Good Shepherd RC School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 28 January 2025

Pupils are happy and safe at this school. Staff are kind and caring towards them. Pupils are typically courteous and kind. The school makes it a priority to teach pupils its values, for example during regular assemblies and by collecting donations for a food bank. This helps pupils to understand how they can contribute to their community. Although pupils largely behave well, behaviour can be unsettled and unfocused in lessons. Pupils typically treat one another with respect. When bullying does occur, the school takes action to deal with it. Staff speak with pupils about their behaviour and encourage them to reflect on how they could do better. The school has introduced new curriculum resources in many subjects. New content is ambitious. However, staff do not understand it well. The school has not adapted new content to take into account pupils' prior knowledge. Teaching and support do not focus well on building pupils' knowledge over time. Pupils' achievement is mixed. In some aspects of mathematics, pupils achieve well below national averages. The school provides a good range of experiences for pupils, including visits to museums and places of worship. Pupils regularly make use of a range of sports clubs. Pupils take up responsibility through roles such as faith leaders.

What the school should improve

• Staff do not present information routinely clearly or give appropriate work to pupils to achieve the main aims of the curriculum effectively. As a result, pupils struggle to recall key knowledge. The school must ensure that teaching enables pupils to learn and remember knowledge successfully across the whole curriculum.
• The school does not use assessment effectively to check pupils' understanding and inform teaching, particularly in foundation subjects. As a result, pupils develop gaps in important knowledge. The school must use checks on pupils' learning to identify misconceptions and address them.
• In some areas of the early years curriculum, the school has not identified the precise knowledge it wants children to learn in order to be ready for their next stage of education. As a result, some children develop gaps in crucial early knowledge which persist. The school must ensure children learn essential knowledge securely to prepare them well for Year 1.
• Expectations for learning behaviour are not routinely consistent. As a result, some pupils lose focus during learning activities and do not complete important work. Staff must promote consistently high expectations to ensure positive learning behaviour for all.

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