St Mary's Catholic Primary School - a Catholic voluntary academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 11 July 2023

Pupils behave well and feel safe in this school. They are well cared for by the adults, who know them well. When pupils join the school, they quickly become part of a caring community. Links with the local church are well established and pupils are active within their parish community. Leaders have high expectations for pupils' achievement. This starts in the early years, where the curriculum has been well thought through to support pupils to learn. By the end of key stage 2, pupils have the skills that help them to be ready to move to secondary education. Pupils are proud of the work that they do at school to support others, such as creating their own small foodbank. They enjoy the many after-school clubs on offer, such as archery, dodgeball, football and dancing club. Pupils also appreciate the opportunity to take on responsibilities, for example as eco-warriors, school councillors and members of Mini-Vinnies. Pupils feel safe and are happy here. They trust the adults in school to help them. They understand how leaders and staff expect them to behave. They are highly respectful of each other and of adults. This makes the school a calm and orderly place. Pupils follow the school's rules well. Pupils said that any incidents of poor behaviour, including rare instances of bullying, are sorted out fairly and effectively. Children in the early years play happily together. Older pupils said that if they had a problem at playtime, they could speak to staff to help them resolve any problems.

What the school should improve

• Some targets for pupils with SEND do not specify the precise knowledge or skills that are to be developed. This means that some small steps in learning are missed, and pupils find learning difficult. Leaders should ensure that teachers have the training to develop precise, achievable, and measurable targets for pupils with SEND.
• Some assessment processes are still being developed. This means that gaps in learning are not always being identified quickly. Leaders need to ensure that assessment criteria is closely matched to the curriculum and that staff regularly and effectively assess pupils' understanding.

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