St Gerard's Catholic Primary and Nursery School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 27 January 2026

St Gerard’s is a loving and welcoming school. Pupils experience a strong sense of belonging here. They enjoy positive relationships and are greeted each morning by staff who genuinely care and know them well. Pupils are happy to come to school, behave well and most attend regularly. They are safe and understand how the school protects them from risks in their community and online. Pupils feel truly included and valued. They rise to the high expectations that staff have for them to become confident and successful learners. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and disadvantaged pupils, learn successfully, whatever their starting points. They work hard and develop a love of learning. Pupils' achievement in national tests at the end of key stage 2 is above the national average. Pupils are well prepared to meet the demands of secondary education. Pupils experience success both academically and socially. This is due to the high-quality education and care that they receive. From the early years, children are taught to be independent and manage their emotions. Older pupils talk openly about their feelings. They appreciate how the nurturing support they receive helps them to deal with any worries they might have. Bullying is rare at this school. Pupils understand different types of bullying and they are confident that adults deal with issues effectively if they happen. Pupils benefit from an array of enrichment activities that the school offers. For example, pupils develop their independence when they spend a night away from home on residential visits. They develop teamwork attending sports clubs and develop their cultural understanding when they attend theatre performances. Parents and carers value the school. They appreciate that staff work in the best interests of their children. One parent reflected the views of many when they said the school ‘brings out the very best in every child’.

What the school should improve

• Leaders should continue to embed the recent changes to the mathematics curriculum so that more pupils consistently recall multiplication facts and perform in line with other subjects in national tests. • Leaders should strengthen their early years provision to ensure that children’s foundational knowledge and skills for writing are mastered consistently so that they are fully prepared for Year 1.

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