St Mary's Catholic Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 18 March 2025

St Mary's is a welcoming school that sits at the heart of the local community. Pupils achieve high standards in reading, writing and mathematics. It is a school that staff, pupils and parents are right to be proud of. The school sets clear expectations for how pupils should behave. Staff consistently expect pupils to behave well, and pupils rise to these expectations. They are incredibly polite and respectful. Pupils are highly motivated to learn. They know that if they have a worry, an adult will help them to sort it out. Pupils feel happy and safe. There is a range of inclusive extra-curricular and enrichment activities. These include community club, hockey and choir. Pupils have visited a living museum as part of a history topic. They take part in an annual residential visit to London to watch a theatre show. Pupils learn how to be responsible citizens through one of a range of leadership roles at the school. These include head boy, head girl and 'Mini Vinnies'. Pupils fundraise for an annually appointed charity. They are taught about the importance of how their actions impact positively on the local community. Pupils have recently created care packages for patients at a local hospital.

What the school should improve

• In a few subjects, pupils do not remember important knowledge. This affects how well pupils achieve in these subjects. The school should consistently implement recently introduced assessment methods to make sure that pupils remember important knowledge across the whole curriculum.
• Support strategies for some pupils with SEND are not implemented consistently. As a result, these pupils do not always receive the support they need to access learning successfully, which can affect the progress they make. The school should ensure a consistent approach to supporting pupils with SEND across all classes, so they can achieve ambitious outcomes.

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