Middleton St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 2 June 2026

Pupils enjoy coming to this friendly and nurturing school. They feel safe and know that they are important. Pupils receive a warm welcome at the start of the day. They develop very positive relationships with staff. Pupils get started with their early bird activities willingly and enthusiastically. They want to be in school and they attend well. Pupils enjoy being involved in decisions that the school makes. They are truly listened to. For example, some did not like the old toilets, so leaders and governors made sure that they replaced them. Pupils regularly come up with new ideas for how the school can help them to be happy and successful. They commit to the school's Christian ethos and the motto of 'believe, belong, achieve'. Pupils have a strong sense of belonging because they feel noticed and heard. Pupils behave extremely well and are keen to learn. They move around school using St. Mary's walking. The school feels calm and inviting. Pupils are confident to ask for help, either in their work or if something is troubling them. Pupils recognise that sometimes other pupils can be silly, but staff are on hand to sort it out when it does happen. Bullying is incredibly rare and pupils say that unkind behaviour is sorted before getting to that stage. Pupils enjoy learning a wide range of subjects and having experiences matched to them. They develop knowledge and skills in a variety of areas, including art, religious education, history and mathematics. Any pupils who find something difficult are given effective support that will help them improve. This supports all pupils, and particularly those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities or who are disadvantaged. This starts right from the moment that children join the early years.

What the school should improve

• Leaders should embed the new handwriting curriculum across the school and ensure that pupils are forming letters accurately.
• Leaders should ensure that pupils record their work to a high standard across all subjects, paying attention to handwriting and number formation where relevant.
• Leaders should ensure that, in the early years, staff consistently provide children with teaching that helps them to develop secure mathematical, reading and writing knowledge, and opportunities to practise applying this knowledge so that any gaps in their knowledge are addressed and children are fully prepared for Year 1.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)