St John's Catholic Primary School

Overview

St John’s Catholic Primary School is described as a “welcoming and inclusive” environment where pupils are “polite and considerate.” Leaders have driven significant improvements since the previous inspection, establishing high expectations for behaviour and a strong focus on reading and mathematics that supports all learners, including those with special educational needs.

Strengths

• Pupils demonstrate “positive attitudes towards their learning” and are “eager to contribute their ideas in lessons.”
• There is a “systematic and effective approach to teaching children to read,” ensuring pupils become “confident and fluent readers.”
• The mathematics curriculum is “ambitious and well-designed,” helping pupils use accurate vocabulary to tackle complex problems.
• Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive “expert support” and have “full access to the curriculum alongside their peers.”
• Staff feel “thoroughly supported by leaders” and appreciate realistic expectations that help manage workload.

Areas to improve

• Subject leadership in some wider curriculum subjects requires further development, as leaders’ understanding of curriculum design is “not secure.”
• Assessment in the wider curriculum is “not effective in identifying what pupils know and can do,” meaning gaps in knowledge are not always addressed.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with a “strong culture of safeguarding” where staff are well trained to recognise signs of harm and report concerns promptly.