St Paul's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 30 April 2024

Pupils are proud of their school mission statement. They aspire 'not to have more but to be more' in all that they do. Pupils are happy in school. They enjoy learning and they work hard. Pupils rise to meet the high expectations that the school has for them academically and achieve well. Pupils attend school regularly. They relish the many opportunities that they are given, including visits to museums, art galleries and the local library. Pupils are especially proud to perform with an orchestra each year. Pupils take on board leadership roles, such as acting as eco-warriors and house captains, with gusto. They have set up their own school parliament so that they can help make the school even better. Through these roles, pupils make a highly positive contribution to their school and community. For instance, they raise money for charity and promote equality through online video blogs. Pupils benefit from the school's calm and purposeful environment. Children in the early years quickly learn to follow the school's clear routines. Pupils enjoy positive relationships with each other and with staff. Pupils' behaviour during lessons and around school is exemplary. During lunchtimes, pupils take the lead in activity sessions that all pupils can take part in. This promotes their physical health and encourages pupils of all ages to play, interact and have fun together.

What the school should improve

• The school's expectations for pupils' writing skills in key stage 1 are not high enough. This means that some pupils have not mastered legible and accurate letter formation by the time that they leave Year 2. This hinders pupils' writing fluency as they move through school. The school should ensure that the high level of focus it places on pupils' writing skills within the early years is built on and secured across school.
• In a few subjects, teachers do not support pupils to recall and build on learning from previous key stages sufficiently well. Some pupils have gaps in their knowledge and do not achieve as well as they should in these subjects as a result. The school should implement an effective strategy to ensure that teachers regularly revisit previously taught subject content and knowledge.

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