St Peter's Catholic Primary School

Inspection of St Peter’s Catholic Primary School Augusta Place, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire CV32 5EL

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Inspection dates: 11 and 12 February 2025

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 11 and 12 February 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

St Peter’s Catholic School is a welcoming school. Pupils are happy and keen to learn. They feel safe and valued. Relationships are positive, and pupils trust staff to respond quickly if they have any worries or concerns.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/ or disabilities (SEND). These ambitions are realised. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education. The leadership team works effectively to implement the new curricular programmes. This is a school that is moving forward. The school creates a culture of exploration of the world around them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour is exemplary in both classes and around the school. Pupils play well together and older pupils show care and consideration for younger children. The playground at lunchtime is a hive of activity. Staff help children to enjoy the secret garden, make dens, play ball games, and share books or games in calm areas.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils take on a range of responsibilities in their classes. They are proud of their school. They learn to work and play together in harmony. Pupils contribute to school life by leading worship and raising money for charities. These experiences help pupils to become active citizens.

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

The school has designed a broad curriculum that meets the needs of pupils well, including those with SEND. The knowledge and skills the school wants the pupils to know are planned carefully to support pupils in mixed-age classes. The school ensures staff have the knowledge and skills to deliver the curriculum effectively. Staff work together, sharing ideas and expertise.

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

The school responds to any weaknesses that they identify. For example, leaders have recently strengthened their work on early reading. In Reception, the children are now getting off to a rapid start, confidently securing their knowledge of new sounds. The books pupils read match the sounds they know. This helps children to practise their early reading skills and develop their fluency. Pupils develop a love of reading. They read widely and often.

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

Since the last inspection, the school has made many improvements to the curriculum. Pupils benefit from well-planned and sequenced learning, and staff subject knowledge is strong. In many lessons, teachers use assessment effectively to check what pupils know and to plan the next step in their development. However, in some lessons, teachers move pupils on too rapidly, for example in mathematics. When this occurs, some pupils have gaps in their understanding and struggle to keep up with the lessons.

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

Spoken language is taught effectively right from the start in the early years. Pupils enjoy sharing their ideas and talking to visitors. Pupils are mature, sharing their ideas, listening to the views of others and showing respect for different viewpoints. For example, in a 11 and 12 February 2025

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geography lesson, older pupils share their ideas on which are the most important natural resources and why. They have a good knowledge of sustainability.

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By the end of Year 6, many pupils can read, write and use their mathematical knowledge well. Staff meet the needs of pupils with SEND through planned adaptations in lessons. This begins in the early years and continues throughout the school. Pupils with SEND access learning alongside their peers. This is an inclusive school. However, the school does not consistently check the effectiveness of strategies to ensure all pupils, including the most disadvantaged, achieve well.

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Pupils’ personal development is well supported in school. Pupils confidently talk about the school’s values, including resilience, diversity and inclusion, sustainability, social teaching and work in the community. Pupils are very knowledgeable about internet safety and how to keep themselves safe when working online. Pupils across the school benefit from access to a range of educational visits and visiting speakers. For example, pupils were interested in learning about the use of artificial intelligence in car manufacturing. Visitors include people from many different careers and walks of life. Pupils make good use of the local area for visits. One highlight was a visit to view a Lowry painting as part of a local art exhibition.

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Governors are knowledgeable about the school and understand its priorities. Governors regularly check on staff well-being and workload. Staff are proud to work at St Peter’s Catholic primary.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some lessons, teachers move on too quickly to new learning. This can result in misconceptions or gaps in pupils’ understanding of important key concepts. The school should ensure that teachers check pupils’ understanding and ensure pupils can effectively apply their knowledge to new learning.  The school does not check the effectiveness of its strategies to support all pupils to achieve well consistently enough. This means that pupils, including some of the most disadvantaged, do not achieve as well as they could. The school should ensure that all pupils receive the support they need to help them achieve more highly. 11 and 12 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). 11 and 12 February 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.st-peterscatholic.warwickshire.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 17 December 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school is a Catholic school and is part of the Archdiocese of Birmingham. The school’s last section 48 inspection was in January 2023. The next section 48 inspection is likely to take place by January 2028.  Pupils are taught in three mixed-age classes: Year 1 and 2, Year 3 and 4, Year 5 and 6. Reception is taught as a single class group.  The school provides a before- and after-school club on site.

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Information about this inspection

The inspector(s) 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 provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade. 11 and 12 February 2025

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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 of the school since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, the assistant headteacher and other staff.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, geography and computing. For each deep dive, the inspectors met with the curriculum leader and discussed the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of 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

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safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The lead inspector met with the chair of governors, vice chair of governors and other members of the governing body.  The inspector spoke with the deputy director for education from the Diocese and a representative of the local authority.  The inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. They also took into consideration the responses to the confidential staff survey. Inspectors spoke with parents and carers at the start and end of the school day.

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Inspection team

Pamela Matty, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Azizan Kabil 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*n.

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