St Joseph's Catholic Primary and Nursery School

Inspection of St Joseph's Catholic Primary and Nursery School Oxford Street, Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset TA8 1LG

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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 Rebecca Suik. This school is part of the Dunstan Catholic Educational Trust which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Helen Taylor and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Catherine Christie.

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Ofsted has not previously inspected St Joseph’s Catholic Primary and Nursery School under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. However, Ofsted previously judged St Joseph’s Catholic Primary and Nursery School to be outstanding for overall effectiveness, before it opened as an academy. Since September 2024, schools have not been awarded an overall effectiveness grade. 4 and 5 March 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at this school are encouraged to be lifelong learners and fulfil their potential. They enjoy coming to school and benefit from warm relationships with staff. This helps them feel cared for. They know staff will help them with any concerns.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for all pupils to achieve well. Most pupils live up to these expectations. The school’s clear approach to behaviour, centred on being kind, respectful and being your best, means pupils know how to behave. Although this is so, there are occasions when children’s engagement and focus in the early years do not live up to these high expectations.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils develop a strong sense of togetherness. The school’s ‘St Joseph’s day’ is centred around pupils thinking of others. Pupils develop active and responsible citizenship through deciding which charities to raise money for. Pupils are also encouraged to set up their own clubs. For example, some pupils have organised an art club. Pupils hone their leadership skills as chaplaincy group members. They enjoy serving tea and biscuits to the local community during the church’s ‘Tea at two’ events. Eco ambassadors develop stewardship when picking up litter in the local environment. Older pupils value their esteemed buddy roles to support younger pupils.

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

The school has taken decisive action to improve the sequencing and strengthen the teaching of the curriculum. Staff report positively on the training they have received to teach the curriculum well. Those responsible for governance, including the trust, know the school well. Together with leaders, they are ambitious for every pupil.

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

The school has placed a sharp focus on ensuring that the curriculum is broad and ambitious. In most subjects, the school has chosen the most important knowledge it wants pupils to learn at each stage from the early years. This gives clarity to teachers who know what to teach and when. In these subjects, teachers regularly check how well pupils have learned this knowledge and build new knowledge based on prior learning. This means pupils remember their learning well over time. For example, in mathematics, pupils build on their knowledge of multiplication when learning about how to manipulate fractions.

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

In some wider curriculum subjects, however, the essential knowledge pupils need to know has not been well defined. This means the curriculum is not as progressive and teachers’ checks on how well pupils have learned the curriculum are not as exact. As a result, some pupils do not build new learning based on what they have learned before.

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

Reading is a top priority for the school. Older pupils benefit from a well-designed reading comprehension curriculum. Well-trained staff teach younger pupils how to read successfully. In most cases, staff check how well pupils have learned new sounds. They provide additional support if pupils are not keeping up. Consequently, pupils are becoming 4 and 5 March 2025

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confident readers. On occasion, teaching in early years, including in phonics, is impacted by some children disengaging. This is because routines are not well established so that children can concentrate well. This impacts how well staff can check the sounds children know and makes it more challenging to identify who needs further support. Consequently, some children have gaps in their learning.

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The school accurately and promptly identifies the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff adapt teaching to help these pupils learn the same curriculum as their peers. Pupils with SEND benefit from behavioural and social targets that pinpoint how they should be supported to be successful. However, some pupils with SEND are not provided with sufficiently precise academic targets that identify the small measurable steps they need to achieve their potential. Furthermore, on occasion, the reviews of these targets and next steps do not detail how well pupils with SEND are achieving. This means some pupils do not make all the progress they are capable of.

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Most pupils behave well during lessons. They are motivated to learn. Staff show children in early years how to take turns and share. This means children offer to support each other, for example, when building large structures collaboratively. Overall, pupils treat each other with respect and care. The school has worked meticulously to remove barriers to attendance. As a result, pupils attend well.

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Pupils benefit from a broad personal development programme. They debate issues at inter-school competitions, considering well the views of others. Pupils know their voice matters. They learn about how to take care of themselves, including the importance of sleep and healthy eating. The many leadership roles on offer develop pupils’ organisational and leadership skills. Pupils develop responsibility and show respect to those around them. They are well placed for their next stage.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some wider curriculum subjects, the most important knowledge pupils need to learn from the early years upwards has not been defined with enough precision. This means checks on how well pupils are learning are not exact enough. As a result, pupils struggle to remember their learning over time. The trust should identify what pupils need to learn and when across the curriculum. Assessment systems should provide accurate checks on how well pupils are learning the intended curriculum.  The school does not provide some pupils with SEND with targets which precisely identify the small measurable steps they need to take to achieve their academic potential. It is difficult for the school to review the progress these pupils make. As a result, some pupils are not making all the progress they are capable of. The trust must 4 and 5 March 2025

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ensure that all pupils with SEND benefit from targets which precisely identify the support they need to achieve their academic goals.  On occasion, less established routines impact the engagement of some children in the early years. This hinders how well the school identifies those who need more support so some children have gaps in their learning. The trust should ensure that established routines in the early years allow staff to accurately check on children’s learning and provide the appropriate support.

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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 March 2025

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 There have been several changes in leadership since the predecessor school’s previous inspection. The current headteacher took up post in September 2022.  The school joined the Dunstan Catholic Educational Trust in March 2022.  This is a Roman Catholic primary school. It is part of the Diocese of Clifton. The school received a section 48 inspection for schools of a religious character in June 2024. Its next inspection under section 48 is due within five years of this date.  There is a before- and after-school club for pupils who attend the school.  The school does not currently use any 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 4 and 5 March 2025

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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.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, school staff, parents, pupils, representatives from the trust including the chief executive officer, chair of the board of trustees and members of the local governing body.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, geography and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.

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 The lead inspector listened to pupils from Years 1, 2 and 3 read to a familiar adult.  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.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school, including at lunchtime and breaktimes. In addition, the inspectors met with pupils formally and informally to hear their views.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted’s online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View, including free-text responses. They also looked at responses to Ofsted’s online staff survey. There were no responses to Ofsted’s online pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Lakmini Harkus, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Peter Overton Ofsted Inspector 4 and 5 March 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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