English Martyrs Catholic Primary School, Worthing

Overview

This inspection found a school where pupils feel “unique and special” and are treated with “care and compassion.” Leaders have established an “ambitious and inclusive” curriculum with strong pastoral care, though consistency in implementation and assessment varies across subjects.

Strengths

• Pupils demonstrate “calmness and respect,” with bullying not being a concern; they value the “buddies” system and feel safe.
• Reading is prioritised effectively, with pupils achieving well in phonics and receiving “effective help” through same-day catch-up sessions.
• Mathematics and physical education are identified as strengths, with pupils enjoying developing “mastery of their number skills” and active engagement in games.
• Early years provision is strong, offering a “rich with language” environment where children thrive through independence and personalised support for those with SEND.
• Safeguarding arrangements are “effective,” with robust recruitment practices and proactive measures to keep pupils safe online.

Areas to improve

• Leaders must ensure the “ambitious and well-sequenced planned curriculum” is implemented consistently across all subjects to prevent variation in pupil knowledge.
• Assessment in foundation subjects needs to be more “efficient or precise” to identify learning gaps and reduce staff workload.
• The school’s therapeutic approach to behaviour must be “clearly communicated to all parents and staff” to ensure everyone understands how behaviour is managed.

Safeguarding

The report states that “the arrangements for safeguarding are effective,” noting that staff swiftly identify concerns and leaders are “proactive to help pupils stay safe online.”