St Patrick's Catholic Primary School

Inspection of St Patrick's Catholic Primary School Holmes Road, London NW5 3AH

p.1

Inspection dates: 20 and 21 November 2024

p.1

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 20 and 21 November 2024

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School benefit from a nurturing and inclusive environment where they feel safe, happy and valued. The school’s strong sense of community is rooted in its ethos, which inspires pupils to show kindness and respect to others. All pupils are welcome, irrespective of their background. Pupils enjoy coming to school and take pride in their achievements, striving to meet the high expectations set by staff. They achieve well here.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

The school is a calm and purposeful place where pupils work hard and show enthusiasm for their learning. They are curious and enjoy asking questions, particularly in subjects such as science and history, where teachers encourage them to think deeply about what they are learning. Pupils rise to challenges, celebrating their successes and persevering when faced with difficulties.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Playtimes are calm and joyful. Pupils play together happily, supported by the well- organised activities in the playground. They show care for each other, ensuring that everyone is included in activities. Leadership opportunities, such as becoming school councillors or helping to organise charity events, give pupils a sense of responsibility and pride in contributing to the school community.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils flourish because they are supported socially and emotionally. The school introduces pupils to a wealth of cultural experiences.

p.2

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

The school has an ambitious and carefully designed curriculum that builds pupils’ knowledge and skills over time. The school has worked to ensure that the curriculum is broad and engaging. In subjects such as mathematics and English, what is taught is particularly well sequenced, helping pupils to build strong foundations in their learning and progress confidently through the curriculum.

p.2

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

Teachers are skilled in delivering the curriculum. They explain new concepts clearly and make effective use of subject-specific vocabulary. In mathematics, for example, teachers model problem-solving strategies, providing pupils with ample opportunities to practise and apply these independently. Similarly, in English, pupils are encouraged to use precise vocabulary in their written work. These approaches enable pupils to consolidate their learning and apply their knowledge with increasing confidence. The school continues to strengthen the wider curriculum. It aims to ensure that pupils’ learning is consistently checked and revisited. By encouraging pupils to recall prior knowledge regularly, the curriculum helps them to embed and retain what they have learned over time. However, this approach is not applied consistently in some wider curriculum subjects. This reduces how securely pupils remember knowledge in the long term.

p.2

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

The school adapts teaching to ensure that pupils remember what has been taught. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) benefit from tailored support. Teachers and leaders work closely with families to understand each pupil’s needs and 20 and 21 November 2024

p.2

3

ensure that pupils can access the full curriculum. Staff training has been pivotal in giving teachers the knowledge and skills that they need to teach the curriculum effectively.

p.3

3

The school’s approach to early reading is strong. Staff are well trained in phonics, delivering the school’s chosen approach with consistency. Pupils who need extra help are quickly identified and supported to catch up. Books are carefully matched to pupils’ reading ability, ensuring that they experience success in building fluency. Pupils across the school speak enthusiastically about the books that they are reading and demonstrate a genuine passion for reading.

p.3

3

Children in early years access a rich environment that encourages exploration and curiosity. Adults introduce new vocabulary effectively, helping children to build language and prepare for Year 1. Routines are well established, and children play and learn together harmoniously. Leaders continue to refine practice in the early years, ensuring that the language used by staff is consistently accurate and helps children’s understanding.

p.3

3

The school places great importance on pupils’ personal development, supported by a thoughtfully planned programme. Pupils are encouraged to live out the school’s values, such as compassion, integrity, and respect. This includes, for example, through meaningful contributions to the community and raising funds for local charities.

p.3

3

The school makes full use of the opportunities London offers to enrich pupils’ learning and personal development. For example, Year 6 pupils recently visited the RAF Museum, deepening their understanding of historical events linked to their history lessons. Visits to art galleries and museums are thoughtfully connected to pupils’ learning in subjects such as science and art, broadening their cultural horizons. These experiences help pupils develop a strong sense of responsibility and ambition while equipping them with an excellent understanding of the world around them.

p.3

3

Attendance has been a challenge for the school. The school has taken decisive action, working closely with families to remove barriers to regular attendance. This work is beginning to have positive impact, but levels of persistent absence for some pupils is too high. Leaders remain focused on ensuring that all pupils attend regularly in order to benefit fully from the school’s curriculum and opportunities.

p.3

3

Staff are proud to work at St Patrick’s. They value the support and professional development provided by leaders and governors, who are deeply committed to maintaining high standards and securing ongoing improvement across the school.

p.3

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 20 and 21 November 2024

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Persistent absence for some groups of pupils is too high. This means that some pupils are missing out on important learning. Leaders must continue to refine their approaches to rapidly reduce persistent absence for pupils, including those who are disadvantaged.  The wider curriculum is still being developed. In some subjects, the school’s approach to checking and revisiting learning is not consistently applied. This limits pupils’ ability to consolidate and retain knowledge over time. The school needs to ensure that teaching checks on and adapts to how well pupils are learning, and that opportunities to revisit prior knowledge are embedded across all subjects.

p.4

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.

p.4

How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

p.4

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.4

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). 20 and 21 November 2024

p.4

School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

p.5

School details

Headteacher Chloe Toop (head of school) Moya Richardson (executive headteacher) Website www.stpatricks.camden.sch.uk

p.5

School details

Dates of previous inspection 19 and 20 November 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

p.5

Information about this school

 The school has a Roman Catholic religious character. The school had its last section 48 inspection by the Diocese of Westminster in June 2023. These inspections take place every five years.  The current executive headteacher took up post in April 2023.  The school works in close partnership with three other Roman Catholic primary schools in Camden.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

p.5

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. 20 and 21 November 2024

p.5

6

 Inspections are a point in time judgement about the quality of a school's education provision.  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.  The inspectors held meetings with the head of school, the executive headteacher and other senior leaders. They met with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors and spoke to the school improvement partner.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics, art and design and history. For each deep dive, the inspector held discussions about the curriculum visited a sample of lessons and spoke to teachers. They spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single

p.6

6

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.  The inspectors spoke to a range of staff members and reviewed the responses to Ofsted’s online staff and pupil surveys. They also considered the views of parents who made responses to the parent online survey, Ofsted Parent View.

p.6

Inspection team

Adam Vincent, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

p.6

Inspection team

Deborah Walters His Majesty's Inspector 20 and 21 November 2024

p.6

7

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.

p.7

7

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.7

7

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open- government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

7

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

7

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7