St Joseph's Catholic Primary School and Nursery

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 27 February 2024

The pupils at St Joseph's benefit from attending a school where kindness and tolerance are part of daily life. Pupils enjoy mass, go to church and take part in a daily prayer. This helps them to develop their spiritual understanding, and to feel part of the school community. Pupils receive a high-quality education. They are very positive about the subjects that they study. Pupils are engaged and excited about their lessons. For example, pupils enjoy dancing and discussing different types of music. They value the challenge of the work they are given by their teachers. Pupils also enjoy the opportunities they have to take part in practical lessons. During lessons, pupils work in a calm and productive atmosphere. They are able to focus well because there is very little disruption. A minority of pupils require extra support to manage their behaviour. Staff are skilled at supporting pupils to return to learning if they have become distracted. In Reception, children are excited about their learning. They love to sing and play. Children get along very well with each other and with the adults who support and care for them. They enjoy lots of different activities such as painting, writing and playing on outside equipment.

What the school should improve

• The school has not ensured that the high quality of assessment seen in some subjects is consistent across all foundation subjects. Teachers are not always clear what pupils need to know or be able to do. Therefore, they do not check carefully enough what pupils have learned. This means gaps in pupils' knowledge or understanding are not picked up quickly. The school should ensure that all teachers are clear about what pupils should know and understand in each subject. They should then ensure any gaps in pupils' learning are quickly identified and addressed so all pupils achieve highly.
• In some lessons, teachers do not adapt their teaching based on pupils' prior knowledge or understanding. This can lead to work being given to pupils that is not as ambitious as it should be. The school should ensure that teachers receive appropriate training so they consistently provide pupils with activities that enable them to achieve as highly as they should.

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