St Catherine's Catholic Primary School

Inspection of St Catherine’s Catholic Primary School Greystoke Gardens, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Tyne and Wear NE2 1PS

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

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The headteacher of this school is Lisa Hoey. This school is part of Bishop Bewick 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), Anita Bath, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by David Harrison. 3 and 4 June 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a fully inclusive school with pupils at the centre. Pupils experience a compassionate and friendly environment in which they feel safe and can learn effectively. The school has created a culture in which pupils grow to develop their character well and settle into the school community quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils work together in lessons. They display positive attitudes to their learning and the subjects they study. Pupils enjoy breaktimes, play together well and know the routines. Children in the Nursery and Reception Years show sustained interest in what they do. They enjoy engaging in a variety of activities that help them get ready for further learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils live up to the high expectations that the staff have of them. They know if things go wrong, staff will be there to support them. Pupils speak confidently of the help they receive from adults. They have a variety of opportunities to contribute to the life of the school. Pupils enjoy the trips, clubs and activities on offer. For example, the writing club produce the regular ‘St Catherine’s Chronicle’ as a way of sharing what is going on. Pupils of all ages contribute as members of the school council and engage in a variety of sports.

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

Strong, positive relationships are the distinctive thread in all that this school does so well. There are high aspirations for all pupils. The school has spent time improving the adaptations in place for those pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This has improved the experience for these pupils. Teachers receive detailed information on how to help pupils with SEND and put effective support in place for them.

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

Pupils do well in English and mathematics. For example, in mathematics, they can make links to their prior knowledge and use this to help them to learn new concepts. Pupils experience a rich curriculum, and it has developed positively since the last inspection. Teachers check carefully on pupils’ progress in their learning. They give pupils opportunities to revisit what they have learned and demonstrate what they can now do. In a few subjects, it is not always clear enough exactly what the school wants pupils to have learned. This is also the case within parts of the early years curriculum.

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

Children in the Nursery and Reception Years benefit from the carefully considered environment, both outdoors and indoors. This has developed well in the last year. They enjoy the songs and rhymes that help them learn and develop their confidence. Pupils make a good start in learning to read. They read books that are matched to the sounds they know. This helps them learn to read quickly and fluently. Teachers deliver the phonics programme with consistency. When pupils struggle with reading, they receive extra support, and this helps them catch up quickly. Teachers model reading with expression very well with pupils. Pupils have access to a wide variety of texts and enjoy reading, which demonstrates the strength in the reading culture in all year groups. 3 and 4 June 2025

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Staff work effectively with pupils and families to help them understand the importance of being in school and to remove barriers to attendance. Pupils’ attendance is high. The school makes effective use of attendance information. Staff share a strong set of values that help focus on learning in lessons. Classrooms are respectful and purposeful spaces in which learning can thrive. Pupils benefit from the opportunities they have to discuss ideas. However, the support for parts of pupils’ writing is not sufficiently consistent. This means that some pupils are not able to communicate their learning as well as they could.

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Pupils have an age-appropriate understanding of healthy relationships. They learn how to keep themselves safe. This includes understanding risks they may face beyond their own home, particularly online. Pupils’ wider development is threaded through the curriculum, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural aspects. Pupils know and display fundamental British values and enjoy their opportunities to take a lead. They demonstrate this, for example, through their support for each other at play time or their community fundraising activities. Pupils feel listened to and know that they have a voice.

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The trust supports and checks on the work of the school well. Leaders at all levels are reflective and clear in their drive for improvement. Staff enjoy working in a close-knit team and know their workload and well-being is carefully considered by leaders. The school and governors work together to support the wider community, which includes engaging effectively with a range of external agencies to support pupils and their families.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, and in aspects of the early years curriculum, the key knowledge that pupils need to learn is not as coherently planned as it could be. This means that some pupils do not acquire the knowledge they need. The school should ensure that the curriculum is refined to allow pupils to know and remember more over time, particularly in foundation subjects.  Support for pupils developing elements of their writing is not sufficiently consistent across the curriculum. As a result, the transcription and accuracy of some pupils’ written work is not as good as it could be. The school should ensure that pupils receive the support they need to develop their writing and record their learning effectively.

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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. 3 and 4 June 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). 3 and 4 June 2025

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 5 and 6 December 2023, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 St Catherine’s Catholic Primary School is part of Bishop Bewick Catholic Education Trust.  The school has a Roman Catholic character. The Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle carried out a section 48 inspection in November 2017.  The school does not currently use 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 management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade. 3 and 4 June 2025

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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  During the inspection, inspectors held discussions with the headteacher and other senior and middle leaders.  Inspectors held discussions with the chair of the trust and members of the governing body, including the chair of governors and with a representative from the diocese.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: 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 visited some lessons and discussed with subject leaders the curriculum in some other subjects.

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 Inspectors looked at records and spoke with staff in relation to behaviour, bullying, attendance and safeguarding.  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 took account of responses to Ofsted’s pupil and staff survey, as well as Ofsted’s parent survey, Parent View, including free-text responses.

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Inspection team

Richard Wakefield, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Annalei Bartlett Ofsted Inspector 3 and 4 June 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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