Christ The King Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Christ The King Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Calderbrook Avenue, Burnley, Lancashire BB11 4RB

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Outcome

Christ The King Roman 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 headteacher of this school is Sarah Webster. This school is part of Romero Catholic Academy 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), Katy Cox, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Angela Ager.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and safe at this school. They enjoy attending regularly. Most pupils say that they enjoy coming to school because they learn something new every day. The school has high expectations for pupils’ behaviour and achievement. Pupils do their best to live up to these standards. They achieve well. Most pupils leave Year 6 ready for the next stage of their education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is a calm and purposeful place for pupils to learn. Children begin to recognise the importance of taking turns and considering the needs of others as soon as they join the Reception Year. Pupils understand how politeness and courtesy towards others enables everyone to enjoy being at school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides a wide range of opportunities that help pupils to develop their interests, hobbies and talents. Pupils are proud of the leadership badges and pins that they wear on their uniform. These represent the array of responsibilities or other opportunities that pupils can access. These include acting such as school councillors, subject ambassadors or members of the chaplaincy team. Pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), also relish the opportunity to develop their love of sport by taking part in the inter-school events. Academy 25 and 26 March 2025

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

The curriculum is ambitious for all pupils, including pupils with SEND. The purposeful choices that the school has made about the curriculum means that pupils’ learning is relevant and engaging. The school has set out clearly what pupils should learn. This helps teachers to know what they should teach and when this should happen.

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

The school ensures that staff have the knowledge and expertise to deliver the curriculum effectively across a number of subjects. Typically, staff are prompt to identify and address any misconceptions that pupils may have about their learning. This prepares most pupils well to learn new concepts. Occasionally, staff do not identify and address gaps that some pupils have in their knowledge. When this happens, some pupils move on to new learning before they are ready.

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

The school swiftly identifies the additional needs of pupils with SEND. The school liaises with different agencies, when required, to further support pupils with SEND. Typically, pupils’ additional needs are met well.

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

The school prioritises reading. It makes sure that pupils read books that match accurately the sounds that pupils know. As a result, most pupils become confident and fluent readers. However, some pupils who are at the earliest stages of learning to read struggle to read fluently. This is because the support that these pupils receive is sometimes not precise or regular enough to address the gaps in their phonics knowledge. This hinders how well these pupils can access the curriculum.

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

Children in the Reception Year benefit from an engaging and well-designed learning environment. Staff focus on developing children’s communication and language skills through the use of effective dialogue and strong modelling of ambitious vocabulary. Children are prepared well for their learning in Year 1.

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

Pupils are kind and courteous. They are enthusiastic about their time at school. At breaktimes, pupils quickly spot anyone who is alone at playtime and engage them in an activity. Pupils know about the different types of bullying. They know that bullying can also happen online, and they have a range of strategies to get help if they need it.

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

Pupils attend school regularly. The school keeps a close eye on pupils’ attendance and supports parents and carers when action is needed for improvement. The school knows pupils and their families well. It uses this knowledge to provide suitable support to families that has a positive impact on pupils’ attendance and punctuality.

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

Pupils’ personal development is well considered. Pupils talk with maturity about issues such as healthy relationships and keeping safe online. They respect those who are different to themselves. Pupils understand the importance of fundamental British values. They benefit from the wealth of trips and visitors. For instance, older pupils talk with enthusiasm about their trips to the zoo and to the Lake District. Academy 25 and 26 March 2025

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The school, the trust and the local governing body strive to maintain and improve the standards of education effectively. They are ambitious for pupils and staff alike. School leaders are keen to see all pupils succeed and achieve their potential. Leaders base all of their decisions on the best interests of pupils.

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Staff feel valued and are proud to work at the school. They appreciate the school’s support for their well-being. Staff also value the school’s commitment to their ongoing professional learning.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 A small number of pupils do not receive the support that they need to become confident and fluent readers. When this happens, these pupils struggle to learn the full breadth of the school’s curriculum. The school should ensure that these pupils have the support that they need to catch up quickly and learn to read well.  At times, the school has not ensured that staff identify and rectify gaps and misconceptions in some pupils’ knowledge promptly. This means that some pupils move on to new learning before they are ready. The school should ensure that staff identify and address pupils’ misunderstandings in a timely manner so that pupils build their knowledge securely over time.

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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. Academy 25 and 26 March 2025

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This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Christ The King Roman Catholic Primary School, Burnley, to be good for overall effectiveness in July 2019.

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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). Academy 25 and 26 March 2025

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School details

Dates of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Christ The King Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy converted to become an academy school in September 2022. When its predecessor school, Christ The King Roman Catholic Primary School, Burnley, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good overall.  The school is part of Romero Catholic Academy Trust.  The school does not use alternative provision.  The school’s last section 48 inspection took place in February 2025. The next section 48 inspection will be in the 2029/2030 academic year.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point in time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision. Academy 25 and 26 March 2025

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 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 met with the headteacher, other leaders, members of the local governing body and a range of staff at the school. He also spoke with representatives from the local authority.  The inspector met with the CEO and the director of primary education from the trust. He also met with members of the local governing body, as well as the chair of the trust board.  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.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke with pupils about their learning and

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looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector listened to a sample of pupils in Years 1 and 2 read to a familiar adult. He also met with groups of pupils from across the school.  The inspector observed pupils at breaktime, lunchtime and when moving around the school.  The inspector spoke to parents and carers and considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments.  The inspector spoke with staff about their workload and their well-being. He considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff and pupils.  The inspector reviewed a range of documents, including those related to the governance of the school.

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Inspection team

Mark Hazzard, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Academy 25 and 26 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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