St Margaret of Scotland Catholic Primary School

Overview

The report describes a school with a “strong nurturing ethos” where pupils are “proud to be part of the large but tightly knit community.” Leaders have successfully improved the curriculum and teaching quality, resulting in pupils who “learn well across a range of subjects” and feel “happy and safe.” The inspection highlights exceptional personal development, noting that pupils are “caring, kind and know right from wrong.”

Strengths

• Pupils demonstrate “good” behaviour, with bullying being “rare” and staff dealing with incidents “quickly and well.”
• Personal development is “exceptional,” with pupils actively supporting local charities and participating in multi-faith events.
• Reading is taught effectively; pupils use phonics “confidently” and most read “fluently, accurately and with understanding.”
• Staff provide effective support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities, ensuring they “access the full curriculum.”
• Leaders have established a “strong culture of safeguarding” with well-trained staff who are “alert to the risks that pupils face.”

Areas to improve

• Leaders must ensure curriculum plans in the early years clearly identify what children should know by the end of Reception to provide a solid foundation for Year 1.
• Leaders should ensure teachers’ planned activities always clearly identify the intended knowledge, preventing pupils from remembering activities rather than essential subject content.
• Leaders should continue to develop strategies to reduce persistent absence, as a small number of pupils are still “absent from school too often.”

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are “effective,” with leaders acting “quickly and appropriately to keep pupils safe” and ensuring they receive necessary help from outside agencies when required.