St Gildas Catholic Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 24 September 2024

Pupils at St Gildas belong to a warm and diverse community. Many pupils join the school at different times of the school year. The school works effectively with families to help pupils settle quickly. The many pupils who speak English as an additional language are well supported. The support for pupils' well-being is a strength of the school and professional relationships between staff and pupils are strong. Pupils like their school because they have lots of friends. They say that other pupils are kind and that bullying is extremely rare. The school's curriculum is undergoing significant change. The majority of this work is very new. The school is refining curriculum plans and the ways in which staff need to deliver them. Currently, pupils do not learn effectively across year groups and subjects. The curriculum in Reception is more established. The school ensures that the youngest children are happy and enjoy their learning. Pupils have a secure understanding of the school's values, such as resilience and stewardship. They demonstrate this through their respectful and polite behaviour. Pupils can take part in a range of extra-curricular activities, including within sports, art and drama. Many pupils enjoy educational trips, such as to places of worship.

What the school should improve

• The school's curriculum does not outline the small steps of knowledge that all pupils need to learn with enough precision. This means that there is too much variability in the way teachers implement the curriculum. The trust must provide clarity about what pupils need to learn and when, so that all pupils can learn effectively.
• The school does not use the checks on pupils' learning effectively to identify gaps in their knowledge. This hinders teachers' ability to address pupils' misconceptions or pick up on any missed learning. The trust must support teachers to use appropriate strategies to check that all pupils, including those with SEND, have secured their learning and are ready to move on.
• There have been significant changes to the curriculum recently. The school has not sufficiently supported staff members who are responsible for making these changes. As a result, it has not ensured that teaching staff deliver the curriculum as intended, and it is unable to evaluate its impact accurately. The trust must ensure that leaders at all levels have the training to monitor the impact of their work and address staff development needs robustly.

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