Our Lady & St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Ushaw Moor

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 30 June 2026

This is a welcoming school community in which pupils feel happy. Pupils demonstrate kindness regularly. They understand the expectations and routines of the school. Pupils respect each other. They celebrate and value their differences and support each other to feel included. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain. Pupils' behaviour in lessons and at playtime is very positive. Pupils play well with each other and engage enthusiastically with the sporting activities that are going on. They report that bullying does not happen and unkind behaviour is always dealt with. Staff and pupils have nurturing, warm relationships. Pupils trust that if they have any concerns an adult will help them. Pupils enjoy their learning. They generally achieve well at key stage 2 and in wider curriculum subjects. Pupils demonstrate this through their secure recall of current and prior knowledge. However, some pupils could make more progress. These pupils could be achieving beyond expected levels in national tests. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive bespoke support to meet their individual learning and developmental needs. This enables them to make progress from their individual starting points. Older pupils are proud of the contribution they make to school life. Their leadership roles help other pupils to feel welcomed and wanted. For example, the house captains and peer mentors support the daily and weekly actions that contribute to pupils developing a sense of belonging. Pupils value the variety of clubs on offer and opportunities to try new experiences like art and cooking. Pupils enjoy their residential trips, learning about themselves, each other and nature. Year 6 appreciate the opportunities to get to know pupils from the other cluster schools. This helps them to be ready for the next step in their education.

What the school should improve

• Leaders should ensure that teachers are supported to make consistent highly effective choices, particularly around assessment, including in the early years.
• Leaders should ensure that pupils are able to produce high quality work across the curriculum, particularly for pupils who could potentially achieve greater depth at key stage 2.

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