St Teresa's Catholic Academy

Overview

St Teresa’s Catholic Academy is a primary school where pupils are described as “happy, articulate and polite.” The report highlights an “engaging curriculum” and “exemplary” behaviour, noting that staff maintain high expectations which result in pupils achieving well. Leaders have fostered a strong sense of community and mutual support among staff and pupils.

Strengths

• Pupils’ behaviour is “exemplary,” with low-level disruption being “incredibly rare” and bullying not tolerated.
• The curriculum in subjects like mathematics is “well established,” allowing pupils to recall knowledge “confidently.”
• Reading is a clear priority; leaders use a “structured phonics programme” delivered with “clarity and expertise,” helping children start learning to read quickly.
• Staff are “proud to work at the school” and benefit from a “strong culture of mutual support” and effective leadership regarding workload and well-being.
• Personal development is supported well, with pupils learning confidently about mental health, equality, and online safety.

Areas to improve

• In some foundation subjects, the curriculum is at an “earlier stage of development,” and leaders have not yet identified the “most important knowledge” pupils need to remember, hindering learning.
• Teaching for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) lacks precision in some subjects because staff do not always adapt their teaching sufficiently well.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with a “strong safeguarding culture” where staff receive effective training and make swift referrals when necessary.