Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Primary

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 14 January 2025

Pupils are proud of their efforts to make their school and its community a better place. Pupils learn to be active citizens who make a positive contribution. For example, they care for the school grounds and collect food for the local food bank as eco-councillors and 'chaplaincy team' representatives. Pupils display the school's values through their actions. They are kind, thoughtful and respectful towards each other. The school, through its revised curriculum, has raised expectations of what pupils can achieve. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are appropriately supported to achieve well in most subjects. Nevertheless, pupils do not learn as effectively in some subjects. The school rightly recognises there is more to do to ensure pupils attain the best outcomes across the curriculum. The school's personal development provision for pupils is well thought out. Pupils benefit from pastoral support such as the 'military Monday club'. Pupils feel safe and well supported. They trust staff to help them when needed. Pupils learn to understand and appreciate difference. Bullying is rare as pupils know how to be a good friend. Pupils are well behaved and enjoy active playtimes together. Pupils recommend the school as a place where you will have lots of friends.

What the school should improve

• The school has not sequenced the important content it wants pupils to know and remember in some subjects. This is particularly the case in mixed-age classes. This affects how well the curriculum in these subjects is implemented. It sometimes leads to important content being missed. The trust should support the school in identifying and carefully sequencing the essential knowledge it wants pupils to know and remember in these subjects so that pupils learn as well as they should.
• In some subjects, teaching is not routinely adapted well to meet pupils' needs. The activities completed and the resources given do not help pupils secure new knowledge as well as they could. The school should ensure that, in these subjects, teaching enables pupils to progress well through the curriculum.
• In some foundation subjects, the school's checks on pupils' learning do not identify well enough gaps in pupils' knowledge and understanding. This makes it harder for pupils to build on prior knowledge when learning new subject content. The trust should ensure the school accurately identifies what pupils know and can do, what knowledge gaps need addressing and what they need to learn next.

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