St Mary's Church of England Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 2 July 2024

Pupils love coming to this school. They are safe, having developed trusted relationships with the adults who care for them. They epitomise the school's core Christian values of thankfulness, compassion, community, truthfulness, courage and forgiveness. Pupils are happy and enthusiastic learners who want to succeed. They show resilience in approaching challenging tasks. Many pupils achieve well as a result. However, pupils do not always apply their writing skills across the curriculum as well as they could. The diverse range of opportunities in school enables pupils to be proactive in making a difference to the lives of others. They are proud to adopt leadership roles as class ambassadors, eco-warriors and librarians. They actively seek to support younger children. Their work in supporting a charity in Ghana demonstrates their compassion for others. Visitors to school inspire pupils to follow their own talents and interests. These include a paraplegic speaker, an Olympian and a symphony orchestra. Along with visits, including film studios and 'glamping', pupils can see opportunities to follow their dreams. Pupils work closely with the local heritage club and the Royal British Legion. They participate in trust-wide competitions, including poetry slams and orienteering. These exciting, high-quality experiences securely prepare pupils for their future lives.

What the school should improve

• In a few subjects, teachers do not always have high enough expectations of pupils' writing. They do not insist that pupils apply the grammar, punctuation and structural skills they already know in their writing. This means that pupils do not always convey their thinking with the accuracy and clarity they are capable of. Leaders must ensure that teachers set high expectations of writing and that pupils automatically apply their skills in all of their writing.

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