St Mary's Voluntary Controlled Church of England Primary School

Overview

This ungraded inspection confirms that St Mary’s Voluntary Controlled Church of England Primary School has “taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.” The school continues to provide a high-quality education where pupils are “polite and extremely courteous” and achieve well across the curriculum. While teaching in core subjects like reading and mathematics is strong, the report highlights that assessment practices in some wider curriculum subjects require refinement to ensure pupils build knowledge effectively over time.

Strengths

• Pupils describe the school as a “safe and welcoming place” with a “friendly atmosphere” that helps new arrivals settle quickly.
• The school prioritises reading, with staff delivering the phonics programme effectively so pupils “quickly learn and remember new sounds.”
• Robust systems identify the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) early, with “precise” individual plans that are routinely reviewed.
• Personal development is a strength, offering pupils opportunities to learn life skills such as first aid and money management, preparing them well for later life.
• Governors have a “clear vision” and work closely with a staff team that values collaboration and professional development.

Areas to improve

• Assessment in some wider curriculum subjects is “still being developed” and is not yet used well enough to check that pupils have remembered what they have been taught.
• Consequently, some pupils have “gaps in their knowledge” and struggle to make links to previous learning; the school must ensure teachers use assessment effectively in all subjects.

Safeguarding

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