St Joseph's Catholic Primary and Nursery School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 4 March 2025

Pupils at this school are encouraged to be lifelong learners and fulfil their potential. They enjoy coming to school and benefit from warm relationships with staff. This helps them feel cared for. They know staff will help them with any concerns. The school has high expectations for all pupils to achieve well. Most pupils live up to these expectations. The school's clear approach to behaviour, centred on being kind, respectful and being your best, means pupils know how to behave. Although this is so, there are occasions when children's engagement and focus in the early years do not live up to these high expectations. Pupils develop a strong sense of togetherness. The school's 'St Joseph's day' is centred around pupils thinking of others. Pupils develop active and responsible citizenship through deciding which charities to raise money for. Pupils are also encouraged to set up their own clubs. For example, some pupils have organised an art club. Pupils hone their leadership skills as chaplaincy group members. They enjoy serving tea and biscuits to the local community during the church's 'Tea at two' events. Eco ambassadors develop stewardship when picking up litter in the local environment. Older pupils value their esteemed buddy roles to support younger pupils.

What the school should improve

• In some wider curriculum subjects, the most important knowledge pupils need to learn from the early years upwards has not been defined with enough precision. This means checks on how well pupils are learning are not exact enough. As a result, pupils struggle to remember their learning over time. The trust should identify what pupils need to learn and when across the curriculum. Assessment systems should provide accurate checks on how well pupils are learning the intended curriculum.
• The school does not provide some pupils with SEND with targets which precisely identify the small measurable steps they need to take to achieve their academic potential. It is difficult for the school to review the progress these pupils make. As a result, some pupils are not making all the progress they are capable of. The trust must ensure that all pupils with SEND benefit from targets which precisely identify the support they need to achieve their academic goals.
• On occasion, less established routines impact the engagement of some children in the early years. This hinders how well the school identifies those who need more support so some children have gaps in their learning. The trust should ensure that established routines in the early years allow staff to accurately check on children's learning and provide the appropriate support.

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