St Thomas More Catholic First School

Inspection of St Thomas More Catholic First School Woodrow Centre, Studley Road, Redditch, Worcestershire B98 7RY

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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 Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Outstanding

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Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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The principal of this school is Anna-Marie Rooney. This school is part of the Our Lady of the Magnificat multi-academy company, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Tom Leverage, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Yvonne Brennan. 24 and 25 September 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils flourish at St Thomas More Catholic First School. The school is at the centre of the community, and it is an inclusive and welcoming place. Pupils are proud to attend the school. They report that ‘everyone gets along and looks out for each other in our school’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for pupils’ behaviour. Pupils are polite and well mannered. They show high levels of respect for one another. Pupils understand the school rules and follow them well. They listen carefully and are eager to learn. There is a calm and purposeful environment in classrooms and around the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The personal development offer in the school is of an exceptionally high quality. Pupils, as well as parents and carers, value the wide range of extra-curricular clubs and activities on offer. These enhance pupils’ strengths, talents and well-being. They are accessible for all pupils and participation is high. The curriculum is successfully designed to enrich pupils’ lives and develop their character.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn how to stay safe online and in the wider community. Relationships are positive between adults and pupils. Pupils say that adults listen to them and support them with any worries. The school has an accurate understanding of pupils’ individual needs. Pastoral support for pupils is strong.

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

The school has designed a broad and ambitious curriculum. Learning is well sequenced, so that pupils build their knowledge successfully over time. Pupils recap their prior learning at the beginning of lessons. This helps them to consolidate their understanding. The school has focused on improving pupils’ foundational knowledge in mathematics and English. As a result, pupils’ fluency and confidence has increased, resulting in improving outcomes. The implementation of the curriculum in mathematics and English is consistent across the school. For example, mathematics lessons across the school follow the same lesson structure. This routine enables pupils to access new learning, practise and then apply this to mathematical problems.

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

Reading is at the heart of the curriculum. This starts in the early years, where children learn phonics as soon as they start at the school. They quickly gain the knowledge that they need to be able to blend sounds together to read simple words. The reading curriculum is well organised and sets out what pupils should know and by when. All staff have the expertise to ensure that there is a consistent approach to the teaching of phonics. The school regularly checks pupils’ phonics knowledge and identifies those who need extra support. These pupils receive the help they need. Reading books match pupils’ phonics knowledge accurately. This supports pupils to read with fluency. Teachers read and discuss high-quality texts with their classes. As a result, pupils develop their reading skills and a passion for reading.

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

The school recognises that the curriculum needs further embedding as it is still new. For example, in some wider curriculum subjects the school has not yet identified the precise 24 and 25 September 2024

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knowledge it wants pupils to know and remember. As a result, pupils do not always gain the depth of understanding that they need to make links with previous learning. Therefore, pupils do not build their knowledge as well as they could.

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Children in the early years get off to a flying start. They settle quickly and learn important routines to help them develop their independence. The curriculum is designed well to match children’s abilities and interests. Children interact well with each other because staff make skilled use of their expertise and resources to model and encourage this. Well- designed activities skilfully challenge children’s thinking. Children work well together to solve problems. They share their work with pride, explaining enthusiastically what they have done.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported well. Learning is adapted effectively to meet the needs of all pupils. Consequently, pupils with SEND make strong progress throughout the curriculum, in line with their peers. They participate fully in all aspects of school life in this very inclusive school.

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Pupils have many meaningful opportunities to develop a sense of responsibility. They take on leadership roles through the future leaders programme. Pupils can apply for a variety of roles to make a difference in the school and beyond. For example, library ambassadors organise the school library. In addition, they work alongside librarians in the local community library, which is regularly used by pupils.

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The curriculum emphasises the importance of fundamental British values. This is effective and pupils have a detailed grasp of elements, such as democracy. Leaders are adept at monitoring the personal development offer and addressing any gaps. This means that pupils’ understanding of the world around them is consistently and effectively realised at an age-appropriate level.

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Staff are proud to work at the school. They appreciate the training they receive and feel well supported by school leaders and the trust. Trustees and local governors have a thorough understanding of the school’s strengths and priorities for improvement. They provide meaningful support and challenge to the school. Parents are very positive about the school. They are supportive and value the school’s importance in the community. Parents comment on the rapid improvement the school has made.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some wider curriculum subjects, where recent changes have been made, the school has not yet fully identified the essential knowledge that pupils need to learn and by when. Where this is the case, pupils do not gain the depth of understanding they 24 and 25 September 2024

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require to make connections with prior learning. The trust needs to ensure that the essential knowledge that pupils need to know and remember is identified in all subjects across the curriculum.

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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

Dates of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 St Thomas More Catholic First School is part of Our Lady of the Magnificat multi- academy company. It converted to become an academy school in April 2020.  The school is part of the Archdiocese of Birmingham. The last section 48 inspection took place in 2019. Section 48 inspections were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They restarted in September 2021. The next inspection will be within eight years of the last section 48 inspection.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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Information about this school

 The school has provision for three-year-olds in its pre-school.

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Information about this school

 The school runs a breakfast and after-school club for pupils.

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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 24 and 25 September 2024

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(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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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.

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

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 The inspectors met with the principal, executive headteacher, assistant headteacher, early years leader and special educational needs coordinator for the school. The inspectors also met with a range of teaching and support staff.

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 The lead inspector met with the chief executive officer from the trust and held a conversation with a representative from the Diocese.

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 The lead inspector met with representatives from the board of trustees, the local governing board and the trust school improvement team.

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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.

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 The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, the inspectors 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.

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 The inspectors also discussed the curriculum in other subjects.

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 The lead inspector listened to pupils in Year 1, 2 and 3 read to an adult.

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 The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site.

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 The inspectors gathered parents’ views by considering the responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, and by talking to parents before and after school. The inspectors also evaluated responses to Ofsted’s staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Matt Fletcher, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

John Bates 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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