St Marychurch Church of England Primary and Nursery School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 14 May 2024

Pupils at St Marychurch are vibrant and confident individuals. They are proud of their school and the changes that it has undergone in the last academic year. Pupils reflect on why the school is a place they enjoy attending. Pupils conduct themselves well in lessons, when moving around the school and during playtimes. They value the ways in which they are rewarded for positive behaviour and other achievements such as attendance and reading. This helps pupils meet the high expectations the school has of them. Pupils embody the school's values of love, joy, peace and kindness. This is because they are modelled by the staff around them. The strong and nurturing relationships between staff and pupils can be heard in action across the school. Pupils say this is one of the best things about the school. Pupils get on well in the many opportunities they have to interact across the age ranges. They encourage and support each other in the many roles of responsibility that they are proud to hold. Changes to the school have been very welcomed by parents and carers. They have high praise for the way in which the school now communicates with them and impacts their children's education. 'An army of angels' was one parent's comment about the staff.

What the school should improve

• Expectations of pupils' writing are not consistently high enough. Additionally, errors and misconceptions are not addressed quickly enough. As a result, some pupils do not make the progress in their writing that they should. The trust should ensure that all staff have consistently high expectations of pupils' written work in all subjects and that pupils get the support they need to write with accuracy.
• Adaptations to learning for pupils with SEND are not always precise enough. This hinders how well these pupils can maximise the learning opportunities offered to them. The trust should ensure that teachers have the expertise necessary to adapt the curriculum to meet the individual needs of these specific pupils so they make as much progress as possible.
• The curriculum is not as well embedded in some areas as it is in others. The strengths seen in some areas are not fully embedded across the school. As a result, some pupils do not learn as well as others. The trust must ensure that the curriculum, in all phases, is as secure and established as where pupils learn the most successfully.

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