St Margaret Mary's Catholic Infant School

Overview

St Margaret Mary’s Catholic Infant School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection. The school provides a calm, positive environment where pupils enjoy learning and feel safe, supported by strong relationships and clear expectations. Leaders have sustained the quality of education despite recent leadership changes, ensuring pupils are well-prepared for their transition to junior school.

Strengths

• The curriculum is "well-ordered," allowing pupils to "build their knowledge securely over time" with clear teaching and regular checks for understanding.
• Staff support speech, language, and communication effectively, including through signing and modelling vocabulary.
• Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported "extremely well," with bespoke provisions like ‘Harmony and Connect’ ensuring they "achieve well."
• Attendance systems are effective, with the school working closely with families to address concerns and provide appropriate support.
• Staff feel valued, noting the school is "like a large family" and appreciating considerations regarding workload and well-being.

Areas to improve

• Targeted phonics interventions for pupils at early stages of reading are not helping them "catch up quickly," hindering the development of reading fluency.
• Actions to foster a love of reading are not as effective as they could be, preventing some pupils from developing a "deep understanding of books that they have read."

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.