St Cuthbert and the First Martyrs' Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 23 November 2022

Pupils enjoy being part of the St Cuthbert's 'family.' They say that they are happy and safe in this school. They care for each other. Pupils are proud that they are all different. They are taught to respect each other and celebrate individuality. Discrimination is not tolerated here. The school's Catholic 'virtues' are lived by all in the school. Adults and pupils model values such as kindness, respect, honesty, and thankfulness. Pupils are encouraged to care and support others. This can be seen with the work that the 'Minnie Vinnies' do to raise money to support charities. Leaders and staff have high expectations. They are determined to give pupils opportunities to develop academically and to have aspirations for the future. Pupils say that they enjoy all learning here. As well as focusing on academic learning, leaders have created a 'Skills Builder' curriculum. This enables pupils to develop skills such as teamwork or problem-solving. Pupils learn about different roles in businesses, then apply this learning in real life situations. In the past they have run an art gallery and a community café in the school. Some pupils also helped to design a park for the local area. Most pupils favourite part of every week, however, is their swimming lesson in the school's own pool. The school is a calm and orderly place. Pupils behave well. They say that bullying is very rare. If it does happen, they are confident to talk to 'trusted' adults in the school. They know that they will deal with it quickly and fairly.

What the school should improve

• In some subjects, leaders have not identified the important knowledge that pupils need to learn. Therefore, teachers do not have sufficient support or guidance to plan lessons effectively, which help pupils to build learning over time. Leaders need to identify the important knowledge, and a clear sequence of learning to ensure that pupils can be supported to make progress towards a carefully designed end point.
• In subjects where the intended learning is not clear, leaders have not identified how teachers should use assessment to track and monitor pupils learning. This means that teachers do not always know if pupils are making progress. As the important knowledge in these subjects is further refined, leaders need to ensure that assessment systems are developed and used to check whether pupils are remembering learning.
• Leaders do not always know where the strengths and weaknesses lie in the curriculum. Senior leaders should make certain that subject leaders, some of whom are new to their roles, have the time and expertise to develop their areas of responsibility further. This will enable them to check how effectively the intended curriculum is being taught, and support teachers with any improvements they need to make.

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