Botwell House Catholic Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school. The headteacher and senior leaders, well supported by governors, keep all staff focused on improving the quality of their teaching and raising achievement.

This has ensured recent improvements. Teaching is consistently good. This enables pupils to make good progress.

Their above average attainment ensures they are well prepared for learning at secondary school. The role played by the governing body in checking that the school is meeting its aims has improved in recent years. It balances support for the school with challenging it to do better.

Reading is taught well. Children develop a good knowledge of letters and their sounds i...n the Early Years Foundation Stage. Pupils in Key Stage 2 develop wider reading skills such as comprehension and inference.

Children thrive in the Nursery and Reception because they are helped to settle in thoughtfully and activities fire their imaginations. Pupils' progress is carefully monitored and their needs identified. This enables additional support to be provided so that disadvantaged pupils or any who have special educational needs are able to achieve well.

Pupils behave well and move sensibly around the buildings, helping to make the school a very orderly place in which to learn. Pupils' positive attitudes and improved attendance contribute to their good learning and progress. The Christian ethos permeates school life, and provision is also made well for pupils to learn about and respect the customs and beliefs of other major world religions.

Pupils feel safe and happy in school because staff pay close attention to their welfare. It is not yet an outstanding school because: The assessment of the children's learning in Nursery and Reception is not always accurate enough to recognise their achievements. Teachers do not always provide sufficient challenge for the more able pupils in each class.

This can lead to their progress slowing at times. Subject leadership teams are not checking the quality of teaching and learning in order to use their expertise to bring about improvements.

Information about this school

The school is much larger than most primary schools.

Three-quarters of the pupils are from a wide range of minority ethnic backgrounds. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is well above average, although only a few are at the early stages of learning English. The proportion of disadvantaged pupils known to be eligible for funding through the pupil premium is well below average.

This is additional government funding which, in this school, supports pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals. The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs on the school roll is about 7%. This is much lower than that found in most schools.

The school meets the government's current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress. The school hosts extended school provision before and after school. This is privately run and so is inspected separately.

Also at this postcode