St Joseph's Catholic Infants School

Overview

St Joseph’s Catholic Infants School continues to be a good school, described as a "warm and welcoming" environment where pupils feel happy and safe. Leaders are ambitious for all pupils, providing a curriculum that builds logically on prior learning and fostering strong community links.

Strengths

• The curriculum is broken down into "logical steps" so that learning builds effectively on what has been taught before.
• Early reading is prioritised, with staff taught to deliver phonics with "precision and consistency" and regular checks for those falling behind.
• Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are identified quickly and receive tailored support to learn alongside peers.
• Staff feel "well supported and valued," benefiting from training and measures to reduce workload and support well-being.
• Pupils behave well, are polite, and take roles of responsibility seriously, such as leading daily prayer.

Areas to improve

• In a few subjects, teaching does not sufficiently check that pupils remember previous learning before moving on, leading to "gaps in their knowledge."
• In some instances, reading books are not closely matched to pupils’ phonics knowledge, making it harder for them to practise and gain confidence.

Safeguarding

The report states that "the arrangements for safeguarding are effective."