St Joseph's Catholic Infants School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 7 December 2023

St Joseph's is a warm and welcoming school with its community at its heart. Pupils said that they feel happy and safe because adults care about them. Leaders know their families well. Parents and carers hold the school in high regard and appreciate the support that they receive from staff. The school is determined that all pupils will get a good start to their education here, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders are ambitious for all. A wide range of experiences are provided to develop pupils' aspirations. For example, parents come in to talk to pupils about the range of jobs that they do. The school also commissions an artist to work directly with pupils. Across a range of subjects, pupils learn and achieve well. Pupils behave well in the classroom, when moving around the school and outside in the playground. They are polite and friendly to visitors. Pupils take their roles of responsibility seriously, such as being a member of the school council or leading the daily prayer.

What the school should improve

• In a few subjects, checks on what pupils know and can remember before introducing new learning are not fully established. As a result, pupils develop gaps in their knowledge. The school should make sure that checks on pupils' understanding in these subjects are fully established, so that any gaps can be identified and addressed before moving on to new learning.
• In a few instances, the books that pupils read to practise and apply their phonics knowledge are not as closely matched as they need to be to pupils' stage of learning phonics. This makes it harder for pupils to become confident readers as quickly as possible. The school should ensure that teachers routinely check that reading books are well matched to pupils' knowledge so that all pupils are able to develop their reading fluency and confidence.

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