St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Barnard Castle

Overview

This ungraded inspection confirms that St Mary’s Catholic Primary School has “taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.” The school is described as a “welcoming and inclusive” environment where pupils “thrive” and enjoy “positive relationships” with staff and peers. Leaders and governors share a clear vision that supports the best interests of pupils, resulting in high attendance and strong parental satisfaction.

Strengths

• The school delivers a “well-sequenced, ambitious curriculum” that allows pupils to make links between subjects, with achievements in external tests exceeding national averages.
• Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) access the same ambitious curriculum, with learning “skilfully adapted” so they can achieve well.
• There is an “impressive culture of positive relationships,” with pupils taking on meaningful leadership roles such as mentoring younger children and managing school initiatives.
• Reading is a high priority, with early phonics instruction and library membership helping pupils become “increasingly confident readers.”
• The early years environment is “well-designed,” with carefully chosen activities that enhance learning and fine motor skills.

Areas to improve

• The school should ensure pupils have sufficient opportunities to practise foundational writing skills, as variation in handwriting teaching means some are not ready for complex tasks.
• The approach to identifying and addressing errors in written work is inconsistent; the school should improve assessment use to help pupils spot errors and avoid embedding misconceptions.

Safeguarding

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