The Oratory Roman Catholic Primary School

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 1231 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Mary Lynch Executive headteacher The Oratory Roman Catholic Primary School Oliver Road Ladywood Birmingham West Midlands B16 9ER

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Primary School

This letter sets out the findings from the monitoring inspection that took place on 12 and 13 November 2024, on behalf of His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills. The monitoring inspection was carried out under section 8(2) of the Education Act 2005 and was the third monitoring inspection since the school was judged to require special measures following the graded (section 5) inspection that took place in November 2022.

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Primary School

The purpose of a monitoring inspection is not to grade the school’s key and (where applicable) provision judgements, but to identify and report on the school’s progress. It is to highlight to the school and parents any improvements that school leaders have made since the school’s previous graded inspection.

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Primary School

During the inspection, I discussed with you, the head of school, the special educational needs coordinator, other curriculum leaders, members of the governing body and the chief executive officer of the prospective trust the actions that have been taken to improve the school since the most recent graded inspection. We discussed the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. I also visited lessons, reviewed examples of pupils’ work and spoke to staff and pupils. In addition, I reviewed a range of documents relating to school improvement and safeguarding procedures. I have considered all this in coming to my judgement.

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Leaders have made progress to improve the school, but more work is

necessary for the school to no longer be judged as requiring special measures.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

Since the previous monitoring inspection, there have been further changes to the senior leadership team. This includes the appointment of an assistant headteacher responsible for early years. In addition to this, the head of school has taken over responsibility for the development of the school’s reading programme. You now have a skilled and stable leadership team working together to strengthen the school. You and your team have taken decisive action to prioritise and address the areas that require significant improvement.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

The improvements seen previously are embedding. The school’s focus on early reading and mathematics means there is a consistent approach to teaching and learning in these subjects. Teachers know what they should teach and when. They identify gaps in pupils’ learning and address these gaps well. Staff have raised their expectations of what pupils can achieve in these subjects. As a result, the work pupils produce is of a higher quality. However, there is still more work to do to improve the quality of writing across the school. While you have begun to address inconsistencies in the teaching of handwriting, spelling and grammar, these actions are very new, and teachers are not implementing the changes consistently.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

The school’s work to develop the quality of the wider curriculum is inconsistent. Leaders have put in place curriculums for each subject. However, these are at an early stage of development. The curriculum in foundation subjects does not sufficiently identify the knowledge pupils need to know and remember. This means teachers do not plan learning that helps pupils know and remember what they should.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

Subject leadership is also in the early stages of development. Some subject leaders lack the expertise they need to understand and implement subject curriculums well. While they have begun to receive training and support, not all staff have the skills to drive improvements in their subjects. You have rightly identified this and are working closely with the prospective trust to ensure these leaders receive the support and coaching needed to develop their expertise.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

The appointment of a new early years leader has ensured that the improvements seen at the previous monitoring inspection have gone from strength to strength. Clear routines and expectations for behaviour help children know and understand the school’s rules and appropriate behaviour. Children have positive attitudes, and the school motivates them to learn new things. You have overhauled the early years curriculum. Learning is well considered and builds on what children can already do. Learning activities are purposeful and develop the children’s knowledge over time.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

Improving attendance remains a high priority for the school. The school’s relentless approach to managing attendance is paying dividends. While some pupils continue to be absent from school too often, the number of these pupils has declined significantly. The school’s approach to monitoring attendance ensures that leaders identify patterns quickly so pupils and their families receive effective support.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

The school has embraced the extensive support provided by the proposed multi-academy trust. Although there have been some delays in the academy conversion, this has not impacted your commitment and drive to improve the school. You are taking decisive steps toward sustained improvement. Staff are aware that there is still further work to do. However, they share your vision and determination to build on the successes already seen.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

I am copying this letter to the chair of the board of governors, the director of education for the Diocese of Birmingham, the Department for Education’s regional director and the director of children’s services for Birmingham. This letter will be published on the Ofsted reports website.

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