St Mary's RC High School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 10 December 2024

Pupils are very proud of their school and attend regularly. Almost all who responded to their survey said they would recommend St Mary's to a friend. Pupils achieve well across the curriculum. This is a result of high expectations which leaders set for them. The school provides many opportunities for pupils to develop their spiritual, moral, emotional, social, physical and intellectual development. Pupils, including those who require emotional support, greatly appreciate clubs that enable them to role play while participating in games. The strong behaviour of pupils is rooted in the school's values and the 'four Ps - punctual, polite, prepared, and productive'. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe. They say that there is always an adult to speak to. Pupils have the opportunity to take GCSE examinations from four languages offered - French, German, Polish and Spanish. As a result, uptake is high. In the wider curriculum, they achieve very well in business - where uptake is well above the national average. There are numerous opportunities for pupils to support others. For example, pupils recently raised £3,000 for charity. The school has made sure that different pupil groups are well represented in the school production of 'Shrek'.

What the school should improve

• Disadvantaged pupils have not achieved as well as other pupils nationally. As a result, they are not as well prepared for the next stage in their education or training as other pupils. Leaders and governors should ensure that the steps they are taking lead to disadvantaged pupils making rapid gains in their learning in order to close the gap with their peers.

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