St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 14 May 2025

This is a happy and caring school. All pupils are well known to staff and feel valued. Pupils embrace the many opportunities available to them to be active and responsible citizens. They are keen to take on leadership roles, such as prefects, liturgy leaders and eco- council representatives. Additionally, pupils coordinate and participate in regular fundraising events. Through these opportunities, pupils learn about charitable causes while developing their wider life skills. Staff are committed to ensuring that all pupils experience a broad range of trips, visits and experiences that enrich their lives. Pupils develop their confidence through regular singing and musical performances. The range of clubs on offer is well considered to allow pupils to explore new interests and to discover new talents. From the early years upwards, most pupils develop the reading, writing and mathematics skills that they need to prepare them for the next stages of their learning. However, learning for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is not as effective as it should be. Sometimes, these pupils do not receive the right level of support that meets their needs in the classroom.

What the school should improve

• The specific needs of pupils with SEND are not identified with sufficient accuracy. As a result, some provision plans do not reflect the precise support that will enable pupils with SEND to access the curriculum and be successful in their learning. The school should ensure that it accurately identifies specific learning barriers for pupils with SEND and that provision is well matched to their needs.
• In lessons, learning is not sufficiently well adapted to meet the specific needs of pupils with SEND. This means that, too often, pupils with SEND are unable to access learning as swiftly or as independently as their peers. The school should ensure that learning activities for pupils with SEND are adapted, where needed, so that pupils with SEND can be successful in their learning.
• The curriculum in the early years does not identify and make clear how children will achieve the curriculum end goals. As a result, some activities do not provide children with appropriate opportunities to deepen their knowledge and understanding. The school should review the provision in the early years to ensure that children's learning builds deliberately over time.
• In some subjects, teaching is not informed by a carefully considered curriculum. In these instances, pupils do not follow a coherent sequence of learning in each subject. When this is the case, pupils are less able to remember and connect what they have learned previously. The school should strengthen its oversight to ensure that a well- thought-out curriculum supports pupils' learning in each subject.

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