St Winefride's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: St Winefride’s Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy St Paul’s Avenue, Wibsey, Bradford, West Yorkshire BD6 1SR

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Inspection dates: 11 and 12 February 2025

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Outcome

St Winefride’s Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy, has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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Outcome

The acting head of school is Rebecca Coventry. This school is part of Blessed Christopher Wharton Catholic Education Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the interim chief executive officer (CEO), Christopher Hanson, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Sarah Martin. There is also an executive headteacher, Ben Lavin, who is responsible for this school and one other.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff have high expectations for pupils’ achievement and behaviour. Pupils behave well as a result. The school’s virtues, ‘be attentive, be just, be loving, be wise, be courageous’, contribute to pupils’ positive behaviour. Most pupils enjoy learning. There are warm relationships between staff and pupils.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils understand the importance of being respectful and tolerant towards others. Pupils enjoy learning about other faiths and cultures. They visit religious places of worship, such as visits to the local mosque and the gurdwara. The wide range of leadership opportunities, such as becoming a Year 5 happiness hero, a play leader, or a fundamental British values ambassador, help pupils to develop their confidence. There are close links with the local community, for example pupils often interact with and support elderly residents from a local care home.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There are a number of opportunities for pupils to develop their character and provide service to others. For instance, key stage 2 pupils raise money for charities and support local food banks. Pupils contribute to a local soup kitchen and deliver food parcels in the local community. Pupils value these opportunities and experiences. 11 and 12 February 2025

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

The school has prioritised improving pupils’ achievement in reading. Most pupils enjoy reading. Those pupils who need extra support to read fluently, receive additional opportunities to practise reading. This helps those who need it to become more fluent and confident readers. Staff are well trained in the school’s phonics programme. In the early years, routines are well established. This includes opportunities for children to listen to each other. This enables children to concentrate on learning. There is a well-considered teaching of mathematics in the early years. This is enhanced by additional opportunities, guided by adults, for children to practise mathematics outdoors. As a result, children in the early years gain a grounding in numbers and counting.

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

The school’s curriculum, in most subjects, is clear about the most important knowledge and skills that pupils need to learn and remember. However, some aspects of the school’s writing curriculum are not as securely in place as they need to be. Sometimes, for example, the handwriting skills that pupils need to write accurately and fluently are not taught well enough. This includes in the early years. For instance, teaching does not consistently address pupils’ poor pencil grip or inaccurate letter formation. This means that for some pupils, inaccurate letter formation becomes a habit. Leaders recognise this and have begun to take steps to improve this.

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

Teachers frequently check that pupils understand what they have been taught. This helps pupils to retain important knowledge over time. Teachers receive regular subject-specific training to enable them to deliver the school’s curriculum well. Pupils contribute confidently to class discussions and work hard and show commitment to their learning. However, on a small number of occasions, the design of activities distracts pupils from the most important information they need to learn. Where this happens, this holds pupils back.

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

The school works with a range of external agencies to identify and support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils with SEND are well supported in lessons. Some pupils attend the Ark room for some lessons, where they are supported to develop their communication and language skills. The trust provides additional expertise to support the school with the increasing numbers of pupils with SEND. The school is working to ensure subject targets on pupils’ support plans are more precise about the small steps pupils need to take to achieve well.

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

The school ensures that attendance is a high priority. Pupils’ attendance is improving. Most pupils attend well, however, pupils with SEND are more likely to be regularly absent compared to their peers. The school is taking action to address this. However, some pupils’ absence remains high. The school is working with families to ascertain all of the barriers to good attendance for these pupils.

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

Pupils understand the importance of fundamental British values, such as individual liberty and democracy. These values are woven through the school’s curriculum. The school’s 11 and 12 February 2025

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personal development programme teaches pupils about the importance of kindness and empathy. Consequently, pupils are respectful and tolerant of others’ individual differences.

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Many parents and carers, who responded to Ofsted’s parent survey, have positive views about the school. However, some parents are unhappy with communication between school and home. The school is working to improve this.

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The trust provides opportunities for subject leaders to develop their expertise further. The local governing body and the trust know which aspects of the school require further improvement. Leaders are considerate of staff workload and well-being. Most staff feel well supported by school leaders and the trust.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Pupils understand many of the risks they may face outside of school. Pupils have a trusted adult in school they can talk to if they have any worries or concerns. Staff receive comprehensive safeguarding training. They have a secure understanding of the potential risks pupils may face in the locality. The school works with outside agencies to support pupils and families when required.

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Safeguarding

The school follows up concerns over pupils’ welfare and safety. However, on occasions records do not fully reflect the actions taken to keep pupils safe. The school is beginning to address this.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some aspects of the school’s writing curriculum do not ensure that pupils develop secure transcription skills as quickly as they should. This means that some pupils do not acquire the skills to write as fluently and accurately as they should. The school needs to ensure that all staff teach the foundational knowledge that pupils need to write well.  While the school’s actions are improving overall attendance, its strategies are not reaching some pupils. A minority of pupils, including some pupils with SEND, do not attend school regularly enough. This means that these pupils are missing out on essential learning. The school should work to better understand and overcome the barriers to good attendance for these pupils.  While the school takes effective action in response to concerns over pupils’ safety, on occasions, the records that the school keeps do not fully capture those actions. This means that information that could inform future safeguarding action, or provide

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

assurance on these important aspects of the school’s work, is not recorded as well as it 11 and 12 February 2025

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could be. The school should improve this aspect of its work to further strengthen safeguarding.

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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 predecessor school, St Winefride’s Catholic Primary School, to be good for overall effectiveness in March 2013.

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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, 11 and 12 February 2025

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looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 11 and 12 February 2025

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School details

Date of previous inspection 3 April 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection, there is a new executive headteacher and acting head of school.  The school is a Roman Catholic primary school within the Diocese of Leeds. The school’s previous section 48 inspection took place in June 2018. The next section 48 inspection should take place within eight years of the previous inspection.  The school does not use any alternative education provision.  The school runs a breakfast and after-school club.  The school has a shared governing body with another primary school in the trust.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of the school’s education provision. 11 and 12 February 2025

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 This was the first routine inspection the school has received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken this into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector held several meetings with the executive headteacher and acting head of school. The inspector also met with the special educational needs coordinator.  The inspector held an online meeting with the chair of governors, the chair of trustees, the interim CEO of the trust and the trust director of education.  The inspector held a telephone call with a representative from the Diocese of Leeds.  The inspector met with two groups of staff.  The inspector met with early careers teachers.  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 considered a range of documentation, including leaders’ evaluation of the school, the school’s behaviour, bullying and attendance analysis and logs, the school improvement plan and minutes of trust and governing body meetings.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour during lunchtime.  The inspector met with a group of key stage 1 boys and key stage 2 girls and spoke with pupils about bullying, behaviour and attendance.  The inspector considered the views of pupils, staff and parents who responded to Ofsted’s surveys, including responses to Ofsted Parent View.

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Inspection team

Michele Costello, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 11 and 12 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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