St Benet's RC Primary School and Nursery

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 9 June 2026

St Benet's is like a family. Pupils play collaboratively across year groups. They enjoy positive relationships with staff. Staff give pupils effective support with their wellbeing. Pupils typically get the help they require for special educational needs and/or disabilities. Pupils develop a high sense of belonging to the school. They are happy and safe. Parents and carers praise the help their children get. Behaviour is calm and purposeful. Pupils want to learn. They treat their peers with respect. Children in the early years respond well to clear routines. Pupils are polite and friendly. They learn and embody the school's values, of faith, compassion and resilience. Bullying is rare. However, quite a few pupils have had high absences over time. Pupils' attendance has improved recently, but not enough. Mostly, pupils learn a well-considered curriculum. Children in the early years gain the knowledge they need to be ready for key stage 1. However, the quality of teaching is inconsistent. Sometimes, pupils produce high-quality work. Yet pupils often do not build up what they know securely over time. Consequently, they do not achieve well. This includes pupils who face disadvantages. Pupils appreciate the quality of extra-curricular activities. Girls enjoy the football club. Trips give pupils a lot of knowledge to take back to the classroom. For instance, older pupils overflow with facts about World War II from a recent museum visit. They engage well with leadership roles, such as the student council. This includes pupils who face barriers to their wellbeing. These experiences help them develop positive character traits such as confidence and a sense of responsibility. Pupils talk well about their understanding of those from different situations to themselves. A super example is when pupils in Years 5 and 6 discuss discrimination. They describe the loss of female rights in Afghanistan and explain how this motivates them to champion these rights here. Pupils are well prepared for life in a changing world.

What the school should improve

• Leaders should ensure teaching is effective, particularly in designing tasks that help pupils build successfully on their prior learning, and in checking that pupils have secured the intended learning.
• Leaders should work with families to further improve the attendance of disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• Leaders should develop the precision of their work on inclusion, so that the support for pupils is even more matched to their needs.

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