Holy Souls Catholic Primary School

Overview

Holy Souls Catholic Primary School is described as a “caring, friendly school” that fosters “warm, positive relationships” and serves as a “happy, welcoming and inclusive place to learn.” The inspection found that leaders have developed an “ambitious curriculum” with high expectations for behaviour and learning, resulting in pupils who feel safe and valued.

Strengths

• Staff promote a “love of reading” and deliver an effective phonics programme where books are “closely matched to the sounds that they know.”
• The school provides strong pastoral support, with parents describing the environment as being “like a family.”
• Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are identified effectively and are “fully included in all aspects of school life.”
• Personal development is prioritised through a “comprehensive” curriculum that helps pupils understand “human rights and responsibilities” and treat others with kindness.
• Children make a “good start in the early years” with well-developed routines and high expectations for behaviour.

Areas to improve

• The school must address regular pupil absences, as some children are “missing out on their learning.”
• Teachers need clearer planning for reading beyond phonics to ensure pupils build knowledge “sequentially to become effective readers.”
• Curriculum depth in a few subjects is inconsistent, meaning pupils do not always gain the same “detailed depth of knowledge” as in other areas.

Safeguarding

The report states that “the arrangements for safeguarding are effective,” with staff receiving appropriate training to identify risks and ensure pupils receive “the right support at the right time.”