St Mary and St Paul's CofE Primary School

Overview

Pupils are described as “happy and safe” at this “welcoming school,” where they “enjoy learning” and are “proud to celebrate each other’s achievements.” The report highlights a “broad, balanced” curriculum and effective support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, who are “fully included in all aspects of the curriculum.” Overall, the school is rated as Good across all inspection categories.

Strengths

• Staff “care deeply” for pupils, fostering a culture where children are “polite and well mannered” and learn to treat others with respect.
• Teachers “explain new information clearly” and “check pupils’ understanding,” helping learners develop a “rich body of subject knowledge.”
• Reading is a clear priority; leaders have “successfully made improvements” to teaching methods, ensuring books “match the sounds that pupils know.”
• Leaders provide “effective support” for pupils with SEND, working with specialists and parents to ensure these pupils “achieve well.”
• Governors “fulfil their roles well,” including statutory duties, and staff morale is high with leaders mindful of workload and well-being.

Areas to improve

• Leaders must “finalise their curriculum thinking” in one or two subjects to identify essential knowledge, ensuring pupils can secure information in their “long-term memory.”
• Leaders should continue to reduce the proportion of pupils who are “regularly absent from school,” as irregular attendance hinders learning and participation in enrichment activities.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are “effective,” with a “strong culture of safeguarding” and improved systems to ensure welfare concerns are “logged and monitored effectively.”