Saint Mary's Catholic Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 9 May 2024

Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), enjoy belonging to this local, welcoming school. They relish the many opportunities that they are given to cooperate, play and spend time with their friends. They take part in activities such as curling, trampolining and singing stars. Pupils spoke with sheer joy about recent residential visits. The school has high expectations for pupils' achievement. Pupils experience a curriculum which is broad and links to their school context. However, weaknesses in the previous curriculum offer means that some pupils have gaps in their knowledge. They are not as well prepared for their future learning as they should be. Most pupils share warm and respectful relationships with staff and with their peers. The school has recently revised their behaviour systems. This is bringing about improvements in the way that staff deal with incidents of poor behaviour or bullying. Records show that the school responds swiftly to any concerns which pupils or parents and carers raise. Pupils benefit from activities that help to keep them physically active. For example, they enjoy playing sports such as football and tag rugby. They appreciate the opportunity to represent their school competitively in local tournaments.

What the school should improve

• The school has not identified the essential knowledge that children in the early years must learn and in what order this should be taught. This makes it difficult for teachers to design learning that enables children to build a secure body of knowledge over time. This results in some children not being well prepared for Year 1. The school should ensure that teachers know what children must learn and when this should be taught so that pupils are ready to make a successful start when they enter key stage 1.
• Weaknesses in the previous curriculum mean that pupils have gaps in their knowledge. Added to this, teachers do not revisit key elements of learning frequently enough to bridge these gaps. Consequently, some pupils have insecure foundations on which to build new learning. The school should ensure that teachers address gaps in pupils' learning and provide sufficient opportunities to revisit and recap the most important learning.
• The phonics programme is not delivered consistently well. As a result, some pupils struggle to become fluent competent readers by the end of Year 2. Some older pupils show a lack of enthusiasm for reading. The school should ensure that staff receive further training to be able to deliver the phonics programme as intended and to promote a love of reading across the school.
• Over time, the school has not done enough to develop positive attitudes to learning. Consequently, some pupils show a lack of pride in their work. The school should ensure that expectations of pupils' work are raised so that they approach learning with a great desire to do their very best.
• Some aspects of pupils' wider development are not secure. This means that they are not as well prepared for life in modern Britain as they should be. The school should ensure that pupils gain a deeper knowledge of fundamental British values so that they are ready for their next steps.
• The school does not have a joined-up approach for recording safeguarding concerns. This makes it difficult for the school, trust and local governing body to evaluate the effectiveness of their safeguarding practices. The school should ensure that all relevant information is shared and logged so that every member of the safeguarding team is aware of each pupil and their specific needs.

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