St Bede's Catholic Primary School, Jarrow

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 5 November 2024

The school's Catholic values inform every aspect of school life. The school is welcoming and kind to all pupils. There is a true spirit of community at the school. Staff care for pupils and their families. They form trusting relationships with parents and carers. The school works in partnership with parents to achieve the best for pupils. The school has high expectations of what pupils can achieve. Pupils work hard in lessons. They ask questions to deepen and extend their learning. Pupils achieve well. The school gives pupils the knowledge and skills they need for the next stage of their education. Pupils show kindness and respect to all. This is a calm and orderly school. Pupils behave sensibly outside of lessons. In lessons, they focus on their work and pay close attention to their teachers' instructions. The school has established a positive culture in which pupils can thrive. The school does much work to develop pupils' character. Pupils learn how to become resilient and learn from their mistakes. Moreover, the school gives pupils responsibility through a variety of leadership roles. These roles include house captains, reading buddies and playground and digital leaders. Pupils enjoy contributing to the life of the school.

What the school should improve

• Sometimes, teachers move on to the next stage of learning before some pupils have secured relevant foundational knowledge. In addition, teachers do not always extend learning for those pupils who quickly secure foundational knowledge. This means that some pupils find it difficult to understand new learning, while others are not given sufficient opportunities to deepen their learning. The school should ensure that it provides teachers with the professional development they need to adapt teaching to meet the needs of all pupils.
• Some pupils do not secure fluency in transcription soon enough. This means they find it difficult to succeed when they move on to writing composition. The school should ensure that it provides extra help with transcription for these pupils. Support should be provided in a timely and systematic manner so that these pupils quickly secure their transcription skills.

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