A primary school in northwest Bristol has been praised by Ofsted for maintaining ‘Good’ educational standards in the school’s first inspection since 2018. St Bernard’s Catholic Primary School, on Station Road in Shirehampton, was judged to remain ‘Good’ in an ungraded inspection on January 14 and 15.
The primary school, with 205 pupils on its school roll, was last inspected in 2018 when a short inspection found that the school was ‘Good’. The school has been rated as ‘Good’ since 2012 and is part of The Cardinal Newman Catholic Educational Trust.
The inspector, Caroline Musty, found that the school is “warm and welcoming” and pupils feel “a strong sense of belonging”. The behaviour of pupils was praised as they are kind and caring towards one another, helping each other in school as well as people in the wider community.
The school has high expectations of pupils and makes sure pupils get the support they need to learn the curriculum. Pupils work hard and engage with their work, as a result, most pupils achieve well and are ready for the next stage of learning.
Pupils move around the school site in an “orderly manner” and pupils play well together across different year groups. Older pupils build a sense of responsibility through the school’s buddy system, which helps younger pupils to learn to cooperate.
The report said: “The school curriculum is ambitious and well structured. The school checks pupils’ learning to identify any gaps and uses this information to provide pupils with extra support to secure their knowledge. As a result, pupils can recall what they have learned before.
“The phonics curriculum is delivered well. From the start of the reception year, children become familiar with the learning routines, which help them to take part in activities and build their knowledge of sounds.
“The school ensures that pupils who are at risk of falling behind with reading get extra help to practise. Pupils read often to staff. This helps them to build reading fluency and confidence.
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“The school has an accurate understanding of the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). It identifies these needs early, this ensures pupils get effective and timely support. In classrooms, guidance from staff and adaptations to resources mean that pupils with SEND get the support they need to learn the curriculum alongside their peers.”
In some subjects, the work that pupils complete helps them to further deepen understanding, but in other curriculum subjects, pupils have fewer opportunities to apply what they have learned. This prevents pupils from reaching a deeper understanding in these subjects.
The personal, social and health education curriculum helps pupils to become responsible and active citizens. Through leadership roles, pupils build character and help in the local community, through collecting items for a local food bank and making care packages for the homeless.
St Bernard’s Catholic Primary has high expectations of pupils’ behaviour, which is applied consistently inside and outside the classroom. Pupils focus well in lessons and there are no disruptions to learning.
The leadership team have an accurate understanding of the school, its strengths and next steps. Staff value the support they receive from leaders to manage their workload and well-being. The vast majority of parents are positive about the school.