St Mary and St Benedict Catholic Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 10 January 2023

Leaders and staff care strongly about pupils and know them as individuals. This helps build positive relationships and means that pupils are confident in talking to staff. For example, if bullying occurs or pupils have a concern, pupils are confident to tell staff, who resolve issues quickly. Pupils feel safe in school. Pupils are happy and polite and greet others with a smile. They behave well in class and nearly always move calmly around school. Staff have high expectations of pupils' behaviour. They quickly correct any pupil who loses focus. Pupils enjoy the many extracurricular activities on offer. Leaders encourage pupils to develop their interests through opportunities such as hockey, multisports and learning the recorder or ukulele. Pupils have watched 'The Nutcracker' in London and enjoyed a residential visit to Wales. Pupils are also rightly proud of their Mini- Vinnies group, which raises funds for charity. Leaders have high expectations for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders quickly identify when pupils fall behind and help them to catch up. Parents and carers praise the way staff take care of their children. One parent summed up the comments of many by saying, 'All the staff here go the extra mile to support my child.'

What the school should improve

• Following the pandemic, leaders have not yet fully addressed weaknesses in pupils' writing. This means that pupils' writing is not as good as it could be. Leaders should continue to focus on improving pupils' knowledge of written English and how to use it effectively.
• Untidy and poorly presented work is not routinely picked up by staff because they do not have high enough expectations of what the pupils can achieve. Leaders should clarify their expectations and ensure that these are modelled by staff. They should do this to encourage pupils to take more pride in their work and achievements.
• Governors do not ask leaders rigorous and searching questions about the performance of the school. This means that governors have a limited view of the school's performance and do not hold leaders fully to account. Governors should review the way they work so that they can support and challenge leaders in a more informed and effective way.

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