St Augustine's Catholic Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: St Augustine’s Catholic Primary School Cranbrook Road, Gants Hill, Ilford, Essex IG2 6RG

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Inspection dates: 26 and 27 November 2024

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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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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy being part of the school’s diverse and welcoming community. They behave well in all areas of the school. Pupils appreciate the caring staff, who swiftly resolve any concerns or worries. Pupils support the well-being of others both in and beyond the school. For example, they lead fundraising events for their chosen charities. They support their younger peers by volunteering as play leaders, liturgical leaders and house captains. Digital leaders reinforce messages about how to stay safe online.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils experience a broad and rich range of activities to enhance their learning. These include canoeing, tai chi and choir. Visits take place to the Olympic Park, Stubbers Park and Fairplay House. Many pupils take part in the annual visit to Rome. All pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are fully included in these activities. Pupils learn about other religions, visiting both a mosque and a synagogue.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils study a broad and balanced curriculum, including in the nursery. Leaders have high expectations of their learning. Pupils work hard. In some subjects, pupils produce work of a high quality. In some areas of the curriculum, including reading, pupils are not consistently supported to build a deep body of knowledge. As a result, they are not as prepared as they need to be 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 curriculum matches the scope of what is expected nationally. All pupils, including those with SEND, access a broad range of subjects. The school has considered what it 26 and 27 November 2024

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wants pupils to learn in each subject. In some subjects, curriculum content is well organised, so learning builds on what has come before. This supports pupils to build their understanding over time. In science, for example, pupils build on what they have learned about the digestive system when learning about the role of blood in the body. In some subjects, the school has not identified the precise knowledge that it wants pupils to know and remember. Therefore, activities are not consistently well chosen to deepen pupils’ knowledge or to connect the ideas that they have learned. As a result, pupils do not fully secure the knowledge and understanding that they need in these subjects to tackle more challenging ideas.

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Subject leaders collaborate with staff from other schools. Regular training from these subject leads helps teachers to build their subject expertise. For example, teachers present information clearly, and routinely check pupils’ understanding. This helps to ensure that any errors are identified and addressed.

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Pupils with SEND are swiftly identified. They are supported to access the same ambitious curriculum as their peers, wherever possible. Leaders communicate effectively with staff to ensure that appropriate strategies are put in place to support the learning of pupils with SEND. Staff are well trained to match these strategies to individual pupils’ needs. Similarly, in early years, well-trained adults help pupils to develop their language and communication skills.

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Pupils, including in early years, read widely and often. Leaders have prioritised ensuring that books match the sounds that pupils know. The school fosters a love of reading and encourages parents and carers to continue this at home. Although staff introduce and model sounds with accuracy, pupils are not consistently given sufficient opportunities to practise and revisit sounds. The school identifies pupils who fall behind in phonics sessions. However, additional reading sessions do not give pupils enough time to secure their phonics knowledge. As a result, those at the earlier stages of reading do not develop their accuracy, fluency and confidence as quickly as they need to. Leaders recognise this and have plans in place to address these challenges.

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The school sets the highest expectations of behaviour. It makes these expectations clear to all staff and pupils. From early years onwards, staff consistently build effective classroom routines, such as taking turns in the Nursery. As a result, pupils are highly focused on their learning. They show strong self-control and treat their peers with kindness. Low-level disruption is rare, and pupils play sensibly with each other during breaktimes. The school prioritises the importance of regular attendance. Staff provide swift and effective support to the families of pupils where attendance does not meet the school’s high expectations.

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Leaders have given careful thought to the provision for personal development. The personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education curriculum is effectively sequenced to allow pupils to revisit and understand important content. For example, pupils are helped to understand economic well-being and ideas such as bankruptcy. External visitors add to pupils’ understanding of how to stay safe and healthy. In early 26 and 27 November 2024

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years, for example, children enjoy workshops on the importance of handwashing and dental hygiene.

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Staff at all levels appreciate the steps taken to manage their workload. Governors work closely with school leaders and have a secure understanding of the day-to-day life of the school. However, strategic oversight of the impact of the school’s work is not fully secure. Checks on the quality of education are not consistently rigorous.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The implementation of the phonics curriculum is not consistent. As a result, some pupils do not develop accuracy and fluency as quickly as they should. The school should ensure that the tasks provided match the ambition of the phonics curriculum. The school should also ensure pupils are provided with sufficient opportunities to practise and embed the sounds that they are learning.  In some subjects, the important knowledge that pupils should learn has not been clearly identified. In these instances, teaching does not focus as sharply on supporting pupils to achieve the intended curriculum goals. As a result, some pupils do not develop a sufficient understanding in these areas. The school should ensure that the knowledge that pupils need to secure is clearly identified. Leaders and those responsible for governance should prioritise checking the implementation and impact of the curriculum, providing additional support where needed.

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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 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, 26 and 27 November 2024

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behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in January 2016.

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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). 26 and 27 November 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 15 and 16 October 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Leaders do not currently use any alternative provision for pupils.  The school is designated as having a religious character. The school is in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brentwood. The school’s most recent section 48 inspection was in October 2018.

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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 has taken that into account in the evaluation of the school.  During the inspection, the inspector held meetings with the headteacher and other senior leaders. The inspector met with members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority. 26 and 27 November 2024

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 The inspector focused inspection activity on the following groups of subjects: English and mathematics, and science, geography and music. For each group of subjects, the inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke with pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: 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.  The inspector gathered the views of parents and carers and staff through both discussions and responses to Ofsted’s online surveys. There were no responses to the pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Hannah Glossop, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 26 and 27 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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