St Stephen's Catholic Primary School and Nursery, A Voluntary Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 10 February 2026

Since the last inspection, some aspects of the school's work have declined. Leaders recognise this and are taking steps to secure improvement. In some areas, such as behaviour, their actions are making a noticeable difference. In others, it is too soon to determine whether actions are yet having the desired impact. The school is a calm, nurturing environment in which to learn. Staff prioritise building positive relationships with families. They know this helps pupils to develop a sense of belonging. Pupils behave well because staff set clear and consistent expectations. Pupils show care and empathy for others, demonstrating the school's values in their interactions. Bullying is rare. Pupils are confident that adults would intervene quickly if it happened. Many pupils enjoy coming to school, but a significant minority do not attend regularly enough. Pupils experience an uneven quality of education. Over time, they have not achieved consistently well. This includes children in the early years. New leaders are reshaping the curriculum. This is showing some early signs of positive impact, but there is still work to do to ensure that teaching is consistently effective across all subjects and year groups. Staff know how to identify potential barriers to learning or wellbeing. They receive training that helps them to make effective adjustments in lessons for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities to ensure that they access learning alongside their peers. Pupils appreciate the opportunities on offer to them that support their personal development. Older pupils relish opportunities to lead clubs or to support younger pupils at breaktimes. They act as positive role models and take their responsibilities seriously. The school interacts well with the local community, taking part in events and visiting local places of interest. Many pupils attend extra-curricular clubs, such as choir or board games club. These help them to develop their talents and interests.

What the school should improve

• Leaders should ensure that staff receive the training they need to teach the curriculum consistently well across all subjects so that more pupils achieve highly and are better prepared for the next stage of their education.
• Leaders should ensure that staff swiftly identify and address gaps in pupils’ foundational skills and knowledge, particularly in writing and mathematics, so that pupils can access more complex learning confidently.
• Leaders should further develop their approach to attendance so that pupils attend school more regularly and fewer pupils are persistently absent.
• Leaders should ensure that the curriculum in the early years sets out precisely what children should learn and when so that children are better prepared for the next stage of their education.
• Leaders, including subject leaders and those responsible for governance, should strengthen the way in which they use information from monitoring activities to secure consistent improvement across the school.
• Leaders should build on their positive work within personal development to ensure that pupils develop detailed knowledge of different faiths and the personal, social and health education curriculum.

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