St Benedict’s Catholic Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school Under the skilled and tenacious leadership of the headteacher, the whole-school community has pulled together to provide the best possible opportunities and experiences for all pupils. Leaders are determined to eradicate anything that is second best. Leaders' robust evaluation ensures that they know the school inside out.

As a result, school improvement planning is incisive and detailed and actions are evaluated regularly. Children in the early years make strong progress. An above average proportion of children reach a good level of development by the time they leave the Reception class.

They are well prepared to start Year 1. In key stag...es 1 and 2, current pupils are making good progress from their individual starting points. Standards by the end of Year 6 in English and mathematics are above average.

As a result of consistently good teaching, pupils learn quickly. Teachers and teaching assistants alike are skilled at supporting pupils' learning. Leaders' continuing actions to improve teaching even further are bearing fruit.

However, further work is needed to develop pupils' reasoning skills in mathematics. Teachers generally match work accurately to pupils' varying abilities. Occasionally, work can lack challenge and the pace of learning slows.

Leaders are making effective use of the pupil premium funding and so the attainment of disadvantaged pupils is rising. However, their attainment still lags behind that of other pupils nationally. Too few disadvantaged pupils reach levels of greater depth in learning.

The leadership of the well-planned curriculum ensures that pupils are enthusiastic and engaged in their learning. Subject-specific skills are effectively planned and taught. Pupils' presentation of work in mathematics and English books is of good quality, but not yet matched by work in topic books.

Pupils' personal development and welfare are outstanding. Their behaviour is good, rooted in the respect and care they have for each other. Occasional lapses in concentration can interrupt learning for a few pupils.

Information about this school

The school is larger than the average-sized primary school. The vast majority of pupils are of White British heritage. The school is part of the Nicholas Postgate Academy Trust.

St Benedict's Primary Catholic Voluntary Academy converted to become an academy school on 1 September 2015. When its predecessor school, Saint Benedict's Roman Catholic VA Primary, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to require improvement overall. The headteacher has been in post for just over one year.

The proportion of pupils who are known to be eligible for support from the pupil premium is average. The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is below average. The school's part-time provision for Nursery children operates in the morning and afternoon.

Reception children attend on a full-time basis. The school meets the government's current floor standards. These are the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress.