St Mary's Catholic Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 19 April 2023

St Mary's is a caring, friendly school that nurtures warm, positive relationships between pupils, parents and staff. The school's Catholic values are reflected in the ethos of the school, where everyone is 'celebrated and valued'. Pupils are happy and enjoy coming to school. They are respectful of each other and behave well. Bullying is rare. Pupils learn about different types of bullying so they can 'spot when something is not right'. Pupils say their school is an inclusive place where differences are recognised and celebrated. They take part in 'Odd Socks Day' and 'Dress as you Please Day' to show how they are all different and special. Pupils are encouraged to become responsible and active members of the community by taking on roles such as play leaders, team captains and school councillors. The members of the school council are raising funds to repaint the mile a day track on the playground. Pupils lead prayers and have the opportunity to develop their faith through the GIFT (Growing in Faith Together) team. Parents value the wide variety of extra-curricular activities on offer. Reception children recently took part in an Easter variety show at the local secondary school. One parent said, 'It gave me goosebumps to see the children beaming and performing confidently on stage at such a young age.'

What the school should improve

• In some subjects, leaders have not yet refined the curriculum so that the most important knowledge is clearly identified. This means that teachers are unable to check if pupils have the required knowledge for future learning. Leaders need to clearly identify the most important knowledge that all pupils, including those with SEND, need to know and then ensure that assessment is effective to check that pupils remember this knowledge.
• Leaders have not identified the specific knowledge or vocabulary that children need to know and remember in the early years. As a result, staff do not always know the intended learning outcomes of activities within the provision, and children's vocabulary is not developed as well as it could be. Leaders must ensure that the curriculum in the early years sets out the important knowledge and vocabulary that children need to know and remember in readiness for future learning.

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