St Mary and St John CofE VA Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 1 November 2023

The school's motto, 'Let your light shine', is lived out by pupils and staff at the school. Staff, and parents and carers, say that the school has a 'real family feel', where everyone is warmly welcomed. Pupils say they are happy to be part of such a special place. Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school. The school's '6R' learning values are lived in all aspects of school life. Pupils are encouraged to be reasoning, reflective, ready, responsible, resilient and resourceful. They know that they 'are giants taking giant footsteps' to prepare them for the wider world. Pupils love to earn 'dojo points' and gain certificates in awards assembly. They are eager to take on responsibilities in school, such as house captain, librarian and science ambassador. One pupil summed up the views of many when they said, 'We get lots of opportunities at school, it's really fun.' Pupils are keen to attend school. They get on well with one another. Staff know pupils well and pupils say that they know who to go to if they are worried about anything. Pupils behave well. Pupils say that teachers help them to 'push through even when learning is hard.'

What the school should improve

• In some subjects, the important knowledge and skills pupils need to know and remember are not clearly defined. In these subjects, it is unclear what the pupils have remembered and what needs to be revisited. This means that pupils' recall of curriculum content over the longer term is inconsistent. The school should make sure that the curriculums in these subjects clearly lay out the knowledge and skills pupils need to know and remember and that any gaps in pupils' knowledge are built into future teaching.
• In some subjects, the school has not ensured that there have been consistent and effective opportunities to check how well the curriculum is being implemented, including adaptations and support for pupils with SEND. As a result, in these subjects, the school is not consistently clear about what is working well to support pupils to learn and what could be improved. The school should ensure that there is a clear understanding of how well the curriculum is delivered across all subjects, so that areas for development can be identified and addressed.

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