St Hubert's Roman Catholic Primary School, Great Harwood

Inspection of St Hubert’s Roman Catholic Primary School, Great Harwood Hallfield Road, Great Harwood, Blackburn, Lancashire BB6 7SN

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Inspection dates: 29 and 30 October 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 29 and 30 October 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to attend this happy and caring school. They routinely act out the school’s values, for example forgiveness, friendship and respectfulness. Pupils are kind to each other. They learn to make the right choices and to accept responsibility for their actions. Pupils enjoy positive relationships with staff. This helps them to feel safe in school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff have high expectations of pupils’ achievement. Pupils achieve well across a broad range of subjects. This begins in the early years, where children make a strong start.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from many opportunities to develop their talents and interests. The school offers a wide range of after-school clubs, including sports clubs. The school provides activities suitable for all abilities. These include team games such as kurling and boccia.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well and show positive attitudes to their learning. Those pupils who need extra help in managing their emotions receive effective support from staff who understand and care for them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils make a positive contribution to the life of the school. For example, older pupils act as ‘gardeners’ and they look after younger pupils, who are ‘seedlings’. These experiences help pupils to learn what it means to contribute to the school community.

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

The school has developed a broad and knowledge-rich curriculum that is ambitious for all pupils. It has set out clearly the information that pupils should learn and when they should learn it. Pupils, and children in the early years, achieve well.

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

Children in the early years benefit from a well-designed curriculum. Teacher-led learning and guided activities support children in developing their knowledge, communication and language skills. Children learn to follow the routines that the school has in place. Staff care for the children well and help them to develop independence. Children are well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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

The school provides appropriate training that helps staff to implement the curriculum successfully. This supports staff workload and well-being. Generally, staff provide suitable activities that enable pupils to build their knowledge securely over time. However, on occasion, in a few subjects, staff do not match learning activities accurately to the knowledge that the school has identified for pupils to learn. When this is the case, some pupils do not learn some curriculum knowledge as well as they could.

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

Staff regularly check on what pupils know and remember. They address gaps in pupils’ knowledge quickly. At times, these checks on pupils’ learning are not as detailed as they could be. This means that some pupils move on to new learning before they are ready. 29 and 30 October 2024

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The school is ambitious for all pupils to develop a love of reading. Children begin to learn to read from the start of the Reception Year through daily phonics sessions. Staff deliver these sessions with expertise. They use assessment well to identify pupils who are at risk of falling behind. These pupils receive extra support and catch up quickly. Most pupils gain the knowledge and skills they need to read with confidence and fluency.

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The school has invested in an extensive library. Reading is prioritised and all pupils are encouraged to read a wide range of books from different genres. Books are carefully chosen to spark pupils’ interests and to reflect the diversity of the world. Older pupils talk enthusiastically about the books that they have read, including those that relate to the different subjects they study. For example, they read about influential women in science and exceptional Black people in history.

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The school accurately identifies the additional needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils with SEND access the curriculum alongside their peers and they achieve well. The school ensures that staff receive clear and timely information about the needs of pupils with SEND and they use this information to support these pupils effectively.

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Pupils are typically attentive during lessons and show engagement in their learning, including in the early years. Pupils attend school regularly and they are punctual. The school takes effective action to support the small number of pupils who need to improve their attendance or punctuality.

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Pupils benefit from an extensive range of opportunities that support their wider development. They know how to care for their physical and mental health. They learn to celebrate the differences that exist between people and to treat everyone with respect. This prepares them well for life in a diverse world.

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Governors have a good knowledge of the school’s strengths and priorities. They provide appropriate support and challenge to the school and they ensure that resources are used effectively.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 On occasion, teachers do not match learning activities sufficiently well to the knowledge that the school has identified for pupils to learn. This means that, at times, some pupils do not learn curriculum knowledge as well as they should. The school should ensure that teachers design learning activities that help pupils to learn the curriculum in sufficient depth. 29 and 30 October 2024

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 In a small number of subjects, the school does not identify gaps and misconceptions in some pupils’ knowledge quickly enough. This means that these pupils move on to new learning before they are ready. The school should ensure that staff use appropriate assessment strategies so that they can help pupils to build their knowledge securely over time.

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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). 29 and 30 October 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 17 and 18 September 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This Roman Catholic school is part of the Diocese of Salford. The previous section 48 inspection, for schools of a religious character, took place in October 2016. The next section 48 inspection is expected to take place by the end of 2025.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision 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 (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. 29 and 30 October 2024

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 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 and other school leaders.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at a sample of pupils’ work.  The lead inspector observed some pupils read to a familiar adult.  Inspectors also discussed the curriculum and reviewed pupils’ work in some other subjects.  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

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safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The lead inspector held a meeting with representatives of the governing body, including the chair of governors. She spoke to representatives of the diocese and the local authority.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. They considered responses from staff to Ofsted’s online survey.  Inspectors spoke with pupils about their experiences of school and their views on behaviour and bullying. They observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and at breaktimes and lunchtimes.  Inspectors spoke with staff about their workload and well-being.

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Inspection team

Cleo Cunningham, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Rachael Alarcon Ofsted Inspector 29 and 30 October 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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