St Joseph's Catholic Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 27 June 2023

Pupils and staff are proud members of their school. Pupils are happy and enjoy playing together at breaktimes and lunchtimes. Bullying is rare. Pupils trust that adults will swiftly deal with any issues. Pupils achieve well. Leaders and staff have high expectations for all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They celebrate and value the uniqueness of every pupil. The school's mission statement, 'Each one of us has been created for a special purpose and is therefore uniquely special', threads through all aspects of school life. Pupils relish the opportunities that they have for responsibility. For example, pupil ambassadors are thrilled when visitors enter the classroom so that they can welcome them to their class and tell them about their learning. Pupils are polite and well mannered. Relationships between staff and pupils are based on mutual respect. In lessons, pupils are typically focused on and engaged with their tasks. This helps them to learn well across the curriculum. When low-level disruption occurs, adults deal with it quickly to minimise it having an impact on the learning of others. Pupils talk with enthusiasm about the range of extra-curricular clubs and educational visits they experience. They also enjoy the opportunities to develop their leadership skills as school councillors or eco-champions.

What the school should improve

• There is a clear and coherent curriculum in place with key knowledge, skills and vocabulary identified and mapped out. However, at times, teachers are not drawing on this guidance precisely enough when delivering the curriculum to pupils. This means that pupils can find it hard to recall knowledge fluently. Instead, they remember the activities they have completed. Leaders need to continue to work with subject leaders and teachers to ensure there is a sharp focus on the teaching of the identified knowledge and skills across the curriculum.
• On occasions, teachers are missing opportunities to recap and reinforce learning. Some teaching is not identifying and addressing gaps in pupils' knowledge or misconceptions in their understanding. This means that, in some cases, pupils are not able to build on prior learning and fully grasp what they are being taught. Leaders need to ensure that teachers are supported to deliver the curriculum in line with leaders' expectations, including building in and responding to purposeful checks on pupils' understanding.

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