St Mary's Church of England Primary School

Overview: St Mary's Church of England Primary School provides a positive and supportive environment where pupils feel happy, safe, and cared for. The school is ambitious for its pupils and has a strong focus on personal development, with a particular emphasis on character development and the school's 'heart' values. The school's programme for personal development is exceptional, and pupils learn about the importance of equality and celebrate difference.

Strengths:

• Pupils understand the school's vision to 'be the best you can be' and demonstrate this in their daily interactions with each other and with staff.
• The school is ambitious for what pupils can achieve, and pupils rise to these expectations and achieve well.
• The school's programme for personal development is exceptional, with a focus on character development and the school's 'heart' values.
• Pupils learn about the importance of equality and celebrate difference.
• The school provides a wide variety of enrichment opportunities, including visits to the Houses of Parliament and a former prison.

Areas to improve:

• In some wider curriculum subjects, teaching does not support pupils to remember long-term what they have been taught, and teachers do not systematically check that pupils have learned the curriculum over time.
• At times, the work given to some pupils does not support them to learn the intended curriculum, and as a result, some pupils do not secure the knowledge they need or develop a sufficient depth of understanding.

Safeguarding: The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.