St Matthew's Church of England Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 6 January 2026

This vibrant, multi-cultural school welcomes pupils warmly through the gates every morning. Pupils benefit from the positive inter-faith relationships that leaders and staff have forged in the community. From the Reception Year onwards, pupils come into school confidently and settle quickly. Staff provide warm, attentive support, which helps pupils feel safe and ready for the day. Pupils enjoy their learning and engage well in lessons. However, the school's expectations of what pupils can and should achieve are inconsistent. A significant proportion of pupils are not well prepared for their next steps in education, both at the end of the Reception Year and at the end of key stage 2. This includes those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face other barriers. Leaders have not established strong foundations in learning or effective, rapid catch up for those who require it. This results in uneven progression through the curriculum for some pupils. Pupils move around the school calmly. They demonstrate positive behaviour, rooted in their school values to 'live, love and learn'. Pupils are consistently polite and welcoming to visitors. They trust staff to deal with any behaviour incidents that arise. This includes with bullying should it occur. The school has taken effective steps to improve attendance and is sustaining these improvements over time. Pupils develop a secure understanding of life in modern Britain and have meaningful opportunities to contribute to their school and wider community. An example of this is the recent reverse advent calendar project, in which pupils took turns to give rather than receive a small item to support a local homeless charity. Pupils, including those with barriers to learning, value the wide range of clubs on offer, which leaders have thoughtfully organised around pupils’ daily religious observance. They speak with enthusiasm about activities, such as curling, football and choir. These opportunities broaden pupils’ experiences and help develop their talents.

What the school should improve

• Leaders should develop a more accurate process for identifying pupils with additional barriers and how best to reduce them. They should use their assessment outcomes and external advice to inform high-quality support plans that staff can use effectively to improve learning for pupils with additional needs. • Leaders should strengthen provision and address gaps in pupils' learning so that every pupil, including those in the early years, develop secure knowledge in communication and language, reading, writing and mathematics. • Governors and leaders should establish a consistent culture of high expectations across all key stages and strengthen their monitoring of teaching to ensure it leads to improved outcomes for all pupils.

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