Holy Cross Catholic Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 20 October 2022

Pupils are proud to be part of this calm, caring, happy and purposeful school. Staff and pupils give those new to the school, including pupils who have recently arrived from other countries, a warm 'Holy Cross welcome'. Pupils rise to staff's very high expectations of behaviour. They go out of their way to treat adults and classmates with respect. Pupils feel safe in school. They trust the adults to keep them from harm. Leaders do not tolerate bullying. If pupils feel that they, or any of their classmates, are beginning to be bullied, they tell staff, who quickly make sure that it does not continue. Every day, leaders and staff insist that pupils do their best in lessons. This contributes to most pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieving well. However, some pupils do not attend school regularly enough and so do not reach their full potential. Pupils enjoy learning about people who are different from themselves. They take advantage of the opportunities that staff give them to participate in artistic and sporting activities outside lessons. Pupils learn a great deal from the many community-based projects in which the school participates. For example, they learn about the consequences of making positive or negative choices in relation to crime and anti-social behaviour.

What the school should improve

• Some pupils do not attend school regularly and so do not achieve as well as they could. Some of these pupils stay away from school for occasions such as birthdays and family holidays. Leaders should work with families and external agencies to improve attendance so that all pupils benefit fully from the good quality of education and care that the school provides.
• In some subjects, the curriculum does not systematically develop pupils' knowledge and understanding of subject-specific vocabulary. As a result, at times, some pupils have difficulty expressing what they have learned orally and in writing. Leaders should review how the development of vocabulary is integrated into each subject so that this aspect of literacy does not limit how well pupils achieve.

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