St Mark’s Ecumenical Anglican/Methodist Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.

St Mark's is a closely knit community where pupils are welcomed, kept safe and treated equally. Children do extremely well in Reception, especially in developing their social and communication skills. Exemplary pastoral care supports pupils' outstanding behaviour and attitudes to learning seamlessly as they move through the school.

Good teaching helps pupils to learn with, and from, each other so that they acquire skills and achieve well. Pupils are good at speaking and listening. They spoke eloquently about feeling safe, being very well looked after and enjoying coming to school.

The headteacher and governors strongly promote t...he pupils' moral, social and cultural development and their spiritual development in a Christian context. All staff, including the family adviser, work tirelessly to sustain excellent relationships with parents, other schools and the local community. These links help secure pupils' above-average attendance and contribute to the school's extensive range of stimulating activities.

Leaders, governors and staff work very well together and share a determination to bring further improvement. It is not yet an outstanding school because : At times, teachers do not match activities closely enough to pupils' different abilities or expect enough work from them. Teaching assistants are not always deployed effectively in whole class situations.

New ways of checking and recording pupils' progress as they move through the school have not been in place long enough to have had an impact on pupils' achievement.

Information about this school

This primary school is above average in size. Most pupils attending the school are of White British heritage.

The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported through school action is below the national average. The proportion supported by school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is also below average. The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives the pupil premium (additional government funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, children who are looked after by the local authority and the children of service families) is below average.

Currently no children looked after by the local authority attend the school. Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage are taught in two Reception classes. The school meets the government's current floor standards, which set out the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress.