St Mary of The Angels Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy

Overview

St Mary of the Angels Catholic Primary School has “taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.” Pupils describe the school as a “happy school where they love learning,” benefiting from an “ambitious curriculum” and strong support for their emotional and mental health. The inspection confirms that the school continues to provide a high-quality education with exemplary behaviour and effective safeguarding arrangements.

Strengths

• Pupils’ behaviour is “exemplary,” contributing to a “calm and purposeful learning environment” where they are supportive of each other.
• The teaching of English and mathematics is prioritised, with children acquiring “strong phonics knowledge” and developing into “confident and fluent readers.”
• Staff are “well trained” and use assessment information effectively to identify strengths and adapt teaching to help pupils build knowledge successfully.
• The school promotes extensive personal development, including exploring different faiths and cultures, and provides “purposeful opportunities” for pupils to learn about future careers.
• Attendance is a “high priority,” with a “relentless approach” to securing improvements, resulting in high rates of attendance.

Areas to improve

• In a “small number of subjects,” the curriculum structure means key knowledge is not revisited frequently enough, making it difficult for pupils to recall information needed for new learning.

Safeguarding

The report states that “the arrangements for safeguarding are effective.”