St Charles' Catholic Voluntary Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 2 November 2022

Staff do their utmost to ensure that pupils 'Belong, Believe and Blossom' at St Charles'. This ethos and vision shine through many aspects of school life. Pupils say that they are happy and safe. One pupil said, 'It is a pleasure to be here. I am proud to be part of this school.' Staff have high expectations for all pupils. Pupils work hard. They are enthusiastic learners, who contribute well in lessons. They behave well and are polite to each other, staff and to visitors. Pupils say that bullying incidents are rare and that staff deal with them swiftly and fairly. Pupils explain bullying as being 'repeated, unwanted, intentional and negative' (RUIN). Staff provide a wide range of popular activities that help to stretch pupils' talents and interests. Staff have thought carefully about these activities. They provide opportunities that pupils may not have experienced within the local community. Visiting a beach, a museum or various places of worship, for example. Parents have overwhelmingly positive views of the school. One typical comment being 'I couldn't be happier with the progress my child has made since they started at the school.'

What the school should improve

• The subject curriculum plans are relatively new. They need time to become fully embedded from the early years through to Year 6. Leaders should enable subject leaders to have appropriate time, knowledge and skills to ensure that their subject curriculum is fully embedded and being implemented by staff, in all classes, as intended.
• Not all pupils who are at the early stages of learning to read use their phonic skills to decode unfamiliar words. This is preventing these pupils from progressing as well as they could. Leaders should ensure that staff have the appropriate knowledge, so that these pupils use their phonic skills to be able to successfully decode any unfamiliar words.

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