St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 24 January 2023

Pupils enjoy attending this small, calm and productive school. They say that they feel safe and happy because everyone looks after each other. They try to follow the school's 'gospel values'. These values help pupils care for and respect each other. Pupils are polite and friendly towards staff and visitors. Parents and carers are supportive of the school. One parent expressed the view of others when they said, 'We love St Mary's! It is a very welcoming, nurturing, family environment.' Pupils are also very positive about their school; they value it and like it. They know that there are trusted adults who will support them to learn and keep safe. Pupils appreciate the effort staff take to get to know them. Relationships are positive. Leaders have high expectations of what pupils should learn. They are passionate about providing an environment that prepares pupils to be 'confident, happy citizens'. Staff are determined to give pupils lots of memorable experiences. They want pupils' learning to be relevant and embedded in their community. Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. At lunchtimes, they enjoy talking about the 'big questions' staff give them. Bullying rarely happens, and if it occurs, pupils are confident that all staff will deal with it effectively.

What the school should improve

• Leaders have not ensured that teachers consistently implement all aspects of the ambitious curriculum. For example, they have not ensured that teachers consistently identify the most important knowledge that pupils should learn from the different topics they study. Furthermore, some teachers do not always use formal assessment outcomes well to plan future learning and to provide pupils, including pupils with SEND, with precise targets for their next steps. As a result, not all pupils can recall the key, important knowledge that leaders want them to remember from the topics they have studied. Leaders need to ensure that teachers have the necessary knowledge and understanding to be able to teach topics in a manner that enables pupils to be able to remember the key knowledge that they should for future learning. Leaders should ensure that all pupils receive precise guidance and targets for their next steps, so that they can achieve as highly as possible.
• Those responsible for governance do not have a sharp enough view of how well the school is meeting some its statutory responsibilities, particularly around the Equality Act 2010 and the 'Prevent' duty. Multi-academy trust leaders and governors need to have the necessary knowledge and skills to be able to assure themselves of the effectiveness with which the school is meeting its statutory responsibilities.

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