St Mary's CofE (VA) Primary School

Overview

Pupils describe the school as a “safe and friendly place” where they feel secure and ready to learn. The report highlights that the curriculum is “increasingly secure and consistent,” with staff working coherently to support high expectations for achievement. Overall, the inspection found the quality of education, behaviour, personal development, and leadership to be effective, marking significant progress from the previous inspection.

Strengths

• Pupils behave with “high levels of respect and consideration” and clearly understand the school’s values of respect, forgiveness, and generosity.
• Early reading is taught “very well and with a significant degree of consistency,” ensuring pupils are equipped to access the wider curriculum.
• The needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are identified “with precision,” particularly in the early years resource base.
• Children in the early years receive rich learning opportunities indoors and outdoors, guided by well-trained adults who enrich conversations.
• Governors are “highly supportive” and have developed effective relationships with parents, while staff appreciate leadership engagement regarding workload.

Areas to improve

• Staff must use assessment more effectively to identify and close gaps in pupils’ knowledge, as inconsistencies in checking understanding can slow progress.
• Teachers need to better adapt learning activities for pupils with SEND to ensure they acquire skills with “appropriate independence.”
• Subject leaders should more systematically review their areas to eliminate pockets of inconsistency and spread best practice across the school.

Safeguarding

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