St Bede's Catholic Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 24 September 2024

Parents and carers said that it is a privilege to send their children to St Bede's. Pupils' extremely positive attitudes and their delight in learning back this up. Pupils behave impeccably. Expectations are clear, and pupils know what happens if their behaviour is not top-notch. Lessons are rarely interrupted. In the playground, pupils play together without arguments, each respecting the other. This reflects the school's strong values and illustrates its high expectations. Pupils enjoy their learning a great deal and achieve exceptionally well. They explained that this was because their teachers made learning interesting and fun. Another key reason for this is the way that the curriculum is designed and put in place. Key facts and ideas are laid out carefully. Skilful teaching ensures that pupils reach these high expectations. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) get the same high-quality education as everyone else. The school's work to promote pupils' personal development is a key element in achieving consistently strong outcomes. Helping pupils to become good citizens, respect others and take responsibility is a centrepiece of the school's work. This includes ensuring that pupils are kept safe and understand how to keep themselves safe.

What the school should improve

• The curriculum in early years is not as well defined as it is in Years 1 to 6. As a result, teaching is not supported by a clear understanding of how children's learning and experiences build towards agreed end points. This makes it difficult to ensure that all children have a consistent experience, albeit adapted to their individual needs. The school needs to carry out further work to design and agree exactly what children need to learn and how this builds progressively to meet the identified outcomes.

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