Holy Family Catholic Primary School

Inspection of Holy Family Catholic Primary School Coventry Road, Small Heath, Birmingham, West Midlands B10 0HT

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 4 and 5 February 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

At Holy Family, every child is welcomed and nurtured, including those who join part way through the school year. Pupils have warm relationships with adults in the school. Pupils trust staff to listen to them and sort out any worries. This helps pupils to feel valued and safe at school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious for its pupils to succeed. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have the same opportunities as their peers. Pupils are proud of their work. They try hard and achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is calm and orderly. Pupils behave well because they know exactly what is expected of them. Pupils care about each other. At breaktimes, they make sure everyone has someone to play with. Pupils, from the early years upwards, happily work together and share resources politely.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from trips to enhance their learning, including residential visits. These help them to gain confidence and experience different places. Pupils learn about being good citizens by being involved in the local community. They organise litter-picking events and collect donations of clothes to support refugees. Pupils have a strong sense of belonging at Holy Family and are proud of their school.

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

Many pupils join the school speaking English as an additional language, having recently arrived in the country. The school puts language and communication at the heart of the curriculum to meet their needs. The school’s curriculum is ambitious. It is organised well and sets out what pupils should learn and by when, building on what children learn in the early years. The school ensures that the curriculum includes references to different places around the world to reflect the experiences and cultures of the local community.

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

Teachers have good subject knowledge, and they make sure that activities are engaging for pupils. Staff ensure pupils retain knowledge and skills by recapping previously learned information and reinforcing important vocabulary. For example, in geography, pupils learn songs to help them remember the names of the continents. Teachers make frequent checks on what pupils know. This means that they can identify any gaps and provide clear, direct feedback that helps pupils to achieve well.

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

The school manages and organises support for pupils with SEND well so that pupils get the help that they need to access the curriculum. The school provides training for staff in many aspects of SEND, including quick identification of pupils’ needs. However, it recognises that there are areas where this could be further developed. The school has plans to address this so that pupils benefit from increased precision in the support in place to meet their needs.

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

The school successfully promotes a love of reading. Children are exposed to a wealth of high-quality books in the Nursery and begin learning to read as soon as they start in 4 and 5 February 2025

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Reception. Pupils who struggle with reading are identified quickly and receive targeted support. This ensures they catch up with their peers. The school works effectively with parents and carers to support them to understand how they can help their child to read at home.

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Pupils’ positive behaviour in lessons and at social times begins in the early years. Children become increasingly independent and resilient as they move up the school. Staff use effective strategies to help pupils understand their emotions and manage their behaviour. Pupil attendance ambassadors remind their peers that attending school regularly is important. Attendance has been improving year-on-year and most pupils attend regularly. Where this is not the case, the school works well with families to identify and resolve any reasons for absence. The walking bus supports families to ensure pupils arrive at school on time.

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Pupils have many opportunities to develop their interests and talents through clubs, including drama, Irish dancing and football. Pupils enjoy learning to play musical instruments, choral singing and sporting competitions. The school goes to great lengths to ensure that all pupils can access these opportunities. Pupils are encouraged to become responsible through a range of leadership opportunities that help them to develop their confidence and contribute to the life of the school. Pupils celebrate equality and diversity. They are clear that everyone is treated fairly and with respect at school.

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Highly regarded leaders have a clear vision and are ambitious for the school. They know what is working well and have developed carefully considered plans to improve the school even further. Governors meet with staff and pupils regularly to check what leaders tell them and offer challenge when needed. The supportive staff enjoy working here and feel that the school considers their workload and well-being.

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The school engages well with parents to involve them in their children’s education. Parents are very positive about the school. They value the highly effective pastoral support and the approachable and caring staff team.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school has not ensured that all staff have the expertise and training they need to be able to meet all the needs of pupils with SEND. This means that some pupils do not consistently get the precise support that they need. The school should continue to develop training for staff so they increase their expertise to support pupils with SEND even further. 4 and 5 February 2025

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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). 4 and 5 February 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 10 and 11 March 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Archdiocese of Birmingham. Its most recent section 48 inspection took place in May 2022. The school’s next section 48 inspection is due to take place within the prescribed period.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this inspection under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We deemed the inspection a graded (section 5) inspection under the same Act. 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 provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision. 4 and 5 February 2025

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 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.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, geography and art and design. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the 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.  The inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, assistant headteachers, curriculum

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leaders and the special educational needs coordinator.  The lead inspector met with governors, including the chair of the governing body. She also spoke with a representative of the archdiocese, a representative from the local authority and a school improvement partner.  Inspectors examined a range of school documentation, including leaders’ self- evaluation, improvement plans, records of governance and documentation relating to attendance and pupils’ behaviour.  The inspectors spoke with groups of staff and took account of views shared through the staff survey.  During the inspection, inspectors met with groups of pupils, both formally and during less structured parts of the day.  The inspectors took account of responses to the online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View. An inspector spoke informally with parents at the start of the school day.

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Inspection team

Corinne Biddell, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

James Dean His Majesty’s Inspector 4 and 5 February 2025

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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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