St Vincent’s Catholic Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and flourish at this exceptional school.

Through exciting learning opportunities, children in the early years get off to a flying start. Pupils across the school are nurtured by staff who give them every opportunity to succeed and to shine. They are exceedingly well prepared for the next stage of their learning.

The school sets an extremely high bar for pupils' academic achievement. Pupils strive to live up to these expectations. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve exceptionally well.

Pupils eagerly respond to the school's behaviour expectations. They rarely need reminding to do their bes...t. Pupils' behaviour is impeccable in class, during social times and as they move around the school.

Pupils delight in the plentiful opportunities that the school provides to develop their talents and interests. For instance, pupils relish the many clubs that they can attend. They also greatly value the wide variety of sporting activities that the school offers.

These include cricket, hockey and table tennis events and competitions. Pupils in the school choir, and those who learn to play musical instruments, enjoy regular opportunities to perform for their parents and carers and members of the wider community.

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

Collectively, members of the governing body and leaders at all levels have successfully ensured that they provide the highest quality of education to pupils, including those with SEND.

Governors deploy their wide-ranging expertise to offer high levels of challenge and support to the school. Governors and the school make sure that staff's workload is not affected by school improvement work.

Starting in the early years, the school has expertly and meticulously crafted a highly ambitious curriculum.

The key knowledge that pupils should learn is broken down into small, carefully ordered steps so that pupils can build on their prior learning very effectively.

Staff across the school take every opportunity to enhance and ignite pupils' curiosity and thirst for learning. Pupils engage in a wide variety of learning activities with gusto.

Through carefully selected cultural trips and visits, learning is enriched and enhanced beyond the classroom. Meaningful links are also made to possible future careers as part of the curriculum. These experiences help to broaden pupils' horizons and aspirations for the future.

Teachers benefit from a highly effective programme of development. This helps them to deliver the curriculum with confidence and ease. Staff ensure that pupils regularly revisit the prior knowledge that they have been taught before moving on to new learning.

Staff swiftly identify and address pupils' misconceptions. This supports pupils to develop an exceptionally strong body of knowledge over time. They progress extremely well across the curriculum.

The additional needs of pupils with SEND are identified quickly and they receive expert support. Teachers make effective adaptations to the delivery of curriculum content. This enables pupils with SEND to successfully progress through the curriculum, alongside their peers.

The school has developed a strong culture of reading across the school. Pupils are exposed to a wide range of inspirational texts and authors in all year groups. These books are thoughtfully chosen to fire pupils' passion for reading.

In the early years, children enjoy sharing stories with staff. Older pupils are proud of their roles as reading ambassadors and as the poet laureate. They particularly enjoy reading with children in the early years and sharing recommended books with their friends.

The delivery of the phonics programme is particularly effective. The school has carefully selected books that allow children in the early years, and pupils in key stage 1, to rehearse the sounds that they already know. Staff make frequent checks on pupils' phonics knowledge, identifying those who need extra help.

These pupils receive the additional support that they need so that they learn to read well.

The school has created a climate of warmth, care and compassion that develops pupils' confidence. Pupils behave extremely well.

They are highly respectful to staff and to each other. The school has the highest expectations for pupils' attendance and punctuality. It works successfully with parents to overcome any barriers that may prevent pupils from attending school as often as they should.

As a result, pupils are rarely absent.

Pupils have a thorough understanding of fundamental British values. For example, they talked about the laws and rules of the country and about the importance of democracy.

The exciting and unique activities provided by the school inspire pupils to find a talent or interest in which they can shine. In addition, the school fosters an impressively strong community spirit. This is embedded through regular assemblies that celebrate the school values and promote pupils' sense of collective endeavour and belonging.

Pupils throughout school benefit from an array of leadership opportunities. Through these roles, pupils develop qualities such as resilience and independence that prepare them exceptionally well for the next stage in their education.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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