St Hugh's Catholic Primary, A Voluntary Academy

Inspection of St Hugh’s Catholic Primary, A Voluntary Academy Woodfield Avenue, Doddington Park, Lincoln, Lincolnshire LN6 0SH

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Inspection dates: 10 and 11 December 2024

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

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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 Gregory Hughes. This school is part of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Multi Academy Trust , which means that other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), James McGeachie, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Nigel Stevenson.

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Ofsted has not previously inspected St Hugh’s Catholic Primary, A Voluntary Academy as an academy under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 as, until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there was a longer gap than usual between inspections. Judgements in this report are based on the current framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last inspection of the predecessor school. 10 and 11 December 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has established high expectations for everyone. There is a clear ambition that all pupils will leave the school with the academic skills they need to succeed. The school also takes great care to ensure that pupils become well-rounded members of their own communities and the world beyond. They are guided to ‘live, love and learn’ in ways which reflect the school’s ethos. Pupils live out the school’s expectations for them. They work hard, achieve well and treat others as they would wish to be treated.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are excellent ambassadors for the school. They are polite and kind. They behave well and support each other in their work and play. They take their responsibilities seriously. They develop confidence and pride in all they do. For example, the youngest pupils in school perform the Christmas nativity with aplomb. They delivered their lines, and sang and danced with obvious enjoyment in front of their families and friends.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff care for pupils exceptionally well. Pupils speak fondly of the adults in school who help them. Parents and carers place a great deal of value on the school’s work to support and educate their children. Pupils flourish in the school’s safe and happy environment.

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

The curriculum is broad and ambitious. It has been crafted with care. Key knowledge is identified and mapped out from the Reception Year to Year 6. For example, in mathematics, children in the early years develop a secure understanding of number. This helps them in later years to tackle more complex mathematical concepts such as factors and fractions. Leaders continue to monitor the curriculum. They make further refinements when necessary to ensure that it is equipping pupils well for the next stage in their education.

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

Staff have secure subject knowledge. Typically, they present new subject matter clearly. Every opportunity is taken to develop pupils’ language skills. Key vocabulary for each subject is identified. Staff model this subject-specific language and pupils are expected to use it in their work. They do this well. In science, Year 2 pupils referred to ‘evergreen’ and ‘deciduous’ to discuss how leaves change over the year. At story time, staff made sure that children in the early years understood the meaning of ‘hurled’ and ‘delighted’ as they read the story of ‘Stuck’. The school has systems in place to check what pupils can and cannot remember. Many staff use this information effectively to identify and address any emerging knowledge gaps and misconceptions that pupils develop. However, there are occasions when staff do not spot pupils who are not ready to move on to new learning. Those pupils, therefore, do not get the help they need to learn as well as they could.

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

Reading is prioritised across the school. There is a consistent approach to the teaching of early reading. Pupils acquire the sounds they need to know to read successfully. Pupils who struggle to keep up as they learn to read are given the help they need. The books that pupils read are matched to the sounds they know. Pupils are positive about reading. Younger pupils name ‘The Three Little Pigs’ and ‘Giraffes Can’t Dance’ as their favourite books. Across the school, pupils enjoy the high-quality texts which their teachers read to 10 and 11 December 2024

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them. They laugh at the humour and express their disappointment when the chapter ends on a cliffhanger.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are identified without delay. The school is ambitious that these pupils will learn the same curriculum content as their peers. Their progress through the curriculum is closely monitored. Recently, staff have received training to further develop their skills to adapt the curriculum for pupils with SEND. This work is not fully embedded across the school. There are still occasions when staff do not do this skilfully enough and pupils with SEND do not consistently get the help they need to learn the intended curriculum.

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Pupils’ personal development is well considered. Pupils have plenty of opportunities to broaden their horizons. The arts are promoted through music and drama. They show their care for others by fundraising for local, national and international charities. This includes a link with schools in Nigeria. Pupils can participate in a range of sporting activities. They learn to take responsibility for their actions, how to make good choices and reflect on their mistakes. This makes a considerable contribution to the school’s sense of calm and order which is evident at every point in the school day. Pupils like coming to school and attend regularly.

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Governors are knowledgeable about the school. They use their experience well to challenge and support leaders. The trust also provides effective support for the school. Their external view contributes to assurances that leaders are making the right decisions in the best interests of pupils. Leaders consider the workload and well-being of staff, who unanimously agree that they are proud to work at this welcoming school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The teaching strategies used to support pupils with SEND are not fully embedded. This impacts pupils’ ability to successfully learn the intended curriculum. The school should ensure that staff effectively adapt their teaching so that these pupils learn as well as they can.  Sometimes, the strategies that staff use to check pupils’ understanding of the intended learning are not fully effective. In those instances, pupils’ misconceptions or knowledge gaps are not spotted and addressed. The school should ensure that staff routinely assure themselves that pupils have secured the foundational knowledge they need before moving on to new learning. 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

Website www.st-hughs-catholic-primary.co.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 Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Multi Academy Trust.  St Hugh’s Catholic Primary, A Voluntary Academy converted to become an academy in May 2013. When its predecessor school, The St Hugh’s Catholic Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be outstanding overall.  The school has a Christian ethos. The previous statutory inspection under section 48 of the Education Act was in April 2018 when it was judged to be an outstanding Catholic school.  The school runs an on-site breakfast and after-school club.  The school does not make use of 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 10 and 11 December 2024

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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.

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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.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher and other leaders. The lead inspector met with two representatives of the trust and members of the governing body.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, science and history. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector observed pupils reading to a familiar adult.  Inspectors also considered the curriculum and evaluated pupils’ work in some other

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subjects.  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 observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons, at social times and around the school. They met with groups of pupils to gather their views about the school. The lead inspector attended part of the infant nativity.  Inspectors spoke with staff about their workload and well-being. They also took account of the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. They also spoke with parents at the start of the school day.

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Inspection team

Caroline Poole, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Tom Hawkins Ofsted 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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