English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, Preston

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 28 March 2023

Pupils, including children in the early years, play kindly together. They are proud of their school and are happy to belong to a supportive community. Staff and pupils share relationships that are based on mutual respect. Pupils particularly enjoy eating their lunch with their teachers and talking about their day so far. Staff deal with any incidents of bullying swiftly and effectively. Pupils know that there are trusted adults they can turn to if they have any concerns. This helps them to feel safe in school. Many pupils make use of 'the snug' to help calm them if they are feeling worried or anxious. Leaders have high expectations of pupils and how they should behave. Pupils quickly become used to clear routines. They behave well and act sensibly around the school. Older pupils delight in acting as 'reading buddies' to younger pupils. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), learn a broad and balanced curriculum. They rise to leaders' ambitious expectations and achieve well across a range of subjects. Leaders plan exciting opportunities to widen pupils' experiences. Pupils take part in regular school trips, or example to the park, farm or museum. Many pupils recently enjoyed taking part in a regional singing competition. Leaders encourage pupils to have high aspirations for the future. For example, pupils know that achieving well can open the door to more options, such as studying for a degree at university.

What the school should improve

• Those responsible for governance have not ensured that they are informed well enough about some aspects of the leadership of the school. This prevents them from holding leaders to account fully for the quality of education that pupils receive. Governors should ensure that they have the information and expertise needed to hold leaders to account effectively.
• Some pupils do not attend school regularly enough. This prevents these pupils from accessing the full curriculum and learning as well as they should. Leaders, including governors, should ensure that these pupils and their families receive the support they need to ensure that pupils attend school regularly.
• In a small number of subjects, on occasion, some teachers do not select appropriate activities that support pupils to learn the intended curriculum. This hinders some pupils' learning and prevents them from building securely on what they know already. Leaders should ensure that teachers are supported well in these subjects to design learning for pupils.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)