St. Marys CofE Primary School

Overview

St. Mary’s CofE Primary School is described as a “welcoming and inclusive” institution where pupils are “happy and feel safe.” The inspection found that leaders have secured a “calm learning environment” with “caring relationships” between staff and pupils, resulting in a positive culture where children thrive.

Strengths

• Pupils behave well, “concentrate conscientiously on their learning,” and bullying is “rare.”
• There is a “structured approach to reading,” with daily phonics sessions helping children become “fluent readers” quickly.
• Staff take “great care to meet the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities,” with “clear” systems for identification and support.
• Personal development is supported well through a focus on values such as “kindness, perseverance, forgiveness and justice.”
• Leaders are “well led and managed,” working closely with trust leaders to “continually strengthen and improve the school.”

Areas to improve

• Leaders must ensure the curriculum is “implemented consistently well” by providing clear support so teachers choose the “most appropriate approach” for delivering content.
• Curriculum planning in a “very small number of subjects” is at an “earlier stage,” requiring leaders to clearly identify and assess the “precise knowledge pupils need to learn.”

Safeguarding

The report states that “the arrangements for safeguarding are effective,” noting that staff are well trained, concerns are referred promptly, and leaders work tenaciously to support vulnerable pupils.