a school not in a category of concern of Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School

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

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Claire Williams Principal Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School St Faith’s Road Alcester Warwickshire B49 6AG

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Catholic Primary School

This letter sets out the findings from the monitoring inspection that took place on 11 December 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 took place because the school meets the monitoring threshold as set out in the Monitoring Inspection Handbook .

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Catholic Primary School

The purpose of a monitoring inspection is not to grade the school’s key and 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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Catholic Primary School

During the inspection, I discussed with you and the executive headteacher, other leaders, trustees, board members and representatives from the 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, looked at samples of pupils’ work, spoke to pupils and reviewed documentation relating to the curriculum and the provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). I have considered all this in coming to my judgement.

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Main findings

Since the previous graded inspection, there have been several changes to increase leadership capacity at the school. New senior leaders have been appointed in the posts of executive principal, principal and special educational needs coordinator. A school improvement board was temporarily put in to replace the local governing body. Transition plans are in place for a strengthened local governing body to resume its work in February 2025. The school works in strong partnership with schools across the trust and has drawn upon expertise from external consultants. Together with support from the trust, the school has responded robustly to address the recommendations from the last inspection. These changes are making a positive difference.

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Main findings

The school has maintained a rigorous focus on improving the quality of education that pupils receive. Curriculum development has been at the centre of this work. Leaders continue to place a high priority on reading and rightly view it as a strength of the school. Pupils have many opportunities to read and enjoy books. Staff work with specialist advisors to ensure that the delivery of phonics is as effective as it can be. At the time of the last inspection, the curriculums for mathematics and writing were not well implemented and expectations were too low. The school has taken decisive action to put this right, through effective training for staff and a more robust and ambitious curriculum. As a result of raised expectations and improved staff expertise, pupils’ achievements are improving in both writing and mathematics.

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Main findings

The previous inspection identified that in some subjects, the curriculum did not clearly identify the key knowledge pupils were expected to learn. As a result, pupils did not build a secure understanding over time. Working collaboratively with the trust, the school has transformed its curriculum and put in place new programmes of work. These clearly set out the important knowledge and skills that pupils need to know and remember. This is made clear so that teachers can make links between each year’s learning. The school has strengthened its leadership capacity, for example, by providing subject leaders with training and support to develop and accurately evaluate their subject areas. Being a smaller school, staff have many subject leadership responsibilities and leaders have prioritised the development of subjects according to need. Some subjects are more developed than others. However, the school has clear plans in place to ensure that all

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Main findings

subject curriculums build pupils’ understanding over time.

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Main findings

At the last inspection, tasks and support given to pupils with SEND were not always well matched to their needs. This aspect of the school’s work has been transformed. The school has improved its expertise in the leadership of SEND. It now works closely with all staff to ensure that these pupils’ needs are accurately identified, understood and met. Since the last inspection, there has been training for staff to improve their understanding of how best to support pupils with SEND in their learning. These pupils get the support they need and enjoy learning alongside their peers in the classroom. In addition, staff work well with specialist services to make sure that pupils with SEND receive the extra support they need. The school makes the most of external support and challenge. Leaders work collaboratively with external advisers, for example, to check the suitability of provision for pupils with SEND. Leaders ensure that they make regular and robust reviews of teaching

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Main findings

and learning to check that the curriculum is being delivered as securely as intended. The school has been well supported by leaders from the multi-academy trust to refine and embed the school’s systems, policies and procedures.

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Main findings

I am copying this letter to the chair of the board of trustees and the CEO of the Our Lady of the Magnificat Multi-Academy Company trust, the director of education for the Archdiocese of Birmingham, the Department for Education’s regional director and the director of children’s services for Warwickshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted reports website.

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