Mary Howard Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school. Children make outstanding progress in all areas of their early development during the Reception Year.

Achievement at both Key Stages 1 and 2 is outstanding across a wide range of subjects, including reading, writing and mathematics. Pupils are prepared exceptionally well for the next stages in their education. Leaders have established a record of consistently good and outstanding teaching and learning, through rigorous ways of checking on this, including using a wide range of evidence.

Any pupils in danger of falling behind, or who need extra help, are identified quickly and given support to help them catch up. The most-able alwa...ys rise to the challenge of demanding work and their achievement is outstanding. Pupils respond enthusiastically to interesting tasks.

They try hard to do their very best. Marking of pupils work is of a consistently high quality across all subjects. It is highly effective in giving pupils guidance on how to improve their work.

Opportunities for pupils to develop reading, writing and speaking and listening skills in other subjects are excellent and very effective. Opportunities to practise mathematics skills are not as well thought out. The promotion of pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding.

This contributes greatly to pupils' harmonious relationships with each other and adults, their outstanding attitudes to learning and their excellent behaviour. Governors make a strong contribution to running the school. They check the school's performance for themselves.

They question and challenge leaders and make crucial decisions to improve the school.

Information about this school

The school is much smaller than the average-sized primary school. Most pupils are White British.

A few pupils come from minority ethnic groups. Very few pupils speak English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium is below average.

In this school, the additional funding is for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals. The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is below average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is about average.

The school meets the government's current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress in English and mathematics. Pupils are taught in one of three mixed-age classes; Class 1 for the Reception Year and Year 1, Class 2 for Years 2 and 3 and Class 3 for Years 4, 5 and 6. Year groups are small and vary between five and 10 pupils.

The headteacher is a national leader of education (NLE). Through the local authority and the National College of Leadership, she provides support to other primary schools to improve their overall effectiveness. Mary Howard Primary School is in federation with St Andrew's Primary School.

This is a school judged by Ofsted to be outstanding. Both schools have the same headteacher and governing body. They have recently started to operate a shared budget.