Holy Cross Ceva Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Holy Cross Ceva Primary School Ruth Street, Oldham, Greater Manchester OL1 3EZ

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Outcome

Holy Cross Ceva Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This school is an oasis of calm. Pupils, parents and carers describe their school as supportive, safe and happy. Families from a wide range of different backgrounds are welcomed into the school. Pupils recognise that the school cares for them. They, in turn, care for and treat each other equally.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well. They know what is expected of them and work hard to achieve ‘VIP’ points for their house team. The school provides a range of activities which help ensure that behaviour is equally positive during lunchtime. Pupils enjoy taking part in adult-led games, using the sports equipment and taking some time for quiet reflection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school sets high expectations for the achievement of all pupils. Pupils talk enthusiastically about the range of trips and visits they go on. These trips are designed carefully to help pupils see their learning in real life. This helps them to remember what they have learned. Pupils achieve well and are well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy the opportunity to be a member of the school council or ethos group or a prefect. They wear their special jumpers with pride, knowing they make a positive difference in the school and wider community. They raise money for local charities and understand the value of helping others.

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

The school has high ambitions for all pupils to ‘unlock great potential’. It has identified clearly what it wants pupils to learn and the order in which this content will be taught. This results in a curriculum that builds on what pupils already know. As a result, the 11 and 12 March 2025

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majority of pupils achieve well by the time they reach the end of key stage 2.

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Teachers benefit from high-quality training and resources that help them to deliver the curriculum well to all pupils. In class, pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) benefit from appropriate adaptations to the curriculum’s delivery. They receive support from staff who have identified their needs early and who know them well. Support for pupils with more complex SEND who access small support groups is also high quality. This means they access a broad and balanced curriculum that is well matched to their needs. This enables them to succeed.

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The school has developed strategies to revisit and recap the key knowledge that pupils need to know. However, in a small number of subjects, teachers do not accurately identify and address the knowledge pupils have forgotten over time. As a result, pupils do not all have a depth of knowledge across the wider curriculum.

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Children in the Nursery Year are introduced to sounds in the environment as a basis for learning to read. As pupils progress through the school, they continue enjoying reading and sharing stories. All staff are well trained in the phonics programme and deliver it successfully. They expertly identify and help anyone who needs support to catch up and keep up with their reading. As a result, most pupils become confident and fluent readers by the time they reach Year 2.

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In the early years, children benefit from caring relationships with staff, high-quality interactions and carefully designed learning opportunities. They are encouraged to become independent and confident learners who are well prepared to access the key stage 1 curriculum.

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The school leaves no stone unturned in promoting the positive attendance of pupils. Robust systems and processes are in place to challenge the absence of pupils. However, attendance rates remain lower than the national average. This means some pupils miss out on learning, and staff do not consistently support them to catch up on their return to school.

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Parents appreciate how the school helps them overcome barriers they may face in their home lives. They understand how this, in turn, helps their children to do well in school.

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The school’s focus on developing pupils’ personal development is clear when talking to pupils. They know how to keep themselves healthy and safe, including outside school and online. Pupils enjoy a range of extra-curricular activities, including sports and art clubs. They know these clubs help them further develop their skills and talents.

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The school and members of the governing body maintain high expectations and a continual focus on improvement. In doing this, they support staff with their ongoing professional development and well-being. As a result, staff are proud to work at the school and are invested in its success.

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The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, the school’s work to establish effective assessment strategies is in the early stages of development. This means that in some areas, checks on what pupils know are not as effective as they could be. The school should refine its assessment strategies to ensure that teachers clearly identify what pupils can and cannot remember from their prior learning.  In some cases, pupils’ absence from school leads to gaps in their learning. This makes it hard for them to keep up with their peers when they return to school. The school should provide these pupils with the opportunity to catch up with their peers so they can achieve well.

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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.

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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.

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Background

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in December 2015.

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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. 11 and 12 March 2025

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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). 11 and 12 March 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 17 and 18 December 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This Church of England voluntary-aided primary school is part of the Diocese of Manchester. The last section 48 inspection, for schools of a religious character, took place in November 2023. The school’s next section 48 inspection is due by the end of December 2028.  The school runs a breakfast club for pupils.  The school does not currently make use of any alternative provision for pupils.

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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.  The inspector visited a range of lessons, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. 11 and 12 March 2025

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 The inspector listened to some pupils read.  The inspector spoke with the headteacher, other school leaders and members of staff.  The inspector met with representatives of the governing body, including the chair of governors. He also spoke with a representative of the local authority and the diocese.  The inspector reviewed a range of documents, including records of governing body meetings, the school’s evaluation of its strengths and areas for improvement and documents relating to pupils’ behaviour and attendance.  The inspector spoke with groups of pupils about their experiences at school and observed their behaviour at lunchtimes and playtimes. He considered the views of pupils shared through Ofsted’s online survey for pupils.  The inspector met with parents. He took account of the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector reviewed the single central

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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 inspector met with leaders who are responsible for attendance, behaviour, pupils’ personal development and family support.  The inspector spoke with staff about their workload and well-being. He considered the views of staff shared through Ofsted’s online survey.

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Inspection team

Alex Reed, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 11 and 12 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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