The last section 48 inspection took place in September 2018, where the school was judged to be outstanding overall.  The headteacher has been in post since March 2012.  There have been a number of staff changes since the last inspection.  There is a before- and an after-school club, which is managed by the governing body.  The school does not use any alternative providers.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. 9 and 10 July 2024

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 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.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, subject leaders, the special educational needs coordinator, staff, pupils, the chair of the trust board and representatives from the governing body. The lead inspector also held a telephone conversation with a representative from the diocese.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in the following subjects: reading, mathematics, and geography. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, looked at samples of pupils’ work and spoke to pupils about their learning.

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 The lead inspector spoke to leaders about the curriculum in some other subjects.  The lead inspector listened to pupils in Years 1, 2 and 3 read to an adult.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, 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.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site. Additionally, the inspector spoke to pupils to discuss their views about the school.  Inspectors considered the responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View. They also took into consideration the staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Ben Jordan, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Lydia Pride His Majesty's Inspector 9 and 10 July 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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