St Paul’s Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy located in Alwoodley, Leeds, was inspected by Ofsted on November 2 and 3, 2021. The school received an overall effectiveness rating of Good, reflecting its commitment to providing a high-quality education. The inspection highlighted several strengths, including the quality of education, behavior and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision, all rated as Good.
The school is characterized as a caring and safe environment where pupils thrive. The behavior of students is noted as a significant strength, with pupils expressing enthusiasm for the recognition they receive for their positive behavior and hard work. Classrooms are described as purposeful and calm, allowing for uninterrupted learning. Relationships between staff and pupils are respectful, and pupils feel supported when they have concerns. Incidents of bullying are rare, and when they occur, they are addressed promptly by staff.
Pupils at St Paul’s are encouraged to take on roles and responsibilities, such as being ‘Mini Vinnies’ to promote the school’s Catholic values. The school emphasizes virtues like hope, forgiveness, tolerance, and respect, fostering an environment where diversity is celebrated. Pupils are also supported in leading healthy lives through regular fitness lessons and a variety of extracurricular clubs, although there is a desire to expand these offerings for younger students.
The leadership of the school has evolved since the last inspection, with a focus on developing curriculum leadership in core subjects like English and mathematics. However, in other subjects, such as computing, leadership is still in its infancy, and leaders have not yet implemented the ambitious changes they envision for the curriculum. This has resulted in a lack of clarity regarding how well pupils are learning across all subjects.
Reading is prioritized, with phonics instruction beginning in Reception. Staff are well-trained to deliver the phonics program, and assessments are used effectively to match reading materials to pupils’ abilities. Most pupils enter Year 3 as confident readers, and those who need additional support receive it.
In mathematics, the curriculum is well-structured, breaking learning into manageable steps and regularly checking pupils’ understanding. This approach helps pupils retain previously taught concepts. The same ambitious curriculum is applied in the early years, where children quickly learn to count and recognize numbers.
While the curriculum in subjects like computing and history is well sequenced, assessment practices in the wider curriculum are not sufficiently developed. This limits teachers' and leaders' ability to gauge pupils' retention of knowledge and skills. Leaders have established robust procedures to support pupils with special educational needs and disabilities, ensuring they have access to the curriculum.
Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social, and cultural education is strong, with opportunities to learn about and visit places of worship from various faiths. The school promotes acceptance and tolerance, and the personal, social, and health education curriculum provides pupils with an understanding of healthy relationships.
The academy council is well-informed about the school’s strengths and areas for improvement, monitoring the impact of leadership actions. Staff express positive views about leadership, noting that leaders consider their workload.
The safeguarding arrangements are effective, with all staff trained to identify and support pupils at risk of harm. Online safety is integrated into the curriculum, ensuring pupils understand how to stay safe online. Leaders collaborate with external agencies to provide social and emotional support for pupils in need.
To improve, the school needs to enhance the precision of assessments in the wider curriculum and develop the role of curriculum leaders in subjects beyond English and mathematics. This will enable leaders to make informed decisions to enhance the educational experience for all pupils.
