St Mary's Bryanston Square CofE School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 4 May 2023

Pupils love attending this small 'village' school. They enjoy learning the broad curriculum, and they comment that their learning is always fun. They work hard and are thoughtful towards others. Pupils appreciate the support that their teachers give them. They speak about how they are always helped to do their best, commenting that they feel very safe. The school is a cheerful and harmonious place. Pupils behave with high levels of kindness and respect for others. Bullying is very rare. If it does occur, it is dealt with swiftly and effectively. Pupils support and listen to one another. Leaders have high expectations of all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils read enthusiastically. They learn a broad range of subjects and are taught how to make connections between subject content in different areas of the curriculum. Their learning is enriched by frequent trips and events, and pupils value this. Leaders want to help pupils to develop their characters and learn about how they can take practical steps to help others. Last year, for instance, the entire school community welcomed in over 30 children who were refugees from Afghanistan. Leaders, staff and pupils saw this as an opportunity to live out the school's ethos of 'excellence with compassion'.

What the school should improve

• The impact of leaders' effective work to embed a broad and well-sequenced curriculum is not, at present, consistently reflected in pupils' outcomes in national assessments in all areas. The delivery of the curriculum has not consistently pinpointed and prioritised the knowledge and skills that pupils needed to learn and remember over time. Leaders should continue their work to strengthen curriculum implementation, and, in turn, the development of pupils' knowledge in the areas that they have identified across the school.

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