Saint Mary's Catholic Primary School, Loughborough

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 29 March 2022

Pupils are proud of their culturally diverse and welcoming school. Teachers help them to be reflective and confident to share their views. Relationships are positive and respectful. Expectations are high. Pupils are keen to learn and achieve well in most subjects. They enjoy reading a variety of books and discussing interesting questions. They relish challenges in mathematics and use their knowledge of arithmetic well. Pupils are interested in what they learn. For example, older pupils find out about the different geographical features of unfamiliar countries. However, pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) do not always receive the precise help they need to achieve as well as their peers. Pupils enjoy residential trips and visits to interesting places such as museums. These activities enrich their learning. Pupils appreciate opportunities to learn musical instruments and play different sports. Pupils are happy. They behave well and work hard. Pupils enjoy fundraising to help local and national charities, as they care about their community and the wider world. They take pride in receiving team points and certificates to celebrate learning and determination. They say that bullying rarely happens. They trust adults to help them to resolve issues fairly. Parents say that their children feel safe. Opportunities to promote pupils' emotional and physical well-being are well considered.

What the school should improve

• Leaders do not ensure that gaps in knowledge for pupils with SEND are identified precisely enough. They do not routinely check to make sure that these pupils consistently receive the support they need to close any gaps in their knowledge. As a result, these pupils do not always achieve as well as they could. Leaders should ensure that pupils with SEND receive the extra help they need so that they can achieve as well as they can.
• In some subjects, including geography, leaders do not always enable pupils to apply their knowledge to bigger and more complex ideas. As a result, pupils do not always achieve as well as they could in these subjects. Leaders should consider how they can make sure pupils receive opportunities to apply knowledge when exploring complex ideas, helping them to achieve consistently well in all subjects.

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