St Paul's CofE Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: St Paul’s C of E Primary School St Paul’s Avenue, Buttershaw, Bradford, West Yorkshire BD6 1ST

p.1

Outcome

St Paul’s C of E Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

St Paul’s is a school at the very heart of its local community. Leaders are determined that pupils will flourish academically and personally. Pupils, parents and staff are rightly proud of the high-quality, rounded education that pupils receive.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils consistently achieve well in national assessments in mathematics and reading. Their learning in other subjects is more variable. In some subjects, there are opportunities for pupils to be challenged and achieve more highly. This is something the school is already focusing on.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a school where people get along. Pupils are happy and safe. They enjoy attending school. At social times, and on ‘Rainbow Days’, they enjoy mixing with their classmates and pupils from other year groups. On the rare occasions when unkind behaviour happens, staff deal with it very well. Behaviour throughout the school is calm and purposeful.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

The seven values of the school – love, respect, courage, forgiveness, community, determination and honesty – permeate the entire school. From a very early age, pupils can explain how these values shape their view of themselves, their school and the world around them. Pupils can talk about this in ways that are thoughtful and well considered.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are exceptionally well prepared to face the challenges, and embrace the opportunities, that lie ahead in their lives.

p.1

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

Leaders, including governors, have an accurate view of the many strengths of the school 11 and 12 March 2025

p.1

2

and the areas they wish to enhance further. Staff appreciate the way leaders are prioritising the changes they want to make. They ensure that changes are introduced sustainably and do not overwhelm staff in terms of workload.

p.2

2

School places a high priority on reading as the gateway to learning across the curriculum. All staff are trained in the school’s phonics programme. The school continues to build staff expertise using training from the local English hub. Where routines for phonics sessions are established, pupils learn very effectively. Occasionally, the aims of small-group sessions are not clear, and, as a result, learning is not as strong. Where pupils need additional one-to-one support, including for developing fluency and reading with expression, pupils benefit from highly effective intervention that is matched precisely to their needs. Pupils learn to read very effectively.

p.2

2

In a few subjects, the school has very recently introduced new curriculums. These curriculums set out what pupils need to learn and provide support for teachers to develop their expertise in these subjects. However, teachers are not consistently clear about what pupils are to learn in lessons. As a result, they sometimes select lesson activities that do not fully support pupils to learn the intended curriculum.

p.2

2

Staff work closely with parents, local childminders and nurseries to ensure that children joining reception get off to the very best start. The school identifies the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) quickly so they can provide the precise support pupils need in lessons and outside. This support is more effective in subjects where staff have greater levels of subject expertise.

p.2

2

Attendance is high. Pupils enjoy coming to school to see their friends and to learn new things. The school works very effectively with families to overcome any barriers to attendance. Classes compete keenly for the knitted ‘attendance chicken’ awarded to the class with the highest attendance of the week.

p.2

2

Pupils develop a strong understanding of the world around them through a carefully planned curriculum for personal, social and health education (PSHE). Teachers carefully adapt this curriculum to ensure that lessons meet the needs of their pupils. For example, a lesson on email safety focusing on people claiming to be someone they are not was adjusted to consider people using fake profiles in online gaming because many pupils in the class engage in online gaming while very few have their own email accounts.

p.2

2

Pupils have a strong understanding of democracy through teaching in PHSE lessons, visits from a local councillor and school elections for posts in the school junior leadership team, eco-warriors team and ‘happiness heroes’ group. These groups are highly active in school and the local community. For example, pupils in the ‘happiness heroes’ group are actively involved in setting up a weekly ‘food market’. They work with a local charity to provide opportunities for members of the local community to buy food and fresh produce at discounted rates. Pupils across the school talk about the importance of getting involved in activities to help members of the community who may need support. 11 and 12 March 2025

p.2

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s curriculum in some subjects is relatively new. In these subjects, staff do not always select appropriate activities to enable pupils to learn the key knowledge and skills. This means pupils can struggle to secure the right foundations they need to be successful in later learning. The school should ensure key learning is identified clearly and that teaching supports pupils to learn the intended curriculum effectively.

p.3

Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024, graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

p.3

Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

p.3

Background

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in May 2016.

p.3

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.

p.3

How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school. 11 and 12 March 2025

p.3

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.4

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). 11 and 12 March 2025

p.4

School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

p.5

School details

Dates of previous inspection 11 and 12 February 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

p.5

Information about this school

 The headteacher took up his post at the start of the spring term 2025. An interim headteacher was in place for the autumn term 2024.  The school is a voluntary-aided Church of England primary school. The most recent Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools took place in January 2023.  The school does not use any unregistered provision.

p.5

Information about this inspection

 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. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with a range of leaders, including the headteacher, the head of school and the designated safeguarding lead.  Inspectors visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and 11 and 12 March 2025

p.5

6

looked at samples of pupils’ work.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector 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 spoke with groups of pupils and staff formally and informally and considered responses to the pupil and staff surveys.  Inspectors considered views from the Ofsted Parent View survey, including written comments from parents.  Inspectors reviewed a wide range of documentation available on the school’s website or provided by the school.

p.6

Inspection team

Steve Wren, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 11 and 12 March 2025

p.6

7

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.

p.7

7

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.7

7

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open- government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

7

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

7

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7