Ss Aidan and Oswald's Roman Catholic Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Ss Aidan and Oswald's Roman Catholic Primary School Roman Road, Royton, Oldham OL2 5PQ

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Inspection dates: 10 and 11 December 2024

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Outcome

Ss Aidan and Oswald's Roman Catholic Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to be members of this welcoming school community. They like to help others. This is clear in the enthusiasm with which they carry out an array of roles of responsibility. These range from looking after the school tortoise, Ozzie, to caring for the school and outdoor environment as ‘stewards of creation’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils celebrate people’s differences. They understand how their own and others’ uniqueness contribute to the richness of society. Pupils are quick to befriend those who are new to the school, including those from other countries. For example, Year 6 pupils take good care of their ‘special friends’ in the Reception Year and support them to settle into school routines quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children begin to recognise the importance of taking turns and considering the needs of others as soon as they join the early years. Pupils understand how politeness and courtesy towards others enables everyone to enjoy being at school. Pupils typically behave well, especially during lessons.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high aspiration for all pupils. It provides effective support to help pupils to achieve well. Pupils who need additional support, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), benefit from the expertise, encouragement and understanding of caring staff. 10 and 11 December 2024

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

The school has successfully addressed the areas identified for improvement at the time of the previous inspection. Governors have worked closely with the school to ensure that the quality of education provided for pupils remains of a high quality. Despite the changing school community, the curriculum supports pupils to achieve well, especially in reading and mathematics. Pupils in Year 6 are well prepared for moving on to their secondary phase of education.

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

The school has defined what it expects pupils to learn as they progress from the Nursery Year to Year 6. Teachers regularly revisit learning to reinforce what pupils have learned previously. For example, they use quizzes to find out what pupils already know before beginning a new topic. This ensures that pupils do not repeat previous learning unnecessarily.

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

In recent years, new content has been added to subjects in the wider curriculum. This has blurred some of the clarity of the knowledge that pupils most need to learn. At times, teachers try to cover too much in the topics that they study in these subjects. When this happens, pupils’ understanding is broad, rather than deep. This means that sometimes, they struggle to recall and use their prior learning to make sense of new information.

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

Reading continues to be central to the curriculum. The success of the reading curriculum is underpinned by a clear focus on developing secure phonics knowledge. This enables pupils to work out how to read unfamiliar words with confidence. Children in the early years and those who are still acquiring a secure understanding of English, benefit from regular, high-quality practice with skilled staff to build up their reading knowledge well.

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

Most pupils become fluent and accurate readers by the end of Year 2. The school ensures that those who find reading more difficult are supported effectively. Pupils appreciate the high-quality texts that the school provides both in class and for their personal enjoyment.

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

Teachers are adept at helping pupils to overcome any barriers that they might face in their learning. The school has thorough systems in place designed to identify anything that pupils, including those with SEND, might be struggling with. However, these processes are unnecessarily complex at times. This adds to leaders’ workload. It also gets in the way of teachers deciding what pupils with SEND most need to learn.

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

The school is skilled in supporting pupils in their personal development. Pupils use times to reflect on their own achievements well. They develop resilience and confidence as a result of the encouragement and many high-quality opportunities that the school provides. Pupils are not afraid to make mistakes. They embrace trying something new, such as learning to play a musical instrument.

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

The school has focused on improving the attendance of a small group of pupils whose attendance is causing concern. The school monitors emerging patterns of absence regularly and provides appropriate support. Many pupils have improved their attendance as a result. They are now better able to make the most of all that the school has to offer. 10 and 11 December 2024

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Governors provide effective support and challenge to the school in most areas. However, they do not ensure sufficiently well that leaders’ time is consistently focused on improving the quality of education. At times, some leaders carry out unnecessary tasks that distract them from their main roles and responsibilities. This increases their workload and lessens the impact they have on pupils’ achievement.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some aspects of the wider curriculum the content has become too unwieldly. Pupils’ understanding of their learning can be superficial at times. The school should provide the support that teachers need to prioritise the most important information that pupils need to learn.  At times, leaders are overburdened with unnecessary tasks. This adds to their workload as well as distracting them from their strategic roles. Governors should ensure that leaders receive the support that they need to remain focused on providing the most effective quality of education possible for pupils.

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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 May 2015. 10 and 11 December 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). 10 and 11 December 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 8 and 9 October 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 A new headteacher has been appointed since the time of the previous inspection. There have also been other changes to leadership arrangements during this time.  A new chair of governors has been appointed since the last inspection.  The school has changed its class structure due to fluctuating pupil numbers over recent years.  The numbers of pupils at the school who have previously attended other schools has increased over time.  The proportion of pupils at the school who speak English as an additional language has increased since the time of the previous inspection. Some of these pupils have lived in other countries before joining the school.  The school is part of the Diocese of Salford. It was last inspected under section 48 of the Education Act 2005 in March 2018. The inspection of the school’s religious character is expected within the next academic year.  The school does not currently make use of alternative provision for pupils.

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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 her evaluation of the school.  The inspector spoke with the headteacher and other leaders in the school.  The inspector met with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors.  The inspector spoke with representatives of the local authority and of the diocese.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. She also listened to pupils from Years 1 to 3 reading to a familiar adult.  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

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Information about this inspection

the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector spoke with parents and carers as they dropped their children off at school. She also considered the responses to Ofsted’s online Parent View survey and parents’ free-text responses.  The inspector considered responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff and for pupils.  The inspector spoke with groups of pupils about their experiences at school.

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Inspection team

Claire Cropper, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector 10 and 11 December 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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