Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School

Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School

Address: Hanham Road, Kingswood, Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School, Bristol, BS15 8PX Unique reference number (URN): 109265

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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This school requires significant improvement

His Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires significant improvement because it is performing significantly less well than it might in all the circumstances reasonably be expected to perform.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Leaders prioritise pupils’ regular attendance. They have been relentless in their approach to renewing attendance policies and practices, putting in place a tiered approach which is commonly understood by parents and carers. Leaders rigorously analyse patterns of absence. They use this information well to spot at an early stage any signs where attendance might be a concern. Leaders work closely with parents and professionals to ensure that families who may face barriers to regular attendance receive the support they need. Pupils attend school regularly and persistent absence is reducing because of this.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Leaders focus on developing a positive behaviour culture, which has relationships at its heart. This has resulted in significant improvements in pupils’ attitudes to learning and a reduction over time in behavioural incidents. Pupils follow the routines that are in place well, moving through the school calmly. Pupils listen carefully and settle to their learning activities quickly. They know that adults will not tolerate any form of discrimination, such as racism. Social times are productive. Pupils benefit from the range of activities on offer to them and the opportunities they have to spend time with their friends. Staff provide effective pastoral support for pupils who need help to manage their emotions.

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Achievement Needs attention

Historically, published outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of key stage 2 and in the Year 1 phonics screening check have been below national averages. Many pupils, including those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) or are disadvantaged, have left the school without the knowledge and skills they need to be well prepared for the next stage of their education. Leaders are beginning to address the historic weaknesses that exist, most notably with rapid improvement in current pupils’ phonics attainment.

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Achievement Needs attention

Despite this, pupils' recall across subjects varies. In English, for example, pupils use terms such as ‘moral responsibility’ when writing a balanced argument. Pupils with SEND explain with clarity the different uses of a bar chart in mathematics. However, other pupils struggle to recall their learning and make links to what they have learned before in wider curriculum subjects such as history and art. In addition, gaps in younger pupils’ basic knowledge and skills in pencil grip, handwriting, spelling and punctuation are not spotted or addressed quickly enough by some staff.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders have an accurate understanding of the quality of the curriculum and the way it is taught. They have recently improved the design of the curriculum so that it sets out with greater clarity the important knowledge and skills that pupils learn as they move through the school. While the curriculum is ambitious, there is variation in how teachers deliver it. Leaders recognise this and have robust plans in place to address it, but it is too early to see the impact of these.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Where teaching is effective, teachers have high expectations and use their subject knowledge well. In English, for example, they use questions effectively to develop pupils’ understanding of concepts such as ‘retrieval’. However, where inconsistencies exist, the checks that some staff make on pupils’ understanding are not always timely or responsive enough to address gaps in learning. There is also variability in the way some staff adapt learning to specifically meet pupils’ needs. This hinders the progress that some pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make across the curriculum.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders prioritise pupils’ essential basic knowledge and skills in reading, writing and mathematics. Most staff deliver the school’s phonic programme with fidelity, which enables pupils to blend and decode unfamiliar words with increasing confidence.

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Inclusion Needs attention

Leaders have a clear inclusive vision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and pupils with other vulnerabilities, including those who speak English as an additional language. Clearer systems to support the identification and assessment of the needs of pupils with SEND from an early stage have strengthened the school’s inclusive practices. However, staff are still embedding these processes and there remains variability in the way staff identify the challenges that may hinder pupils’ learning. This means that, for some vulnerable pupils, their needs are not met well enough.

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Inclusion Needs attention

Despite the variations that exist, the school works closely with families, agencies and a range of professionals. Staff benefit from the professional learning they receive. This helps them to better understand the needs of pupils with SEND. Leaders liaise with the local authority to ensure that pupils who are known to social care receive the pastoral support they need to feel valued.

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Inclusion Needs attention

Leaders are beginning to make effective use of additional funding to support disadvantaged pupils and their families. They review the impact their actions are having on the most vulnerable pupils. For example, leaders provide pupils with access to the before-school club, which closes gaps in their attendance.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

The school has experienced significant turbulence in the past few years. There have been several changes to senior leadership and staff. This contributed to a decline in standards and affected the school’s capacity to improve.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

The new headteacher has brought much-needed stability and direction. Together with governors, they accurately understand what the school does well and what needs to improve. Decisions are always in the best interests of pupils. Leaders’ actions are starting to make a real difference to pupils, particularly with regard to behaviour and attitudes to learning. Despite this, they know that there is more to do to address the weaknesses that remain, most notably raising pupils’ achievement.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Governors have strengthened their own expertise. This is helping them to more effectively hold leaders to account. They are starting to use the visits they make to school to provide a balance of challenge and support to leaders. This is starting to drive positive improvements in pupils’ learning. Governors fulfil their statutory duties, including safeguarding, effectively.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Staff typically feel well supported by leaders. They talk positively about how recent changes to policy and practice have lessened their workload and improved their wellbeing. Staff value the range of professional learning opportunities available to them, which enables them to develop their understanding of how to deliver the curriculum effectively.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Parents and carers comment positively about many aspects of the school's work, including the visibility and presence of the headteacher, the approachable and helpful staff and the school’s nurturing and supportive culture.

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Personal development and wellbeing Needs attention

Leaders have a clear vision for the school’s personal development programme. It is closely aligned to the school’s values and ensures that pupils have the experiences and opportunities they need to flourish, develop confidence and engage with their local community. Leaders have an accurate understanding of the impact the programme is having on pupils. They do, however, recognise the need to strengthen their approaches to tracking pupils’ attendance at extra-curricular clubs and activities so that pupils, particularly those who are disadvantaged, fully benefit from the school’s offer.

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Personal development and wellbeing Needs attention

The school’s personal, social and health education (PSHE) curriculum makes clear the important knowledge, understanding and skills that pupils need to develop from the early years to Year 6. Teachers use their professional learning to adapt the PSHE curriculum through the use of ‘bucket time’, so that it meets the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Pupils develop their understanding of different faiths and cultures when taking part in cultural days. They learn the importance of fundamental British values such as democracy and individual liberty. Pupils know why it is important for everyone to have a say when voting for house captains. The relationships and sex education curriculum builds pupils’ understanding of concepts such as ‘consent’ and how to stay safe online. Nonetheless, some pupils struggle to recall their understanding of the characteristics that make everyone unique and which are protected by law.

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Urgent improvement

Leaders ensure that pastoral care is a key focus. Trained staff provide the right support which helps pupils to build resilience when overcoming any difficulties that arise.

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Urgent improvement

Pupils develop their character by raising money for local, national and global charities, such as a local knife crime charity that provides ‘bleed kits’ for school. Older pupils build their understanding of budgets and costs by taking part in a youth enterprise project.

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Early years Urgent improvement

By the end of Reception Year, children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those with barriers, do not develop the necessary knowledge and skills they need for the next stage of their education.

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Early years Urgent improvement

Leaders in the early years lack an understanding of how children develop. They do not check on the quality of the provision well enough. Consequently, leaders do not have sufficient oversight of children’s experiences across the curriculum or the extent to which they are independently applying and practising their communication, writing and mathematical skills.

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Early years Urgent improvement

The quality of the early years provision has been significantly impacted by staffing turbulence. The curriculum is poorly designed and implemented. Staff do not have the expertise they need to deliver it effectively. They design a series of disconnected learning activities that lack structure, and learning expectations are unclear. This means that children’s needs are not met. Staff do not spot and address gaps in children’s learning, particularly pencil grip and vocabulary development. Adult interactions do not develop children’s language skills. This significantly hampers the progress that children make across the early years curriculum.

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Early years Urgent improvement

Children do not develop the personal, social and emotional skills they need to be ready for the demands of Year 1. When completing activities, children struggle to remain focused for sustained periods of time. As a result, children lack the resilience and perseverance they need in order to learn well. Despite the clear weaknesses that exist, children still show an eagerness to share their ideas and respond well to adult instruction. Relationships are on the whole positive.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils enjoy coming to this inclusive and welcoming school. They greet adults with a warm smile and attend regularly. Pupils understand how the school’s values help them develop a sense of belonging and understand others. While pupils enjoy their learning, over time they do not achieve well enough. Outcomes in national curriculum tests by the end of Year 6 are below the national average. Younger pupils also have gaps in their knowledge, for example in phonics. The early years provision is ineffective. Staff do not have high enough expectations of what children can achieve and do not provide children with learning activities that develop their knowledge, understanding and skills. Consequently, children in the early years are not well prepared for Year 1.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Recent changes, particularly the way in which staff teach the curriculum and the provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are having a positive impact on the progress that some pupils make across the curriculum. However, variation in teaching in some subjects and year groups means pupils do not consistently build their knowledge. Some staff do not identify barriers to learning quickly enough. This prevents pupils from getting the support they need to succeed.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Staff build positive and warm relationships with pupils. Pupils trust adults to listen to them and help them with any worries or concerns that may arise. This helps pupils to feel safe. Leaders have refined the school’s approach to behaviour. Staff have higher expectations for pupils’ behaviour. Pupils respond well to this. The atmosphere in classes is calm. Bullying is rare. If it does occur, pupils know that adults will deal with it effectively.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils enjoy the clubs, trips and activities on offer to them, such as football, trips to the local cinema and residential visits. They take pride in their roles as school councillors and members of the chaplaincy team, which build their confidence and help them to improve their school.

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Next steps

Leaders should ensure that the curriculum across the early years is consistently well taught so that children secure important knowledge and skills that equip them to be successful in Year 1. Leaders should ensure that learning activities in the early years have a clear learning intent and promote children’s learning and language development effectively. Leaders should ensure that staff in the early years have the expertise to engage in high- quality interactions so that children are fully prepared for key stage 1. Leaders must strengthen the identification of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those with other vulnerabilities. They should ensure that adaptations are implemented consistently so that pupils’ needs are met promptly and they can access learning successfully. Leaders should ensure that teachers consistently check what pupils know and remember across all subjects and use this to inform future learning.

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Next steps

Leaders should ensure that pupils are supported to build the necessary knowledge and skills they need across the curriculum, so that they are ready for their next stage of education. Leaders should improve the systems that are in place to track pupils' participation in the school’s wider personal development programme so that the offer is precisely matched to pupils' needs. Leaders, including governors, should ensure that they build upon their recent actions to improve the school and lead to sustained improvements in teaching and pupils’

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Team inspectors:

Wendy Hanrahan, Ofsted Inspector Andrew Evans, Ofsted Inspector

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This was the data available at the time of the full inspection, taken from different sources . More recent data may have been published since the full inspection took place.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The inspector(s) used this data during the full inspection on 2 June 2026

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About this inspection

The chair of the board of governors in this school is Mrs Joan Curran.

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About this inspection

Inspectors carried out this full inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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About this inspection

Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, special educational needs and disabilities coordinator, and a group of staff. The lead inspector met with members of the governing body, including the chair. They also held discussions with representatives from the local authority and diocese.

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About this inspection

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the school:

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About this inspection

This school is registered as having a Roman Catholic religious character. It is in the Diocese of Clifton. Its last section 48 inspection was in May 2022.

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About this inspection

The school does not make use of any alternative provision.

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About this inspection

The school has undergone significant changes since the last inspection, including senior leadership and staffing. The current headteacher took up their post in September 2025.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils currently at this school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils who can attend the school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at any point in the last 6 years.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan. This covers pupils with more support than is available through special educational needs support. National average: 3.5%

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with reported special educational needs support at the school.

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What does this mean?

Based on the English indices of deprivation (2019) and the school's location, we have calculated whether the school is located in a more or less deprived area.

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What does this mean?

Whether school has Resourced provision or SEND unit (if applicable).

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standards in a combined reading, writing and mathematics measure.

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing.

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after.

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mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher- assessed writing.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

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average

‘S’ in the table above indicates the data has been suppressed, which is usually due to small cohorts. The suppression rules applied by the DfE when publishing the data have been mirrored and applied in the report card.

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance gap

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after. The school disadvantage gap is the difference between the performance of the school's disadvantaged pupils compared to the performance of all non-disadvantaged pupils nationally.

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mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics, including the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading and the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher- assessed writing and the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics and the disadvantaged gap.

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average

‘S’ in the table above indicates the data has been suppressed, which is usually due to small cohorts. The suppression rules applied by the DfE when publishing the data have been mirrored and applied in the report card.

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Overall absence

The percentage of all possible mornings and afternoons missed due to absence from school (for whatever reason, whether authorised or unauthorised) across all pupils.

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national average

2024/25 (3 term) 6.0% 5.2% Close to average

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Persistent absence

The percentage of pupils missing 10% or more of their possible mornings and afternoons.

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national average

2024/25 (3 term) 15.8% 13.0% Close to average

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national average

2023/24 (3 term) 15.9% 14.6% Close to average

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national average

2022/23 (3 term) 19.3% 16.2% Close to average

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other schools can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The school reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The school is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The school needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care. services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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