St Boniface RC Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 7 January 2025

Pupils are happy at St Boniface. They enjoy being part of a welcoming, friendly and caring community. They have positive relationships with their peers and staff. Pupils, including children in the early years, typically behave well in class and around the school. Most pupils listen attentively and remain focused on tasks during lessons. The school encourages pupils to develop their talents in a variety of areas, such as in football, music and choir. Pupils also have opportunities to broaden their experiences through educational trips and visits, including to an outdoor residential centre, a zoo and a science museum. Pupils contribute to the life of the school by taking on various leadership roles. The school has high expectations for pupils' achievements, but these ambitions are not fully realised. This is because previous curriculum choices and significant staff changes have had an impact on the achievement of some pupils. Pupils now benefit from more stable staffing and follow new curriculums. However, the quality and delivery of some curriculums, including in the early years, vary. In addition, the school has not fully identified or addressed some of the barriers to pupils' learning.

What the school should improve

• In some subjects, including in the early years, the school is still in the process of defining what pupils should learn and in what order. This makes it difficult for staff to design activities that help pupils to build their knowledge over time. The school should finalise its curriculum thinking so that staff are clear about what should be taught and when.
• In some subjects, including in the early years, staff do not use assessment strategies well enough to check on how well pupils are learning the intended curriculum. This prevents staff from identifying and addressing the gaps in pupils' knowledge. The school should ensure that staff are well equipped to use assessment strategies effectively to identify gaps in pupils' prior learning and adjust their teaching accordingly.
• Some staff lack the necessary expertise to implement the phonics scheme effectively to support weaker readers. As a result, some pupils do not develop their phonics knowledge as quickly or securely as they should. The school should continue to improve staff expertise in teaching phonics to help pupils become fluent and confident readers.
• Until recently, the systems and processes for identifying pupils with SEND lacked sufficient rigour. This means that the school did not always identify the needs of these pupils' promptly to ensure that the support for these pupils had the desired impact. The school should continue to improve its systems for identifying and supporting pupils with SEND to ensure they are supported effectively to achieve well.

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