St Bega's Catholic Primary School, Hartlepool

Inspection of St Bega’s Catholic Primary School, Hartlepool Thorpe Street, Hartlepool TS24 0DX

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good

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Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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The headteacher of this school is Elizabeth Duffield. This school is part of Bishop Hogarth Catholic Education 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), Stuart McGhee, and overseen by a board of directors, chaired by Yvonne Coates. 7 and 8 May 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to be a part of St Bega’s Catholic Primary School. They are polite, respectful and friendly towards each other and adults. Pupils value the praise and care they receive from staff. They work together to earn their ‘house points’ and enjoy celebrating each other’s achievements in weekly assemblies. Pupils relish the opportunities they have to contribute to the life of the school and its community. This develops their sense of citizenship. Pupils learn about their local area and especially its historical importance.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well. There are high expectations for how pupils should behave in lessons and around school. Pupils meet these expectations very well. The school prioritises improving pupils’ attendance. This work is having a positive impact. Most pupils attend school regularly and on time.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for all pupils’ academic success. The curriculum is ambitious. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive the support they need. Pupils, including those with SEND, achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school teaches pupils how to recognise risks online and in the local area. Being so close to the coast, water safety is a particular priority. Pupils know how to stay safe.

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

Recently, the school has made significant changes to its curriculum. The appointment of a new headteacher has provided much needed stability. The curriculum is well planned and sequenced. Staff know the important knowledge and skills pupils need to know in each year group. This helps the mixed-age classes to be managed well. Staff benefit from development opportunities from the trust to enhance their expertise. As a result, there has been a marked improvement in pupils’ outcomes in national tests.

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

In some areas, the school is working well to develop the curriculum to best meet its pupils’ learning needs. Reading, vocabulary development and comprehension are important development areas. Nevertheless, in reading, teaching is not precise enough. Consequently, some pupils do not have enough time to develop or deepen their reading skills as well as they could.

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

The school has developed its systems to check what pupils know and remember. Pupils benefit from regular opportunities to revisit important learning, for example through additional time each day to develop their mathematical fluency skills. However, in some subjects, the school does not know what pupils know and remember securely. In these instances, pupils have key gaps in their knowledge or misconceptions that affect how well they apply new knowledge in their work.

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

Children learn to read quickly and fluently in the Reception Year. Staff expertly help children develop into confident readers. Historically, some older pupils did not benefit from this strong foundation in early reading. The school is providing effective support to 7 and 8 May 2025

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address this. It has recently widened the breadth of books and texts pupils have access to during their time at school.

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Pupils with SEND benefit from the timely and effective support provided. This helps them to access the curriculum and achieve well. The school works closely with external partners to ensure that pupils with SEND gain access to the support they need quickly and effectively.

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Children make a strong start in the early years. They are happy, independent and confident. Children learn well in the engaging indoor and outdoor environments. They engage positively with activities, such as making their own play dough and sketching constructions they make together. Children in the early years revel in the range of well-considered opportunities that develop their understanding of number.

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Pupils are kind towards others. They look after their friends and ask adults how they are. This adds to the school’s caring atmosphere. Even the youngest pupils know the routines and expectations of the day well. The school’s systems to improve attendance are having a marked positive impact. Pupils are keen to attend school regularly and on time. They know why it is important to do so.

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The school prioritises developing pupils’ characters. Pupils benefit from a wide range of extra-curricular activities and leadership opportunities. The school partners with local charities and the church nearby to provide regular opportunities for pupils to contribute to the community. Pupils relish the time they have to plan and lead ‘reflection time’ with their peers. They are considerate and thoughtful about global issues.

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Leaders and those responsible for governance are highly committed to improving the school. The recently formed leadership team has introduced the right curriculum changes. Staff benefit from the expertise and professional development provided by the trust. They are proud to work here. Governors and directors work well together to hold school leaders to account.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The key stage 2 reading curriculum and some teaching of reading is not consistently effective. As a result, some older pupils do not secure their reading skills well enough. The school should continue to review the reading curriculum in the older year groups and ensure that reading is taught well so that pupils’ outcomes at the end of key stage 2 are high. 7 and 8 May 2025

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 Occasionally, assessment information is not used well enough to make the curriculum adaptations needed to ensure that learning builds on what pupils already know and can do. This means that sometimes the work that teachers set for pupils does not precisely match the learning they need to build based on their prior knowledge. The school should ensure that it continues to develop the systems to check what pupils know and can do in each year group and across all curriculum subjects so that this informs their future learning.

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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). 7 and 8 May 2025

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School details

Date(s) of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school is part of Bishop Hogarth Catholic Education Trust.  St. Bega’s Catholic Primary School converted to become an academy in December 2020. When its predecessor school, St Bega's RC Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be outstanding overall.  This is a Roman Catholic school. The school’s last Catholic Schools Inspectorate (CSI) inspection took place in October 2024. Its next CSI inspection is due before the end of 2027.  The school provides a breakfast club and after-school childcare.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors 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 7 and 8 May 2025

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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.

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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 the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors spoke to senior leaders, including representatives from the board of directors, members of the governing body and the diocese.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also spoke to leaders about pupils’ learning in some other subjects.  Inspectors listened to a range of pupils from different year groups reading to a familiar

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adult.  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 safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors met the special educational needs and disabilities coordinator, spoke to pupils with SEND and reviewed plans to support these pupils. They visited lessons to see how pupils with SEND are supported.  Inspectors visited the early years provision to check safeguarding arrangements and discuss the learning with children and leaders.  Inspectors observed behaviour at the start of the day, at lunchtimes and in lessons.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff survey. They also considered responses to Ofsted’s online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View, including any free- text comments.

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Inspection team

Georgina Chinaka, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Lynn George Ofsted Inspector 7 and 8 May 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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