Marlborough St Mary’s CE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Evidence gathered during this ungraded (section 8) inspection suggests that the school's work may have improved significantly across all areas since the previous inspection.

The school's next inspection will be a graded inspection.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), flourish at this welcoming and inclusive school. They are immensely proud of their school.

Pupils know that it is important to do their best. They meet the high expectations staff have for them.

Pupils demonstrate the school's distinctive values, which include respect and fairness.

Their behaviour is exempla...ry. Pupils are polite and well mannered. They show high levels of care and consideration for each other.

Relationships between pupils and staff are warm and respectful. Pupils are safe and enjoy coming to school. Parents and carers are equally positive about their children's school experience.

Pupils are adamant that there is no bullying at their school. They know that staff will help them if they have any worries.

Pupils take on a range of leadership roles.

For example, playground leaders support younger children to play games in the playground. Through these roles pupils develop a sense of responsibility.

Pupils socialise happily.

They develop their talents and interests through clubs such as history and Mandarin. Pupils are appreciative of opportunities to contribute to local events, such as the town literature festival. These support them to become active citizens in their community.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school's curriculum is ambitious. It is constructed around the important knowledge and skills pupils need to learn. Across the school, pupils remember what they have learned with ease and are eager to share this.

This includes the very youngest children, who demonstrate perseverance and tenacity in acquiring new skills. Teachers select a variety of ways to check that new learning is secure and address where pupils may have gaps in their understanding or require additional support. Consequently, pupils use and apply their knowledge daily.

Current published outcomes, while positive, conceal the strong impact the curriculum is having on accelerating pupils' progress from their starting points.

Children get off to an excellent start to their education in the Reception Year. They transition smoothly into school from a variety of settings.

Staff get to know children as individuals. They use this knowledge to tailor learning. Staff build rapidly on what children know.

Staff support children to develop a rich vocabulary. They make sure children pronounce words accurately and build in opportunities for them to practise new words. This is done through storytelling and high-quality conversation.

Reading is at the heart of the curriculum. Children begin to learn to read as soon as they start school. Books match the phonics sounds they know.

Those who fall behind receive precise support to help them catch up. Pupils quickly gain the knowledge and skills they need to become confident, fluent readers. Their learning is often linked to a book that is rich in vocabulary, structure or content.

As a result, pupils gain important skills by unpicking and exploring the text. They then use these well in their own writing.

The school has equally high expectations of pupils with SEND.

Staff know pupils needs well and carefully consider the support they require. The school works in partnership with parents and external professionals to ensure pupils receive appropriate, individualised support when necessary. Consequently, pupils progress well through the intended curriculum.

The school places great importance on pupils' regular attendance and punctuality. Pupils' attendance is frequently checked. The school takes swift action to support families if their child's attendance starts to decrease.

The school's actions to improve pupils' attendance have proved successful in individual cases. This has helped to bring about recent improvements in pupils' attendance. Staff have high expectations for pupils' behaviour.

There is no low-level disruption in lessons. This means that pupils learn without interruption.

The school's provision for pupils' personal development is exceptional.

Opportunities to support pupils' social, moral, spiritual and cultural development are ever present in the school. Pupils have a personal commitment to equality. They value and respect the views of others and understand that everyone should be treated fairly.

Pupils debate moral issues across subjects, including challenging stereotypes. Meaningful daily discussion sessions enable them to engage with, and increasingly understand, the world around them.The school helps pupils learn how to manage their feelings and emotions.

This helps them to maintain positive mental health. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe and have a mature understanding of how to maintain healthy relationships.

Leaders at all levels maintain a relentless commitment to ensuring the very best for pupils and families.

Governors fulfil their statutory responsibilities well. They keep a clear oversight of the school's strategic direction. They take decisions that are rooted in the school's values.

Staff are highly positive about the guidance they receive to hone their practice. They appreciate how leaders are mindful of the impact on workload.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted's website. From September 2024, graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade.

This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school's work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in November 2020.

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