St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 6 December 2022

St Mary's Primary School is a happy place because relationships between pupils and teachers are warm and nurturing. Pupils are polite and kind. They believe everyone should be treated fairly and with respect. They say, 'We look after each other'. Pupils and staff are equally proud of their school, describing it as being like a family. Pupils enjoy and are excited by their learning. Right from the start in Nursery, children are delighted by their early achievements, such as managing the zips on their coats so they can go outside to play and learn. Staff have increasingly high expectations of what they can achieve as pupils move through the school. Adults are committed to giving all pupils the best opportunities they can. Pupils enjoy celebrating each other's achievements. This helps inspire them to do their very best. The school's values help pupils to make the right choices. Behaviour is good. If any bullying does occur, pupils know that staff will resolve it quickly. Leaders ensure that pupils develop their understanding of how they can contribute to society positively. Pupils are active members of their community through activities such as litter picking and singing carols at the local superstore.

What the school should improve

• Leaders have not fully considered the necessary changes to the early years curriculum to meet the needs of the two-year-old children who have recently joined. As a result, the curriculum does not build as well as it might as children move through Nursery. Leaders should refine and define more clearly the sequences of learning across the early years, starting with the curriculum for the very youngest children.
• In some subjects, other than English and mathematics, the curriculum does not always ensure pupils can recall and link what they already know to new knowledge and learning. As a result, pupils do not achieve as well as they could. Leaders should continue to refine the curriculum in the foundation subjects to include opportunities to build this depth of connected knowledge and understanding.

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