Our Lady of Good Help Catholic Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school The new leadership team has reinvigorated the school community to create an ambitious and welcoming culture. Leaders' strategy of providing targeted development for staff has led to consistently effective teaching, learning and assessment. Leaders have successfully developed a broad, balanced and engaging curriculum.

Pupils achieve well across a range of subjects. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain because of the effective curriculum and good provision for their personal development. Attendance has improved greatly, along with significant reduction in the rate of persistent absence.

This is due to the tenacity of school l...eaders in building positive relationships between the school and parents and carers. Pupils' behaviour is good. They are motivated to learn and have excellent relationships with the staff at the school.

Pupils feel safe. Senior leaders have demonstrated a clear capacity to rapidly improve all aspects of the school's work. Consequently, standards at the end of early years, key stage 1 and key stage 2 are rising.

All leaders have been appointed to their leadership roles since the last inspection. Although they contribute to improving the school, they do not carefully evaluate the impact of their actions on pupils' outcomes. The governing body has astutely recruited new governors to add to the existing knowledge and skills of governors.

Governors understand the school well. Disadvantaged pupils make good progress because of the additional support that they receive for their learning. Pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities also make good progress in subjects across the curriculum.

The school works well with other agencies to meet pupils' needs. Early years is led well. There has been a significant amount of staff development to ensure that children make good progress in all aspects of their learning.

Pupils make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. However, some of the most able pupils are not challenged well enough to reach greater depth in writing and mathematics, particularly in key stage 1.

Information about this school

The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.

The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is well above average. The proportion of pupils who come from minority ethnic groups, including those who speak English as an additional language, has declined since the last inspection to below the national average. The proportion of pupils who have support for SEN and/or disabilities is broadly average.

A small proportion of pupils have an education, health and care plan. The school has benefited from the focused support provided by the local authority and the archdiocese. In the academic year 2017/18, the school had an influx of international new arrivals in Year 2, many of whom spoke English as an additional language.

The governing body runs a breakfast club for pupils from 8am and after-school care until 5.30pm on the school site. The school's most recent section 48 inspection for schools with a religious character took place in November 2017.