Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Hindley Green

Inspection of Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Hindley Green Swan Lane, Hindley Green, Wigan, Lancashire WN2 4HD

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Inspection dates: 24 and 25 September 2024

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 24 and 25 September 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ positive relationships with caring staff, coupled with the range of experiences the school provides, help them become confident and independent. This helps pupils to feel happy at school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Children in the Reception Year quickly learn and follow the school rules and the class routines. Pupils across the school behave well and value the importance of treating others with respect.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious for pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils make the most of the learning opportunities that the school provides for them. They are keen to learn, and many pupils achieve well during their time at the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils speak with great enthusiasm about the range of trips that they experience. These include visits to the theatre, museums and places of local historical significance. Part of the school’s mission statement is to encourage pupils to recognise their value through using their talents to help others. Activities such as the choir singing at a local residential home and pupils raising money for charities bring this to life. These opportunities also build pupils’ understanding of empathy and how to make a positive contribution to society.

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

The school’s curriculum is ambitious for pupils, including those with SEND. Across much of the curriculum, the school has set out the important knowledge pupils should learn from the Reception Year through to Year 6. Pupils with SEND benefit from well-chosen resources that help them to access the same curriculum as their peers. This is supported by the effective systems that the school has in place to identify the needs of pupils with SEND. Across many subjects, pupils, including those with SEND, are well prepared for the next stage of education.

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

There remain one or two subjects where the school has not determined the full range of key content that pupils should learn. This makes it difficult for teachers to know what knowledge to prioritise when designing lessons. Consequently, in these subjects, some pupils have gaps in their knowledge and do not achieve as well as they could.

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

In most subjects, teachers design activities that deepen pupils’ knowledge and connect earlier learning with new content. High-quality training has supported teachers in being able to do this. In the main, teachers use effective checks to identify and address any gaps in knowledge that pupils have. That said, in a small number of subjects, some older pupils have gaps in their knowledge. These gaps are the result of weaknesses in the previous curriculum. Although the school has improved the curriculum, these gaps in knowledge remain unaddressed. In these subjects, some older pupils’ understanding is less secure. At times, this hinders their ability to make sense of new learning and concepts. 24 and 25 September 2024

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The school places a high priority on younger pupils developing a secure knowledge of phonics. Staff teach the phonics programme consistently. The school uses assessment information accurately to identify and support any pupils who need additional help. Parents and carers value the information they receive from the school that helps them support their children’s phonics learning at home. Carefully selected books help pupils to experience success and enjoyment when reading. Many pupils become fluent readers by the end of key stage 1.

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Children in the Reception Year are very well behaved. They quickly follow adult instructions and learn cooperatively alongside their classmates. There is a calm and purposeful atmosphere around the school. Pupils are attentive in class, and they have positive attitudes towards their learning. Consequently, learning is rarely interrupted by incidents of poor behaviour. The school’s systems and procedures around attendance are effective. The majority of attendance concerns are picked up and addressed at an early stage.

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Pupils experience a range of opportunities that enhance their personal development. For example, they understand how to keep themselves safe online. Pupils understand the importance of having a healthy diet. Regular outdoor learning helps them to develop their teamwork and problem-solving skills. Pupils value the wider range of opportunities that have recently been made available to them to take on roles of responsibility. These include being prefects and members of the school council.

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Governors support and challenge the school well to improve the quality of education. They work effectively with the school to realise the agreed values. Staff appreciate the recent actions taken by the school to further support their workload and well-being. These include resources to aid assessment and access to training that helps them to deliver the curriculum well.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In one or two subjects, the school has not finalised its curriculum thinking. This hinders teachers from designing learning that helps pupils to build up a deep body of knowledge. The school should ensure that it finalises its curriculum thinking so that it is clear what pupils should learn and when this knowledge should be taught.  In a small number of subjects, some pupils have gaps in their knowledge as a result of weaknesses in the previous curriculum. Consequently, some pupils’ knowledge is insecure, and at times, this hinders their ability to make sense of new learning. The school should ensure that teachers are equipped to swiftly remedy these gaps in pupils’ 24 and 25 September 2024

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knowledge. This is so that pupils can build and further strengthen their knowledge in these subjects.

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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). 24 and 25 September 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.hindleygreensacredheart.co.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 1 and 2 October 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this school

 The headteacher took up post in January 2024.  The school does not use alternative provision.  This is a Roman Catholic primary school in the Archdiocese of Liverpool. The previous section 48 inspection took place in November 2018. The next section 48 inspection is due to take place by the end of 2025.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision. 24 and 25 September 2024

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 Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors completed deep dives in the following subjects: early reading, mathematics and music. As part of the deep dives, the inspectors met with subject leaders to discuss the curriculum, visited lessons, met with teachers and looked at pupils’ work. The inspectors also looked at the curriculum and pupils’ work in some other subjects. The lead inspector observed some pupils read to a familiar adult.  The inspectors spoke with the headteacher, other school leaders and members of staff.  The lead inspector spoke with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. He also spoke with representatives of the local authority and the diocese.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors reviewed the single central record and took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils. They also

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considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons. They spoke with groups of pupils about their experiences at school. They also considered the views of pupils shared through Ofsted’s online pupil survey.  The inspectors spoke with staff about their workload and well-being. They also considered the views of staff shared through Ofsted’s online staff survey.  The inspectors spoke with some parents. They considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View. This included the free-text responses.

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Inspection team

David Robinson, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Nicky Parkinson Ofsted Inspector 24 and 25 September 2024

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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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