St Bede's Catholic Primary School, Weaverham

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 31 October 2023

Pupils delight in attending this warm, caring school. They said that they love their friends and teachers. Everyone is welcome at the school, regardless of their differences. Pupils speak to each other kindly. They know staff will listen to their worries and take action to help resolve any concerns. Some pupils benefit from speaking with staff who have received specialist training in helping pupils to manage their emotions. The school has high expectations for pupils' achievement. These are mostly realised, particularly in subjects with published results. Pupils said that they enjoy the range of subjects that they learn. Throughout the school, pupils talk and play cooperatively, including during breaktimes. They know the school rules and try their best to follow them. Most pupils make appropriate behaviour choices in lessons. They know that chatting or disturbing others is disrespectful. Older pupils take on a range of leadership responsibilities. For example, pupils in Year 6 enjoy being a buddy to a child in the Reception class. Pupils in Year 6 also act as safety officers or house captains. The school holds an annual swimming gala which all pupils can enter. The older pupils get into the water with the younger children to support and encourage them. The school places a high value on developing pupils' talents and interests through a range of activities such as choir and illustration clubs.

What the school should improve

• The curriculum in the early years is not delivered as thoroughly as the school intends. This means that some children in the early years do not develop their knowledge and skills as well as they could in some areas of learning. The school should ensure that the activities and resources chosen to deliver the early years curriculum maximise children's opportunities to develop their learning.
• In a small number of subjects, the school has not set out clearly enough the order in which key knowledge should be delivered. As a result, some pupils are not able to build on their previous learning in a coherent manner. This means that they do not deepen their knowledge over time. The school should establish the order in which subject content should be taught so that pupils build logically on their prior knowledge.
• In a few subjects, teachers' checks on pupils' learning are less effective than in other subjects. This means that teachers cannot identify misconceptions, which leads to gaps in pupils' knowledge. The school should make sure that teachers spot and then address gaps in pupils' knowledge.

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