St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Stockton

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 12 March 2024

Pupils thrive here. They are nurtured and supported by a dedicated staff team which recognises that many of their families face wider challenges in their everyday lives. Pupils relish the responsibilities bestowed upon them. The 'reading squad' exemplifies this. They undertake their role to raise the profile of reading across the school with much enthusiasm. They talk excitedly about their ambitious plans to refurbish the reading garden. Playtimes and lunchtimes are fun filled. There is so much to do and enjoy. The 'dance squad' prepares dance routines for younger pupils to master, who brim with excitement as they join in. At the same time, the sports leaders look to improve pupils' ball skills by giving expert tips. High staff to pupil ratios ensure all activities are well supervised. This contributes to the strong and trusting relationships that exist in the school. Pupils behave exceptionally well most of the time. Very occasionally, the school uses suspension as a sanction. This is always used appropriately and sensitively and as a last resort. The school has high aspirations for all its pupils. These were not realised in 2023 when pupils' outcomes in the end of key stage 2 national tests fell below national averages.

What the school should improve

• In the early years, the quality of activities planned for continuous provision vary between different areas of learning, especially those relating to understanding the world. As a result, opportunities to consolidate children's foundational knowledge are less effective than they could be, and as leaders expect. Leaders need to strengthen this aspect of the early years curriculum so that inconsistencies are ironed out and planned activities for all areas of learning have a clear learning intent that will secure children's important foundational knowledge.
• Aspects of the mathematics curriculum relating to reasoning are not fully embedded and not taught with the same rigour as that of mathematical fluency. This means that some pupils struggle to make connections in their learning and to explain their mathematical thinking with confidence. Leaders need to strengthen this aspect of curriculum implementation so that more pupils are confident to tackle more-complex tasks and achieve more highly.

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