St Mary's Catholic Primary School - a Catholic voluntary academy

Overview

The report describes a school where pupils behave well, feel safe, and are “well cared for by the adults.” Leaders maintain “high expectations for pupils’ achievement,” resulting in a curriculum that is “coherently organised” and helps pupils become “confident, fluent readers” by Year 2. The inspection judges the school’s overall effectiveness, quality of education, behaviour, personal development, leadership, and early years provision as Good.

Strengths

• The curriculum is “rigorously developed” with careful structuring in subjects like science and physical education, ensuring pupils build knowledge methodically.
• Staff possess “strong subject knowledge” and use it effectively, helping pupils to “talk about learning with confidence” and use vocabulary fluently.
• Pupils are “highly respectful of each other and of adults,” creating a “calm and orderly” environment where incidents of poor behaviour are resolved fairly.
• Leaders prioritise mental health and well-being, successfully developing pupils’ understanding of “equality and diversity” and preparing them for later life.
• Governors are “highly knowledgeable” and work closely with leaders to support improvement, while staff appreciate efforts to make workloads “more manageable.”

Areas to improve

• Leaders must ensure teachers have training to set “precise, achievable, and measurable targets” for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), as current adaptations are not always precisely tailored.
• Leaders need to ensure assessment criteria are “closely matched to the curriculum” so that staff can consistently identify gaps in pupils’ understanding.

Safeguarding

The report states that “the arrangements for safeguarding are effective,” noting that staff receive regular training, identify vulnerable pupils, and diligently pass concerns to leaders who ensure families receive “timely support.”