St. Mary's Blackbrook Catholic Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 1 March 2023

Pupils are happy in school. They told inspectors that leaders and staff care for them well. Pupils benefit from high-quality emotional support when they need it. They trust staff to help them with any worries they may have. Leaders identify and deal with any incidents of bullying effectively. Pupils feel safe in school. Leaders have high expectations for all pupils. Staff understand and support pupils' individual needs well. This helps pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to achieve well. Pupils know how leaders expect them to behave. Pupils are respectful to each other and to adults. They are attentive in lessons and play cooperatively together in the playground. Pupils are fully involved in the life of the school. They enjoy all that it has to offer. Pupils value the opportunities to make suggestions to improve their school even further. They are proud that leaders listen to their ideas and act on their proposals. Pupils are caring. They think deeply about topical issues, such as the plight of refugees and the impact of deforestation. Pupils genuinely want to influence others to bring about change where it is most needed. In this way, pupils learn how to become responsible and active citizens.

What the school should improve

• In some subjects, leaders' approaches to assessment are at an early stage. This means that some teachers do not use assessment strategies as well as they should to support pupils to remember essential subject knowledge. As a result, some pupils' learning in these subjects is uneven. Leaders should ensure that they provide teachers with suitable guidance so that teachers can design learning that builds on what pupils know and can do.

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