St Mary’s CofE (A) First School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school The single-minded determination of the headteacher, other school leaders and the governing body has rapidly improved the quality of teaching and raised pupils' achievement.

Consequently, both are now good. Pupils achieve well from their starting points. More pupils are attaining outcomes above what is expected for their age by the end of Year 4.

They are well prepared for learning in Year 5. Most teachers provide interesting and motivating lessons. Pupils learn well as a result.

The early years provision is good. There has been a sustained improvement in children's outcomes. They are now well prepared for the challenges in Year 1....

Pupils' personal development and behaviour are outstanding. They are excellent ambassadors for the values the school holds. Pupils are friendly, kind, respectful and thoughtful to each other and adults.

Their attitudes to learning are consistently positive. The school is a happy, caring, inclusive place to learn. Pupils are extremely well cared for, feel very safe and thrive.

Governance has improved significantly. Governors are knowledgeable about their role and provide effective challenge and support to school leaders. The school has a strong partnership with its parents and carers.

The overwhelming majority are positive about all aspects of the school's work. It is not yet an outstanding school because : The school's new marking system is not fully implemented. Pupils are sometimes not clear about how they can improve their work.

The less able pupils sometimes do not make the progress they are capable of. At times, the resources used to support their learning are not adjusted well enough to meet their needs, particularly in writing. In writing, occasionally pupils do not have enough opportunity to develop an understanding of what they will be writing about.

The range of activities offered in the early years provision is not as interesting and stimulating outdoors as it is indoors. Sometimes children do not know what it is they are expected to learn in their outdoor independent play activities.

Information about this school

The school is smaller than the average-size primary school.

The school serves pupils from mostly White British backgrounds, with a below-average proportion of pupils from ethnic minority backgrounds. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is below average. The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported by the pupil premium is lower than the national average.

This is additional government funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals or children looked after by the local authority. The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs or disability is below average. A new headteacher joined the school in September 2014.

The deputy headteacher left in July 2015. Two assistant headteacher posts were created in September 2015. One of these is on a job-share basis.

The school received a monitoring inspection in November 2014. The outcome of this visit, carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005, was that leaders and governors were taking effective action to tackle the areas for improvement identified at the previous full inspection. The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.