Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Catholic Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Catholic Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are polite, friendly and welcoming. Typically, pupils enjoy school. They are respectful towards others.

This includes those whose beliefs or home life may be different from their own. Pupils told me that they 'don't judge a book by its cover'. Every pupil I spoke with said that there are adults they can talk to if they have any worries.

Pupils felt that bullying did not really happen but, if it did, an adult would deal with it quickly. Pupils feel safe.

The school's motto, 'Learn to love, love to learn', is threaded through everything ...the school does.

Staff have high expectations of what pupils will achieve and how they will behave. Pupils live up to these expectations.

Pupils learn to contribute to their local community.

For example, they bake cakes for the drop-in centre and raise money for a local homeless charity. They can take part in lots of different events during their time at the school. These include road safety competitions, sporting events and residential visits.

Almost without exception, parents and carers said that they would recommend the school.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders are ambitious for all pupils to do well. By the time they leave the school, pupils have achieved well and are ready to start their secondary education.

This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

In mathematics, teachers are clear about exactly what pupils must learn. They help them to remember it.

Pupils use what they have learned to help them tackle new things in mathematics. For example, I saw pupils using their knowledge of numbers over 100,000.They set the numbers out carefully in columns to help them to solve problems linked to a budget.

Teachers keep a close check on what pupils can do. They provide extra help for pupils who need it.

Leaders make sure that pupils learn to read.

All pupils have joined the local public library. A new school library has recently been completed. Staff encourage pupils to enjoy reading.

At playtime, staff read their own books and invite pupils to bring their books and join them. Leaders have recently improved the way that phonics is taught. Staff have received some training and leaders have plans to provide more.

Teachers make sure that pupils get off to a flying start with learning phonics right from when children join the school in the early years. In Nursery, children learn to listen carefully to different sounds. Leaders have made sure that the books pupils are given to read contain the sounds that they have been learning.

Pupils use their knowledge of phonics to read the books fluently.

Leaders have written plans that set out what pupils will learn in each subject in every class. Some subjects, such as science, are planned in greater detail than others.

Not all subject plans make it clear to teachers which is the most important knowledge and vocabulary that pupils must remember in the longer term.

Children get off to a good start in the early years. Leaders take time to get to know the children before they start school.

They use what they know to help children settle quickly into school life. Staff set clear routines for children to follow. Children join in with their lessons enthusiastically.

Children who speak English as an additional language are helped to master the English language quickly.

Pupils behave well in class. They have good attitudes to learning.

Lessons are not disturbed by poor behaviour. I saw no low-level disruption during my visits to lessons. Pupils told me that this is typical.

Leaders provide a very wide range of opportunities for pupils to learn beyond the classroom. I heard a group of pupils singing 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' as they prepared to take part in a music festival. The pupils' singing was a joy to hear.

Leaders make sure that all pupils in key stage 2 represent their school at least once. Pupils recently raised funds for books and a laptop for a school in Tanzania.

Leaders and governors know the school well.

They are mindful of staff's workload. They adapt policies and procedures to make sure that staff can make the best use of their time, in the best interests of the pupils. Staff appreciate this.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Safeguarding is a high priority for all staff. Leaders make the necessary checks so they know that staff are suitable to work with children.

Leaders provide staff with the necessary up-to-date training. Staff know how to report a concern about a pupil's welfare, if one arises. Leaders provide support for pupils and their families.

Pupils learn about keeping themselves safe, for example through visitors from the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and the fire service. Pupils know how to use modern technology safely.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

Leaders have set out, for each subject and every class, what pupils will learn and the order in which they will learn it.

Most subjects are planned in detail. Leaders should make sure that all subjects are planned in full detail for all ages from the early years through to Year 6. They should ensure that it is clear exactly what knowledge and vocabulary pupils must learn and remember in the long term.

. Leaders have recently sharpened their approach to teaching phonics. They have provided staff with some training.

They have made sure that the books pupils are given to read match the sounds they know. Leaders should now ensure that the approach to teaching phonics is fully implemented and embedded.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called a section 8 inspection of a good school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good on 10–11 March 2016.