Stella Maris Catholic Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 20 June 2023

There is an exceptionally strong sense of community and family at Stella Maris. Staff, pupils and families forge strong connections in order to ensure that pupils do well. Parents and carers commented on the school's 'loving, nurturing and supportive' feel, being 'like one big family' and commented that their children 'flourish' and 'thrive' in its care. There are also strong connections with the local community. The school has its own food bank, 'the pantry', run by members of the 'sunshine team' - pupils who see it as their mission to, as one pupil explained, 'Spread some sunshine to others who need it.' As well as running this resource, pupils are active in the community, reading to those in residential homes and fundraising for local and national charities. Other leadership opportunities include school and eco-councils. Pupils recently secured funding for a greenhouse on the school grounds so they can grow and nurture plants. These opportunities, and the strong teaching that pupils benefit from, have pupils at the heart of what the school does. As a result, there are especially strong and supportive relationships between staff and pupils, and pupils achieve well.

What the school should improve

• Leaders have not yet identified precisely enough the small steps of knowledge that pupils need to secure in the foundation subjects. This means that teachers' assessment of what pupils have learned is not as precise as it could be. Leaders need to ensure that staff know what specific elements of knowledge pupils need to learn in the foundation subjects, as is the case for mathematics and early reading so that they can assess precisely what pupils have understood and remembered over time.

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