St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The school offers a warm and welcoming learning environment for its pupils.Pupils are happy. They are proud to attend St Mary's.

Pupils feel safe and build positive relationships with the adults who care for them. They understand and talk confidently about the virtues of love, honesty and faith that run throughout the school.

The school has high expectations for pupils' academic achievement and behaviour.

Leaders have recently made further improvements to the school's behaviour policy. Pupils behave calmly and sensibly in lessons and during the less structured times of the school day. Adults consistently encourage and praise the efforts of pupils.

Pu...pils talk positively about playing with their friends at breaktimes.

The school is ambitious to develop the whole child. In addition to the academic curriculum, pupils benefit from many opportunities to broaden their personal development.

The school ensures that pupils are able to take part in a range of extra activities and roles to promote their well-being and independence, including 'Mini-Vinnies', eco-warriors and school councillors.

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

The school prioritises the teaching of phonics. Pupils learn to read words quickly.

They apply their phonics knowledge well when reading unknown words. Staff ensure that the delivery of phonics sessions is sharply focused on those pupils who need the most support. In key stage 2, this rigour continues.

Pupils at risk of falling behind their peers are prioritised for support.

A love of reading starts in the early years. Pupils enjoy sharing books together.

They confidently retell their favourite stories. Pupils throughout school continue to have plentiful opportunities for reading. Teachers carefully choose the books they read in class so that pupils experience a wide range of authors, themes and genres.

Leaders have worked with the trust to develop a new curriculum. They have clearly set out what they intend pupils to learn across all subjects. The school's curriculum matches the national curriculum.

Although the curriculum has been carefully sequenced from early years to Year 6, the delivery of the curriculum in some lessons does not focus on the key knowledge that pupils are required to learn or need to consolidate.

The school benefits from working with colleagues across the trust to continue to make improvements in some subjects. This also supports teachers' subject knowledge.

In lessons, teachers use a range of methods to check how well pupils are learning. However, subject leaders do not have a clear oversight of this information. Therefore, the school is not able to evaluate the curriculum effectively enough or respond to pupils' needs in a timely way.

Pupils with SEND are fully included in the life of the school. Leaders offer appropriate guidance for staff on how best to support pupils with SEND to access the full curriculum. As a result, teachers make appropriate adaptations to tasks and activities.

These help pupils with SEND to achieve well.

In the early years, children are taught a wide range of carefully chosen words to support their language development. Children talk confidently to others during their play.

They share and take turns well. Routines are well established. Pupils show some independence when making their own choices.

Staff take the time to get to know their pupils, parents and carers. Parents hold the school in high regard. One parent summed up the views of others, commenting, 'The school has a positive and nurturing environment.

It cares not just for my child, but for my family too.'

The school's personal, social, health and economic education curriculum ensures that pupils are taught to manage risk and keep safe. This includes following online safety guidance.

The school provides high-quality pastoral support to pupils. Pupils have an age-appropriate understanding of healthy relationships and of growing up. There is a strong culture of respect in school.

Pupils learn about 'what makes me me.' Pupils are accepting of others who may be different to themselves. Pupils lack the knowledge they need about aspects of diversity, such as different cultures, within the community and the wider world.

Those responsible for governance, at both a local and trust level, are highly committed to the school. They have an accurate view of the quality of education that pupils receive and of the school's strengths and priorities for further improvement. They check regularly on the school's progress in addressing its next steps.

Staff appreciate the support that leaders provide. They are proud to be part of the St Mary's community.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, pupils are not taught the key knowledge that has been identified by the school. This means that pupils do not make the progress of which they are capable. The school should ensure that all subjects are taught in line with the agreed curriculum.

• Pupils do not have an age-appropriate understanding of diversity within their community and the wider world. They are not fully prepared for the next stage of their education and life in modern Britain. The school should ensure that pupils are taught about the diverse nature of modern Britain to ensure they have the knowledge they need to become responsible citizens of the future.

In some foundation subjects, the school does not check on how the curriculum is being implemented, or what pupils know and remember. This means that gaps in pupils' knowledge are not addressed in a timely way. The school should ensure that the checks are focused on the implementation of the intended curriculum and the knowledge that pupils remember.