St Ignatius Catholic Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: St Ignatius Catholic Primary School Storrs Hill Road, Ossett, Wakefield, West Yorkshire WF5 0DQ

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Outcome

Evidence gathered during this ungraded (section 8) inspection suggests that aspects of the school's work may not be as strong as at the time of the previous inspection. The school's next inspection will be a graded inspection.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Helen Cooke. This school is part of Bishop Konstant Catholic Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Lesley Fitton, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Julie Noble.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a school at the heart of its community. Staff provide a caring and nurturing environment for pupils.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils understand the school’s positive behaviour policy. They know how to enact the code of conduct. Pupils clearly articulate the three virtues of respect, resilience and responsibility that underpin the code. Pupils understand the significance of these virtues and they apply them in the classroom and at breaktimes.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school and the trust have high expectations for what pupils can achieve. However, these expectations are not fully realised. Some pupils do not learn all that they should.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are safe at the school. Pupils can share any concerns through their class worry box. They know that adults in the school will respond to their worries and keep them safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides pupils with leadership opportunities that enable them to take on positions of responsibility. For example, ‘guardian angels’ promote friendship and student ambassadors represent pupils’ views to staff.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to support community charity events, such as the local food bank. Pupils enjoy participating in the school’s choir and in trust-wide choral events. 19 November 2024

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

Subject leaders from across the trust have worked together to develop a broad and balanced curriculum. It is mapped to ensure that pupils learn the right knowledge in the right order at the right time. However, the delivery of the curriculum is variable across subjects. As a result, pupils do not learn consistently well.

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

On occasions, expectations for what pupils can achieve are not ambitious enough. Some activity choices are not fully considered to enable pupils to achieve well. In the early years, adult interactions with pupils do not build children’s understanding of ambitious vocabulary as well as they should.

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

The school has a structured approach to identifying pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). However, some learning tasks are not matched to pupils’ attainment or needs. Therefore, some pupils with SEND do not get the practice that they need to meet their targets.

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

There is some variation in how well the school checks pupils’ understanding across subjects. In subjects such as phonics and mathematics, staff have a good awareness of how well pupils are learning the intended curriculum. However, these checks are less effective in some areas of the wider curriculum than in core area. This means that on occasions gaps in pupils’ knowledge are not addressed as well as they should be.

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

Pupils access daily phonics sessions. The school checks the sounds that pupils know. This ensures that any catch-up sessions consolidate pupils’ phonics knowledge. Adults engage pupils in phonics lessons. Pupils are attentive and readily join in reading the sounds aloud. Typically, Year 1 pupils learn to read well.

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

Pupils’ rates of attendance are high. The school has created a culture where this is celebrated in assemblies.

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

The school’s personal development curriculum provides pupils with important knowledge. It is also flexible enough to respond swiftly to any topics that pupils may need to know about. The school focuses on a different fundamental British value each half term. Staff enable pupils to relate these values to their lives.

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

The trust has brought much-needed stability to school leadership after a period of change. It has worked with staff to build subject expertise. The trust recognises that some aspects of oversight of the school’s work could be strengthened and is taking action to address this.

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

Senior leaders have worked with determination to manage the change from one leadership team to another. Many subject leaders new to their role are keen to develop their areas further. Staff are positive about how the school takes their workload and well- being into consideration. They recognise that using the trust curriculum reduces their workload. 19 November 2024

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some lessons, the checks on what pupils know and remember are not used well to identify misconceptions. This means misconceptions in learning remain longer than necessary. The school should ensure that the checks on pupils’ knowledge are used more effectively to improve pupils’ understanding.  Activity choices are not ambitious enough for pupils, including those with SEND. This means activities do not match pupils’ needs well enough or help realise the ambition of the curriculum. The school should ensure that tasks are sufficiently ambitious and help secure pupils’ knowledge over time.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted's website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school's work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in June 2019. 19 November 2024

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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). 19 November 2024

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School details

Headteacher Helen Cooke (interim headteacher)

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School details

Date of previous inspection 18 June 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Bishop Konstant Catholic Academy Trust.  As the school is designated as Roman Catholic, it is also inspected under section 48 of the Education Act 2005. The school’s last section 48 inspection was in June 2018. Inspections are usually every eight years, however, the timescales for reinspection have been extended because of COVID-19.  The interim headteacher and two assistant headteachers were appointed in September 2024.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school has nursery provision for three-year-old children. 19 November 2024

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school's education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector 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 interim headteacher and other leaders in the school.  Inspectors also met with representatives of the academy council, the CEO of the trust, trustees and a representative of the Diocese of Leeds.  Inspectors visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  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

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Information about this inspection

safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. They also considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff. Inspectors spoke with groups of staff and pupils to gain their views about the school.

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Inspection team

Alison Stephenson, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Martyn Broom Ofsted Inspector 19 November 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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