St Mary’s Church of England Primary School St Neots

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

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

The headteacher of this school is Lisa King.

This school is part of the Diocese of Ely Multi-Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Adrian Ball, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Helen Jackson.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are part of a caring school community in which they are known well as individuals.

They are expected to work hard and look after one another. In response, p...upils speak kindly and respectfully to, and of, staff and each other. Equally, pupils generally focus well during their lessons.

As a result of this culture, the school is a calm and orderly place.

Pupils want to learn. From the very youngest children in Nursery through to Year 6, pupils show they are interested in their learning.

They enjoy answering questions and teachers encourage them to do so. Across the subjects they study, pupils develop their subject vocabulary. When learning about the natural world in science and geography, pupils secure the specialist vocabulary they need to organise and label different groups of animals.

The curriculum enables pupils to learn about a range of views and beliefs, including those of different religions. In the eyes of the pupils, being different is something to be celebrated. Kindness and acceptance are values which are demonstrated by pupils very commonly.

Pupils feel confident to speak to a trusted adult if they are worried about something, for example if another pupil has not been kind to them.

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

The school's curriculum is well designed and implemented. It enables most pupils to achieve well.

Pupils typically have a strong level of knowledge and understanding of their subjects. Teachers have a good level of subject knowledge and model new content well. The extent to which pupils' understanding is assessed effectively is not consistent.

This can sometimes mean that errors and misconceptions are not addressed soon enough for pupils to fix them.

Children in the Nursery engage enthusiastically in mixing and tasting activities linked to their theme of the Arctic. Children in Reception enjoy a range of provision.

This enables the youngest pupils to progress well through the curriculum. When learning about vehicles, children participate in role-playing and set up their own train ticket office. This helps them to develop number skills.

Secure systems are in place to ensure that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are able to access the full curriculum. The additional needs of pupils are picked up quickly. Parents and carers are involved closely when the school reviews pupils' needs.

Appropriate and consistent support is provided by experienced and knowledgeable staff. Adaptations are made to teaching to enable pupils with SEND to access learning alongside their peers. The trust provides significant effective support to the school through its inclusion team.

Pupils begin to learn to read from their earliest days in Reception. Staff are experienced in teaching phonics and model the sounds needed accurately. Where additional support is required for pupils with weaker reading skills, this is provided to enable them to catch up and keep up.

Pupils read widely and older pupils enjoy using the library. Pupils are read to daily by their class teacher. The range of books available to pupils has been carefully considered and selected.

Pupils' attendance is high. They recognise the importance of coming to school regularly and take pride in attending school. Leaders ensure that good attendance has a high profile, including through reward assemblies.

Pupils behave well, especially where routines and expectations are clearly explained. During unstructured times, pupils play happily together across year groups. They listen to adult instructions and follow these quickly.

The opportunities for pupils to participate in extra-curricular clubs enable them to build confidence and explore new skills. Pupils are willing to try activities they are not familiar with to further challenge themselves. They enjoy a range of visits, including museums and galleries.

The chance to attend a residential visit is also something the pupils enjoy. This encourages pupils to further develop their independence and resilience. Pupils are listened to through the school council.

Pupils know that their views are considered, and action is taken. The personal, social, health and economic education curriculum enables pupils to understand how to keep themselves healthy and safe. More broadly, it provides the opportunity for pupils to understand fundamental British values such as democracy.

They can link such values to their roles in the school council.

Staff feel well supported by the school and trust. Staff feel that their workload and well-being are considered effectively.

They also benefit from many opportunities to develop their skills and subject knowledge. The support provided by the trust has enabled the school to provide resources and staffing which might not ordinarily be possible.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• At times, the approach used by teachers to check what pupils know and can do does not consistently identify pupils' misconceptions or gaps in their knowledge. This means that teachers sometimes move on to new learning before pupils have secured what they have learned previously. The school should ensure that teachers check pupils' learning accurately so that pupils can know more and remember more over time.

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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in June 2018.