St Mary's Primary School, A Catholic Voluntary Academy

Overview

St Mary’s Primary School is described as a nurturing environment where pupils feel safe, valued, and proud of their community. The report highlights a "warm and caring school culture" with high attendance and positive behaviour, noting that most pupils achieve well and are prepared for the next stage of their education.

Strengths

• Attendance is consistently above national averages, supported by "rigorous systems" and "highly effective approaches" such as parent workshops.
• Behaviour is "highly positive," underpinned by trusting relationships and robust monitoring systems that ensure bullying is rare and dealt with effectively.
• Early reading outcomes are strong, with pupils developing "secure phonics knowledge" and scoring above national averages in Year 1.
• Staff provide skilful, personalised adaptations to support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, enabling them to access the curriculum alongside peers.
• Leaders have established a "positive, supportive culture" for staff, prioritising wellbeing and ensuring teachers feel respected and trusted.

Areas to improve

• Leaders must further implement the writing curriculum to ensure all pupils develop secure writing skills, as staff do not consistently reinforce high expectations for handwriting.
• Support for teachers is needed to implement the redeveloped curriculum with consistency, enabling pupils to produce "high-quality work" across all subjects.
• Strategic oversight of provision for disadvantaged pupils requires development to ensure funding leads to consistent improvement in opportunities and experiences.

Safeguarding

The safeguarding standards are met, with leaders establishing an open culture where concerns are actively identified and managed, ensuring pupils are made safer and feel safe.