St Oswald's Catholic Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 27 September 2023

Pupils are nurtured at St Oswald's Catholic Primary School. They benefit from the support of the caring staff who know them well. If they feel anxious or worried, they trust adults in the school to help them. As a result, they feel happy. Pupils said that everyone is welcome in their school family. The school is a calm environment. Pupils learn to 'love, learn, respect and appreciate'. They are kind and care for each other. Most pupils behave well in and around the school. They need few reminders to maintain the high standards of behaviour that staff expect. They look forward to finding out who the stars of the week are in celebration assemblies. They take great pride in collecting 'smilies' for their efforts. The school has high expectations of pupils' achievements. Across a range of subjects, many pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve well. Pupils enjoy taking part in the clubs and activities that are available to them, for example, art, running and choir. Many pupils spoke enthusiastically about the performances they have taken part in, including at theatres and in front of large audiences. This helps them to become confident young citizens. They are proud to make a positive difference to their local community by collecting donations for a local food bank and sharing produce from their school garden.

What the school should improve

• Some younger pupils who struggle to read, including some pupils with SEND, do not receive effective support to address gaps in their learning. At times, staff do not properly match the books that younger pupils read to their phonics knowledge. As a result, some do not catch up quickly enough with their peers. The school should make sure that pupils who struggle the most with reading receive appropriate support, including the provision of well-matched books, so that they quickly develop fluency and confidence.
• In a small number of subjects, the school has not made clear enough the most important knowledge that pupils need to acquire and remember. This makes it difficult for staff to check gaps in pupils' learning and revisit key concepts before introducing new content. As a result, some pupils struggle to deepen their knowledge over time. The school should refine curriculum guidance for teachers so that pupils learn the content of the curriculum in sufficient depth.

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