St Peter and Paul's Catholic Primary School, Mawdesley

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 21 May 2026

Pupils take great pride in being part of the school community. They recognise it as a safe and supportive environment. Adults care for them, value their opinions and look after their wellbeing. Relationships across the school are positive and nurturing. Pupils treat each other and staff with kindness and respect. Incidents of poor behaviour, including bullying or unkindness, are rare. A strong culture of respect underpins daily life. Pupils show increasing independence in managing their own behaviour, for example when moving around the school, attending assemblies or returning to lessons. Older pupils act as positive role models for younger children. Pupils demonstrate enthusiastic attitudes towards school life. They enjoy their learning and value the range of opportunities available to them beyond the classroom. These include clubs, educational visits and experiences with visiting speakers, all of which enhance their learning. Furthermore, pupils enjoy raising money for various charities to help out those less fortunate than themselves. For example, pupils recently took part in the school's 'Big Lent' event, which helped to raise money for children in Bangladesh. Attendance is high overall. Pupils arrive on time and settle quickly into lessons. Pupils typically achieve well across key subjects, including reading, writing and mathematics. For many pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities as well, as those who are disadvantaged, they make positive progress from their starting point. However, for some pupils, staff do not effectively tackle their barriers to learning. This means at times these pupils do not make as much progress from their starting point as they could do. Pupils benefit from a range of leadership opportunities. They can be 'eco warriors' and playground leaders. These experiences help pupils to develop confidence and a sense of responsibility. By the time they leave, pupils are prepared well for life in modern Britain.

What the school should improve

• Leaders should ensure that staff have the precise information about pupils’ starting points, SEND and gaps in learning, and that they are able to use this consistently well to adjust teaching and support pupils.
• Leaders should ensure that pupils have sufficient opportunities to review their written work so they can embed their understanding of grammar, punctuation and/or spelling patterns.
• Leaders should ensure that expectations for high-attaining writers are consistently ambitious so that these pupils attain the standards of which they are capable.

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