St Mary's and St Benedict's Roman Catholic Primary School Ofsted: "Time is needed" says Bamber Bridge primary school told it requires improvement

St Mary's and St Benedict's Roman Catholic Primary School on Brownedge Lane was visited by the educational watchbody on January 17 and 18 and rated ‘Requires Improvement’.

The school had been rated ‘Good’ in its last full report in 2013, following a string of ‘Satisfactory’ ratings since 2005.

What did Ofsted say was particularly good about St Mary's and St Benedict's?

The report begins: “Pupils told inspectors that they make lots of friends at school. They said that staff take time to listen to them. Older pupils carry out additional responsibilities with pride, such as being part of the chaplaincy team or eco-club. Pupils learn to celebrate the uniqueness of each individual. They appreciate how important it is to respect each other, regardless of difference.”

Pupils are said to “feel happy and safe”, with leaders dealing with incidents of bullying "thoroughly”. Inspectors also noted that “Leaders’ decisive action to improve behaviour means that many pupils behave well.”

Regarding leaders, the report notes that they “want the best for all pupils", including SEND, and they have “ensure[d] that the recently revised curriculums in many subjects are suitably ambitious.”

The school was also praised for its “wide range of clubs”, which helps pupils “develop confidence and new skills.”

What does St Mary's and St Benedict's need to improve on?

Inspectors wrote: “The recently revised curriculums do not help teachers to know what should be taught and when this should happen. This hampers teachers from designing learning that helps pupils to gain a secure body of knowledge over time.”

Similarly, whilst teachers check what pupils have learned, they do not use this information to overcome gaps in learning “because teachers lack clarity about what pupils should know.”

Leaders were said to “have not ensured that pupils regularly read books that support them to develop reading fluency or stamina” and they “do not ensure that all staff implement the school’s behaviour policy consistently well. Pupils do not learn as well as they could because staff allow small groups of pupils to disturb lessons.”

Meanwhile, “Governors have not consistently held leaders to account for key parts of the school’s work. As a result, pupils do not benefit from a good quality of education, and they do not achieve as well as they should.”

The report also noted that some pupils are “persistently absent from school”.

What does St Mary's and St Benedict's say about their rating?

Headteacher Daniel Ballard commented: “Following our inspection in January this year, we have continued the work that we had already identified: to provide a quality education for all of the children in our school and within the community. As a Catholic school, we are here to serve the local population and we know that this means continual improvement. Most of the things that the inspection found were already started but in their infancy: time is needed to ensure they embed and go from strength to strength. As the Headteacher, I am confident that we will be proven to be a GOOD school when we are reinspected in two years' time. Finally, I would thank all our families for their support and continued trust in us as their school.”