St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 27 June 2023

This school celebrates the culture and heritage of all its pupils. Behaviour is good. Pupils are taught to respect and understand the views and beliefs of others. Pupils show positive attitudes to learning inside the classroom and always listen well. They are polite, friendly and engaging. They are respectful and talk confidently to adults using appropriate humour. Pupils live by the school virtues and know how they are helping them to develop their character. By 'living mercifully and living bravely', they know that they must learn to 'forgive, be peacekeepers, show resilience and determination', while also being compassionate towards others. Pupils are happy to attend and they feel safe. They are taught how to keep themselves healthy, both physically and mentally, and know how to protect themselves online. Pupils say that bullying does not happen at the school because leaders would not tolerate this. Pupils are given responsibilities in school that make them feel proud. Roles such as house captains, head boy and head girl make them feel like they have a voice and they know they are making a difference. As a sanctuary school, St Joseph's is inclusive and welcoming. Leaders and staff have created an environment where there are high expectations and all pupils thrive.

What the school should improve

• Staff do not place sufficient emphasis on ensuring that pupils can recognise sounds automatically. This makes it difficult for pupils to develop fluency when reading. Leaders should ensure that all staff support pupils to learn their phonics to automaticity so they can read with increasing fluency and confidence.

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