Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Red Lane, Colne, Lancashire BB8 7JR

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Outcome

Sacred Heart 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 Lisa Stinchon. This school is part of the 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 live out the school’s mission to ‘let your light shine!’ Staff encourage pupils to be curious about the world around them. This is a happy place in which to learn.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high ambitions for pupils’ learning and achievement. Pupils rise to meet these expectations. They display positive attitudes to learning and they achieve well. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive effective support. They are fully involved in the life of the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are polite and respectful. They build positive relationships with one another and with staff. Pupils listen attentively and show high levels of respect. Classrooms are alight with purposeful learning. Pupils encourage each other diligently.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school offers a range of opportunities that excite and engage pupils while enhancing their learning. Pupils relish the prospect of the ‘annual summer project’. The launch of this year’s topic, through a land girl and a soldier arriving out of the ‘Tardis’ on the school field, was a hot topic of conversation. The sport and active learning offer is incredibly broad and impressive. Pupils in key stage 2 are very excited to be using their fitness tracking bands. 3 and 4 June 2025

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

The school’s curriculum is thoughtfully designed to foster a love of learning. It is carefully structured and identifies the essential knowledge that pupils are expected to learn. Children in the early years engage in a rich variety of experiences that lay strong foundations for their later learning. Pupils build on this strong start as they move through the school. This leads to pupils attaining well in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

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

The curriculum is taught well. In the early years, children take part in thoughtful activities that ignite their curiosity. In physical education, pupils confidently use subject- specific vocabulary, and their knowledge shines through. Pupils recall prior learning with enthusiasm. However, occasionally, some activities do not help pupils to learn the most important knowledge that is set out in the curriculum. When this happens, pupils do not learn to the depth that they could.

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

Reading is at the heart of the school and its curriculum. Pupils read carefully chosen texts that inspire a love of reading. Pupils enjoy reading and they read for pleasure at school and at home. They talk confidently about how authors inspire them in how to live their own lives. Staff deliver the phonics programme effectively. When the school identifies gaps in pupils’ phonics knowledge, they are given the support that they need to catch up quickly. As a result, most pupils learn to read with fluency and confidence.

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

The school shows pupils how to form letters and how to practise their writing. However, at times, for some pupils in the early stages of learning to write, the school does not spot and address errors in pupils’ letter formation sufficiently well. As a result, some pupils embed incorrect letter formation over time. This slows the pace at which these pupils become fluent and confident writers.

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

The school identifies and supports the needs of pupils with SEND effectively. Teachers adapt learning well. They also provide extra resources to meet each pupil’s needs. The school works closely with parents and carers to help these pupils to achieve well. The school ensures that every pupil has the provision that they need to access the full curriculum.

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

Pupils attend school regularly. The school works tenaciously to improve and promote pupils’ levels of attendance. Well-coordinated strategies have had a markedly positive impact on reducing pupils’ absence. The school successfully considers how it organises fun projects at times when attendance might drop.

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

Pupils flourish in a wide range of leadership roles. These help to significantly boost their confidence and sense of responsibility. The school offers activities and visits that connect with pupils’ learning. These experiences also expand their horizons beyond the local community. The after-school clubs and wider opportunities, such as badminton, fishing and the environmental group, develop pupils’ talents and interests. Pupils are proud of the school’s sporting opportunities. 3 and 4 June 2025

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Staff enjoy working at the school. They receive support to fulfil their roles well. Staff appreciate the steps that the school takes for their well-being. For example, the school considers them carefully when making changes to policies and procedures. This ensures that staff feel valued and well cared for. Those responsible for governance know the school well. Trustees and members of the local governing body collaborate closely with the school to ensure that pupils are at the centre of any decisions that are made.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a couple of subjects, the activities that pupils complete do not help them to learn the intended curriculum as well as they could. This affects how well some pupils deepen their knowledge in these subjects. The school should ensure that teaching activities in these areas help pupils to build their knowledge securely over time.  Some pupils form letters incorrectly. These errors are not consistently identified and addressed. This means that pupils do not develop fluency in writing as quickly as they could. The school should ensure that errors in pupils’ letter formation are resolved so that they have the skills to write fluently and accurately.

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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. 3 and 4 June 2025

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This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Primary School, to be good for overall effectiveness in December 2012.

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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). 3 and 4 June 2025

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School details

Website www.sacredheartschoolcolne.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy converted to become an academy in September 2022. When its predecessor school, Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good for overall effectiveness.  This Roman Catholic school is part of the Diocese of Salford. The last section 48 inspection, for schools of a religious character, took place in March 2023. The school’s next section 48 inspection is due before March 2028.  Since the last inspection, a new headteacher and interim deputy headteacher have been appointed.  The school runs a before- and after-school club for pupils.  This school does not use alternative provision. 3 and 4 June 2025

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Information about this inspection

 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. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in her 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 observed some pupils from Years 1 to 3 read to a familiar adult.  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 spoke with members of the local governing body and the trust. She also

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Information about this inspection

spoke with the CEO of the trust and a representative of the local authority.  The inspector spoke with staff about their workload and well-being. She also took account of the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff.  The inspector met with leaders who are responsible for attendance, behaviour and pupils’ personal development.  The inspector looked at a range of policies and documentation relating to pupils’ welfare and education. She observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and around school.  The inspector took account of the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free- text comments.  The inspector spoke with groups of pupils about their experiences at school. She took account of the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for pupils and staff.

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Inspection team

Helen Friend, lead inspector His Majesty’s 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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