St Joseph's Catholic Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 27 September 2022

Leaders have improved the school. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), benefit from studying an ambitious curriculum and from having dedicated lessons that help them to develop as individuals. The school experience, built around a strong Catholic ethos, prepares pupils and students well for their future. There is a settled atmosphere in lessons and around school. Lessons are purposeful. Poor behaviour rarely disrupts life in school. Pupils value their teachers and pastoral staff. The house system gives pupils stability. It helps them to feel safe and comfortable in school. Bullying is rare. Leaders have taught pupils what bullying is and how to report it. Pupils have faith that heads of house and other staff would deal with any bullying if it did occur. Diversity is celebrated in school. Pupils talk confidently about how European languages week and Black History Month have broadened their horizons. Students in the sixth form play an active role in supporting younger pupils.

What the school should improve

• Some teachers do not use assessment consistently well in lessons. Although teachers pick up on pupils' misconceptions, sometimes teachers do not adapt their teaching well enough to fully address gaps in pupils' knowledge. This means that pupils are occasionally moved on to new learning too quickly. Leaders should ensure that all teachers use assessment deftly to inform their teaching and help pupils to embed key concepts.
• There is not a robust system in place to check what pupils know and remember from the school's PSHE programme. Consequently, leaders are not able to assure themselves that pupils have learned important PSHE knowledge. Leaders should ensure that a system is developed which allows them to fully evaluate the effectiveness of the PSHE programme.

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