St Mary's CofE Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 21 April 2026

Pupils enjoy attending this inclusive school where everyone receives a warm welcome. They attend very well and are proud of St Mary's and of belonging to the school 'family'. The school serves a community where a large proportion of pupils are from military families. As a result, many join or leave the school partway through the year. All pupils, from all backgrounds, benefit from effective pastoral support which helps them to quickly form friendships and to look out for one another. Pupils know that leaders care deeply and want the best for everyone. They feel, and are, well looked after. Pupils learn about keeping themselves safe in different ways, including when they are online. They know that there is always a trusted adult to speak to if they have a concern. There are warm, respectful relationships between pupils and staff. Pupils' individual needs are well understood and met, including for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Pupils behave well in school. Bullying is not tolerated. Pupils listen carefully in lessons and consistently use the good manners modelled to them by staff. They enjoy learning, both indoors and out. Pupils of all ages particularly enjoy, and benefit from, 'forest school' activities and 'fitness Fridays', where they learn important life skills as well as the importance of keeping fit and healthy. Through assemblies and other experiences, pupils develop an understanding of their 'moral compass' and the values which form the 'St Mary's 6'. These include, for example, tolerance and respect. Pupils are very clear that everybody should be treated equally and they understand differences between people. Pupils generally learn the important knowledge and skills that they need for their next stages of education. This is not consistently reflected in published outcomes, in part due to the high mobility of pupils attending the school.

What the school should improve

• Leaders should broaden the opportunities for all pupils to fully access a wide and rich range of experiences within and beyond school.
• Leaders should streamline their school improvement priorities so that they can focus more effectively on the most important things, leading to consistent improvement in standards across all areas of the school’s work.
• Leaders should check the implementation and impact of wider curriculum subjects so that all pupils can develop a deeper understanding across the whole curriculum.

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