St Paul's Catholic School

Overview

St Paul’s Catholic School has “taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.” The report describes a school where pupils are “very happy and welcoming,” living by an ethos of inclusivity and respect. Staff hold high expectations, and the curriculum is broad, with most pupils, including those with special educational needs, achieving well in public examinations.

Strengths

• Pupils demonstrate “positive behaviour” and are “extremely kind and respectful,” with sixth-form students acting as “excellent role models.”
• The curriculum is “very broad” and carefully sequenced, ensuring staff have a “clear understanding of the important knowledge pupils should learn.”
• The reading strategy is a “high priority,” with staff providing “targeted support” that helps less fluent readers “catch up quickly.”
• Personal development and careers provision prepares pupils “exceptionally well,” fostering “service and empathy” through age-appropriate themes and extra-curricular activities.
• The “integrated pastoral and safeguarding hub” is “highly effective,” with staff who “know pupils extremely well” able to target support with “significantly positive impact.”

Areas to improve

• The curriculum is “not delivered consistently well,” as some activities or questions are not “sharply focused on helping each pupil embed the relevant knowledge and understanding.”
• Staff should make “effective adjustments which meet the needs and potential of all pupils” to ensure teaching approaches are precisely adapted, as some pupils do not currently achieve as highly as they could.

Safeguarding

The report states that “the arrangements for safeguarding are effective.”