St Josephs Catholic Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 23 April 2025

Pupils flourish at this exceptionally happy and welcoming primary school. They benefit from highly positive experiences, including a broad, rich and exciting curriculum. Staff have the very highest expectations for pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff care deeply for the pupils they teach, which helps ensure pupils' well-being and academic success are secured remarkably well. Pupils are very well prepared for the next stage of their education. Children in the early years enjoy a calm and stimulating place to learn. Pupils enjoy numerous opportunities to celebrate who they are and to be successful. They have trusting relationships with each other and with staff. Pupils say they feel safe. Bullying is never tolerated and, if it happens, pupils are rightly confident that staff will deal with it quickly. Behaviour is exemplary. Pupils respond well to clear and consistently applied routines. Pupils learn to be resilient and adopt a positive mindset. This results in them seeing challenges or setbacks as an important part of learning. Staff encourage pupils to take on responsibilities effectively, for example, as class monitors or reading buddies. Pupils appreciate the huge range of extra activities they can choose to attend. These include many creative and sports clubs.

What the school should improve

• On occasion, in the early years, the checks made by staff working with children do not sharply identify whether children have learned the curriculum as intended. This means that, occasionally, children move on to new learning or tasks before they have a secure grasp of important foundational knowledge. The school should ensure that all staff working in the early years check children's learning regularly and accurately before they move on.

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