St Patrick's Catholic Voluntary Academy

At the most recent graded inspection, the following areas were identified as needing to improve:

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 High staff turnover and turbulence in governance have had a significant impact on the leadership capacity of the school. Consequently, there are significant weaknesses in the quality of education that pupils receive. The school has not made sure that weaknesses in the delivery of the curriculum are identified and resolved. The school must act swiftly to strengthen leadership capacity at all levels to bring about rapid and sustainable improvement to pupils’ education and their experience of school.  The school does not identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) well enough or provide an education that meets their needs. Staff are unclear about pupils’ needs. They do not adapt the curriculum well enough to enable these pupils to flourish. Consequently, the achievement of pupils with SEND is weak. The school must ensure that staff are fully trained in how to identify and meet the needs of pupils with SEND.

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 Many staff are not equipped to implement the new behaviour policy, and there is a distinct lack of clarity around the rewards and consequences that should be used. As a result, lessons are frequently interrupted by disruptive behaviour, and classrooms are, on occasion, loud and chaotic. Some pupils have lost confidence in the school’s ability to solve incidents of bullying. The school must ensure that staff are suitably informed about the behaviour policy so that it is implemented consistently well to reduce bullying and improve pupils’ behaviour.  Children in the early years do not receive equitable access to the curriculum. A significant minority of children are registered in the Year 1 class and spend their time between the Reception Year and Year 1. This is having a detrimental effect on their achievement. It lessens their readiness to access the key stage 1 curriculum. The school must ensure that all children of Reception age get full and equal access

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to the curriculum so that they are prepared well for the next stage of their education. St Patrick's Catholic Voluntary Academy Barnsley Road, Sheffield Lane Top, Sheffield, South Yorkshire S5 0QF

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report:

13 and 14 January 2026 Monitoring inspection report: St Patrick's Catholic Voluntary Academy 13 and 14 January 2026

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 Staff do not check whether pupils remember what they have learned in some of subjects, including personal, social, health and economic education lessons. Consequently, pupils’ recall of learning in these subjects is variable and pupils have gaps in their knowledge. This limits their readiness for life beyond school. The school should ensure that pupils know and remember what they have been taught so that they are well prepared for their next steps.  There are weaknesses in how well the school records safeguarding concerns. Some records are not completed in a timely manner. The school does not consistently record the action taken following a concern. The school must ensure that strong systems are in place to ensure that all safeguarding concerns are appropriately recorded, including the action that was taken.

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Leaders and governors are taking effective action to improve the school but

continued work is needed to remove the special measures designation.

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The position regarding the appointment of early career teachers will be

considered again during any further monitoring inspection we carry out.

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The position regarding the appointment of early career teachers will be

During the monitoring inspection, inspectors focused on the following evaluation areas:  Leadership and governance  Inclusion  Curriculum and teaching  Early years

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The position regarding the appointment of early career teachers will be

Leaders, including those with responsibility for governance, have an accurate view of the school. Recent staffing appointments, including within the leadership team, have increased the school’s capacity to improve. Most staff feel well supported in their roles. They consider leaders to be attentive to their workload and wellbeing.

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The position regarding the appointment of early career teachers will be

The school continues to work with St Clare’s multi-academy trust. Additionally, the school works with the regional English and mathematics hubs and the local authority to support its ongoing development. Staff benefit from opportunities such as these to develop their practice and learn from other professionals.

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The position regarding the appointment of early career teachers will be

Leaders and governors are aware of the need to consider how the school is supported moving forward, particularly during anticipated periods of change. The school recognises the need to work together with stakeholders to manage these changes smoothly.

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Safeguarding

At the previous graded inspection, safeguarding was evaluated as being effective. Monitoring inspection report: St Patrick's Catholic Voluntary Academy 13 and 14 January 2026

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Inclusion

The school has introduced strategies to support staff to identify pupils’ individual needs. It works with professionals and the locality partnership to inform diagnosis and develop strategies to support pupils. These actions have provided the school with an increased understanding of what pupils require to help them access learning successfully.

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Curriculum and teaching

Since the previous monitoring inspection, the school has implemented a new commercial scheme for phonics. It has ensured that staff are trained to teach phonics effectively. Mostly, staff teach phonics with confidence and fidelity to the scheme. They model the pronunciation of sounds and letters with accuracy. Staff address pupils’ misconceptions swiftly.

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Curriculum and teaching

At the beginning of the academic year, the school implemented a new curriculum. This provides pupils with a broad curriculum that builds learning over time. Pupils enjoy finding out about new ideas and concepts. The school has identified that in some subjects, the important knowledge and skills that pupils must learn are not clearly defined. It is working with staff to address this. Within class, there are inconsistencies in the way in which the curriculum is taught. In examples of more effective practice, teachers adapt lessons to meet pupils’ needs well. They organise the learning into clear and achievable steps. This enables pupils to learn the intended curriculum. In contrast, in lessons where teachers do not teach important concepts sufficiently well, pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), struggle to remember the important knowledge that they need. Consequently, pupils do not benefit from opportunities to

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Curriculum and teaching

develop their learning as well as they might.

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Early years

The school has addressed the weakness identified at the school’s most recent graded inspection. All children in the early years have equitable access to the curriculum. However, there remains much to do to address inconsistencies in the early years’ provision. Staff provide children in the Nursery class with purposeful learning opportunities. These build on children’s skills, knowledge and interests well. Children enjoy listening to stories. Staff model language to children skilfully. This helps to support children to express their thoughts and ideas with increasing confidence. Children in the Nursery and Reception Years typically demonstrate high levels of independence. They usually play and cooperate well with their peers.

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Early years

Some areas of the early years curriculum and provision lack clarity. The school does not support children to develop the knowledge and skills in the early stages of reading, writing and mathematics sufficiently well. Staff do not support children well enough to develop their ideas independently. While children engage in activities in the classroom or outdoor area, these often provide limited opportunities to develop children’s thinking. Monitoring inspection report: St Patrick's Catholic Voluntary Academy 13 and 14 January 2026

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Additional next steps

Leaders and those responsible for governance should, in addition to the next steps raised at the school’s last full inspection:

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Additional next steps

 ensure that children in the early years consistently benefit from high-quality opportunities to build the necessary foundations for future learning.

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About this inspection

The inspectors carried out this monitoring inspection under section 8(2) of the Education Act 2005. It was the second monitoring inspection since the school was judged to require special measures following the graded inspection that took place in October 2024.

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About this inspection

The school’s previous inspection and the first monitoring inspection were carried out under the Education Inspection Framework (EIF) at that time. The renewed EIF took effect from 10 November 2025. The areas for improvement identified at the school’s graded inspection and subsequent monitoring inspections have been cross- referenced to the relevant evaluation areas in the inspection toolkit for consideration on this monitoring inspection.

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About this inspection

The purpose of this monitoring inspection was not to determine grades for any of the evaluation areas set out in the school inspection toolkit. The purpose was to identify and report on the school's progress in addressing priorities for improvement since the school's previous inspection.

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About this inspection

Since the previous monitoring inspection, there have been some changes in staffing at the school, including the appointment of 2 assistant headteachers and a special educational needs coordinator (SENCo). The school’s transfer to St Clare’s multi- academy trust was delayed. It is due to take place on 1 April 2026.

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About this inspection

During this inspection, meetings were held with the headteacher, associate headteacher, SENCo, representatives from the school’s governing board, a representative of St Clare’s multi-academy trust and the director of schools from the Diocese of Hallam, to discuss the actions that have been taken to improve the school since the most recent graded inspection.

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Lead inspector

Matthew Harrington His Majesty’s Inspector

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Team inspector

David Roundtree Ofsted Inspector Monitoring inspection report: St Patrick's Catholic Voluntary Academy 13 and 14 January 2026

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applicable)

No Monitoring inspection report: St Patrick's Catholic Voluntary Academy 13 and 14 January 2026

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regulates and inspects to 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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