St Mark’s Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

St Mark's Church of England Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

What is it like to attend this school?

St Mark's is a welcoming, inclusive and supportive school where pupils feel safe and happy. Pupils learn and thrive together, making friends and growing in confidence.

Parents and carers often praise the care their children receive at the school. Every day, staff greet pupils warmly. Parents value the strong sense of belonging and community at the school.

They know that their children are well looked after.

The school has high expectations for every pupil to do their best. These expectations a...re met consistently.

The curriculum is ambitious. Pupils rise to meet this ambition. The school expertly supports pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

This ensures that they can successfully access the same curriculum.

Pupils behave well and show respect to each other and to staff. They know the school rules and work hard to follow them.

If any pupil struggles with behaviour, the school helps them to self-regulate. The pupils demonstrate the school's values through their compassion and respect for one another. When they demonstrate these values, they earn a lanyard as recognition.

They take pride in wearing these. They know these values contribute to creating a positive environment for learning and growth.

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

Pupils at this school follow a broad and balanced curriculum.

The school has carefully planned the order of learning to help pupils build important knowledge and skills gradually, deepening their understanding. The school focuses on building vocabulary to improve language and communication skills. This starts in early years and continues through to Year 6.

Teachers know their subjects well. They use this expertise to design lessons that are both interesting and useful. The school understands that every pupil is different, especially those with SEND.

Teachers adapt lessons so everyone can join in and succeed. Pupils who need extra help get targeted support to keep up with their peers. In some subjects in the wider curriculum, teachers are devising ways to check pupils' knowledge and understanding.

These procedures are in the early stages of development. In early years, activities are tailored to each child's needs. This supports their growth both academically and personally.

The school makes reading a top priority. It has built a strong reading culture. From early years onward, pupils enjoy books and stories that spark their interest.

Pupils learn to read through phonics. Pupils learn the sounds they need to read words. Timely and effective support means that those who need extra help catch up quickly.

Pupils gain the skills to read fluently and confidently. Staff encourage a love of reading. Pupils are eager to explore different authors and types of books, both at school and at home.

The school provides opportunities for pupils to develop important life skills. They are well prepared for life in modern Britain. Pupils participate in clubs such as art, chess and sports.

This helps them to further their talents and interests. Enrichment activities linked to the curriculum help pupils visualise and reinforce their learning. For example, in history, pupils visit the Mithraeum Roman site to understand Roman architecture first-hand.

They also visit the Oval cricket ground to play sports and learn about teamwork. The school promotes understanding and celebrates cultural diversity through events such as culture day. During this event, pupils and staff share aspects of their cultures and food.

This helps everyone appreciate and respect each other's backgrounds. These activities help pupils develop the skills, values and respect they need to thrive in today's diverse society.

Pupils at the school generally display calm and focused behaviour, reflecting the positive examples set by staff.

Staff consistently reinforce good behaviour through praise and rewards. This creates an environment where pupils understand and uphold expectations. While minor behaviour issues occasionally arise, staff use effective strategies and resources to manage these incidents promptly and well.

This helps maintain a positive learning atmosphere across the school.

The school tracks pupils' attendance rigorously. When pupils' attendance falls below the accepted level, the school works with families to provide the right support to bring about improvement.

These efforts are making a difference. They use clear communication to stress the importance of attending school regularly. However, the school knows more work is needed to reduce absenteeism.

Leadership at St Mark's is effective. Leaders work closely with staff to keep a strong focus on improvement and pupils' success. Governors provide valuable support and help set a clear vision for the school.

Staff feel supported by leaders who care about their well-being and work–life balance. This makes it a positive place to work.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Despite efforts to improve attendance, some pupils at the school still have low attendance rates. These pupils miss significant learning opportunities, which affects their academic progress and engagement with the school community. The school should continue to rigorously track attendance and intensify its efforts to address absenteeism.

• In some subjects, assessment strategies are still being refined and need to be embedded. As a result, some pupils struggle to retain learning and apply knowledge fluently, leading to gaps in their understanding. The school should ensure that assessment strategies are applied consistently across all subjects and teachers address any gaps in pupils' learning.

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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in September 2019.