St John Bosco Catholic Primary School, Town End Farm, Sunderland

Inspection of St John Bosco Catholic Primary School, Town End Farm, Sunderland Bradford Avenue, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear SR5 4JW

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Inspection dates: 26 and 27 November 2024

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Early years provision Outstanding

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Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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The headteacher of this school is Lianne Peart. This school is part of Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Brendan Tapping, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Daniel O’Mahoney.

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Ofsted has not previously inspected St John Bosco Catholic Primary School, Town End Farm, Sunderland under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. However, Ofsted previously judged St John Bosco Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School to be outstanding for overall effectiveness, before it opened as St John Bosco Catholic Primary School, Town End Farm, Sunderland as a result of conversion to academy status. Since September 2024, schools have not been awarded an overall effectiveness grade. 26 and 27 November 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils take great delight in their learning at this school. They embrace the ambitious curriculum the school has for them. Pupils feel safe. They are well supported by kind and caring adults who know the school community exceptionally well. Pupils achieve well and are well prepared for secondary school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Throughout the school day, pupils’ behaviour is exemplary. The school has high expectations for pupils’ behaviour. Pupils rise with ease to these expectations. They have high levels of respect for staff and their peers. When talking about a range of topics, pupils are courteous and polite. They listen attentively and value other pupils’ thoughts and ideas. Pupils take pride in how welcoming the school is to new pupils and visitors.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school relentlessly focuses on raising aspirations for all pupils. Pupils receive regular information about how they can take their knowledge and skills into different jobs and careers. Pupils meet employers from local and international businesses through carefully planned careers events. This helps them think about the world of work in different ways.

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What is it like to attend this school?

School visits and visitors to school help bring the curriculum to life. Pupils talk enthusiastically about residential visits that help them develop new skills and take on new challenges.

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

The school’s curriculum is carefully mapped out from the start of Nursery through to the end of Year 6. It is ambitious for all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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

The school has thought carefully about the important key knowledge and skills pupils need to know and remember. This helps pupils build their knowledge over time. Staff skilfully ensure that teaching is well matched to leaders’ expectations. Pupils talk about recent learning in detail. They recall important artists they have studied such as Andy Warhol and Boris Schmidt. Checks on learning are embedded across the school curriculum. In mathematics, memory joggers are used to ensure that pupils’ skills and knowledge are revisited regularly. This helps pupils practise important skills to help them with new learning.

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

Children in early years make a bright start to learning to read. Adults use books and music to bring stories to life. Children in Reception enjoy practising the sounds they know. They use them to write simple shopping lists with pride. Pupils benefit from a consistent approach to phonics teaching. Skilled adults use consistent language and strategies to teach the school’s chosen phonics scheme well. Each day starts with a ‘book and a bagel’ activity. This gives pupils regular opportunities to read. Pupils at the early stages of reading do not consistently have books that are well matched to the phonics they know. This means they cannot use the sounds they know confidently to become fluent readers. 26 and 27 November 2024

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The school ensures pupils with SEND get the support they need to succeed. Staff and resources are used expertly to ensure barriers to learning are removed. Pupils with SEND access the same ambitious curriculum as all pupils and do well.

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In early years, adults support pupils through highly skilled interactions. Adults use carefully crafted questions and expert modelling of key language and skills. These skilful interactions, alongside warm and caring relationships between children and adults, help children thrive when they start school. These secure relationships continue as pupils move through school. Pupils trust the staff they work with. This fosters an exceptionally positive learning environment for all pupils. Pupils can focus on their learning without disruption.

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Pupils’ positive attitudes to learning help them embrace the wide range of opportunities the school offers them. A carefully planned personal, social and health education means pupils are exceptionally well prepared for life in modern Britain. Pupils have a detailed understanding of fundamental British values. Their high levels of respect ensure that no one in the school community feels left out. The school offers a range of tangible leadership experiences for pupils. The health and safety team works with the school to keep pupils safe. Curriculum ambassadors lead the organisation of parent workshops in mathematics. These opportunities are highly effective in supporting pupils to lead and work collaboratively with others.

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During the last academic year, the school experienced significant disruption. Issues related to Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) meant the school building was unsafe. Steadfast leadership throughout this time ensured that pupils continued to learn. The school has successfully maintained its community ethos alongside a culture of high expectations despite these challenges. Staff are highly consistent in their work. Opportunities to develop and strengthen the skills of the staff team are purposeful and well matched to the needs of the school community. Leaders, including trustees and local governors, live out the strong vision of the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some pupils at the early stages of reading do not read books well matched to their phonics knowledge. This means pupils spend too much time reading the individual sounds when they are reading. The school should ensure that books are well matched to pupils’ phonics knowledge so pupils can read with increasing fluency and automaticity. 26 and 27 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). 26 and 27 November 2024

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School details

Website www.stjohnboscosunderland.org.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school is part of Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust.  The school’s religious character is Catholic. Its last section 48 inspection took place in January 2023.  Due to RAAC, all pupils were educated at two off-site locations during the last academic year for over two terms.  The school has Nursery provision for three-year-olds.  The school offer a breakfast club which is run by the school.  The school uses one registered alternative provision.

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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 26 and 27 November 2024

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provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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 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. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Prior to the inspection, the lead inspector reviewed documents on the school’s website, as well as published information about the school’s performance and previous Ofsted inspections.  Inspectors spoke with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, leaders for SEND and subject leads as part of the inspection.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, history and art. Inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons and spoke to teachers and teaching assistants. They spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors listened to pupils read

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with a familiar adult. Inspectors also looked at pupils’ work in science and aspects of the personal, social, health and economic education curriculum.  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 safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors gathered the views of parents informally in person and formally through responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, and free-text responses. The views of staff were considered through meetings with them. Pupils’ views were considered through meetings with them.  Inspectors spoke with representatives from the local governing body, the board of trustees, the CEO of the trust, the diocese and those responsible for school improvement from the trust.

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 Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in classes and during breakfast club, breaktimes and at lunchtime.

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Inspection team

Emily Stevens, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Olie Flitcroft Ofsted 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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