St Mary’s CofE First School & Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Main findings

This is a good school which provides a very supportive environment for all its pupils and prepares them effectively for the next stage of their education.

The school has recovered well after a period of turbulence and changes to leadership and management since its last inspection. At the heart of this recovery is the enthusiastic and visionary leadership of an outstanding and well-respected headteacher. Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive in their support for what they correctly believe is a good and improving school.

They appreciate the effective way the school safeguards and protects pupils and ensures the quality of care and support it provides is of a consistently high order. '...My son has progressed in leaps and bounds both socially and academically since starting here' and 'The present headteacher has made a significant difference to our school, improving communication and the standard of education' were typical of comments in the returned parents' and carers' questionnaires. These reflect the school's outstanding engagement with parents and carers.

Pupils' behaviour is excellent and makes a strong contribution to their learning. Since his appointment, the headteacher has worked well with his senior leadership team and governing body to ensure that the school has rigorously and accurately evaluated its performance. This has been a key factor in raising pupils' attainment in writing and reading, which had dipped slightly since the last inspection.

It is also an indication of the school's good capacity for future sustained improvement. The school has worked hard to improve the teaching of mathematics and this has helped to raise attainment in this subject. The level of care, guidance and support for pupils is outstanding.

Health and well-being are securely safeguarded and child protection procedures are good. Effective systems for tracking and recording pupils' pastoral and academic progress are used effectively to provide pupils with the guidance and support they need to become confident and independent learners. Staff are enthusiastic and work well as a team to ensure the school reaches the challenging targets it sets itself.

Informative marking helps pupils to know what they have to do to improve their work. However, even the older pupils in Year 3 and Year 4 are unsure about how to assess their own progress. Even so, achievement is good throughout the school.

All pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and the more able, make good progress so that, by Year 4, attainment is above average overall. Although the school has successfully implemented measures to raise attainment in mathematics, pupils' ability to solve mathematical problems successfully is still in need of development.

Information about the school

This is a smaller than average school.

Pupils are taught in five classes. Almost all are from White British backgrounds and all speak English as their first language. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is in line with the national average.

The proportion of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is above average. The needs of this group of pupils include emotional needs, although most have moderate learning difficulties. There is Early Years Foundation Stage provision in the school's Reception Year class.

The school has gone through a period of changes in leadership and management since the previous inspection. The present headteacher took up his position in September 2009. The school holds several awards, including Healthy School accreditation.