St Mary's Catholic Infant School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 4 October 2022

Pupils arrive at school with smiles on their faces and greet the staff warmly each day. Pupils are happy and safe here. There is a strong community feel. Leaders encourage parents and carers to contribute to their child's education. Staff have consistently high expectations of pupils' behaviour at all times. Bullying is extremely rare and is dealt with quickly by staff. Relationships between pupils and staff are positive. Everyone models the school's values. Pupils' beliefs and differences are celebrated. Singing plays a key part in every school day, which pupils enjoy. All pupils come together regularly to sing in assemblies. They visit care homes in the local community and perform to residents. Children in early years enjoy learning both inside and outside the classroom. They make good use of the school environment, such as the nurture garden. Pupils learn how they can best support people in need in the local area. They raise money through purposeful fundraising activities. Pupils have responsibilities in school and have a say in changes they want made. They take part in regular school trips.

What the school should improve

• Although leaders have made sure that the curriculum is broad and balanced, they have not identified the exact knowledge they want pupils to know and remember in some subjects. This means pupils do not build subject-specific knowledge in these subjects as well as they should. Leaders should ensure that they identify the key knowledge in each subject, with clear end points for pupils to learn.
• The new programme for teaching phonics is not fully embedded in Years 1 and 2. A minority of pupils who need extra support with reading do not catch up as quickly as they should. Leaders should ensure that the new programme is delivered consistently and securely so that these pupils develop their reading fluency swiftly.

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