St Mary’s Catholic Primary School ,Chiswick

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high aspirations for all pupils at St Mary's. It is a friendly and inclusive school. Pupils are proud to come here and feel supported.

They are kept safe.

Staff provide pupils with a wealth of interesting wider experiences. They motivate pupils to experience leadership and make decisions.

Pupils thoroughly enjoy school. They are confident and interested to find things out. For example, they explore and talk enthusiastically about the role that planting plays in making the school more sustainable.

The curriculum pupils experience enables them to achieve well.

The provision for personal development focuses on helping pupils to be ...open-minded. They are taught to understand difference and how to show tolerance through the way they behave and speak.

They talk kindly and maturely about how people and families may be different. They appreciate opportunities to try new things, be it through school trips or the varied club offer, such as edible gardens, learning Italian and watching musicals in the West End. Pupils also value and enjoy the residential trips to Paris and Ufton Court, where they get to take part in adventurous activities outdoors.

Pupils comment that behaviour is mostly good. Pupils are respectful and polite, and they behave responsibly. Pupils know that bullying is not tolerated.

Adults are quick to sort out problems. Pupils say that there are trusted adults they can talk to if they have a problem.

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

Leaders provide a curriculum that builds pupils' knowledge well from early years to Year 6.

School leaders and governors are ambitious for all pupils. They provide a rich curriculum offer that prepares pupils well for their next steps, both in their learning and more widely.

Pupils with special educational need and/or disabilities (SEND) are fully involved in lessons, as well as the broader life of the school.

The needs of pupils with SEND are identified accurately, and leaders and staff make adaptations to learning in class to ensure that pupils progress successfully through the intended curriculum.

Leaders keep their curriculum thinking under constant review. They have recently made a number of ambitious changes to what they expect pupils to learn and when.

Staff have the subject knowledge to implement the planned curriculum well. They set pupils work that helps them to understand subject content. However, in some instances, staff have not checked if pupils can recall with fluency the key ideas that they are expected to know in a subject.

This is especially the case in subjects other than English and mathematics. Leaders are addressing this. They are making sure that the delivery of the curriculum in all subjects helps pupils to securely remember more of what leaders want them to learn.

Reading is a whole-school priority. Leaders recognise the importance of reading to ensure that pupils can fully access the rest of the curriculum. Across the school, pupils comment on how much they like to read.

Children begin learning phonics from the outset in Reception. The order of phonics teaching is clearly set out across early years, Years 1 and 2 and beyond if required. Teachers teach phonics well.

Pupils' reading books are well matched to their phonic knowledge. This helps pupils to become accurate and secure in their use of phonics. Those pupils who fall behind in reading are identified and supported to get back on track.

In a few instances, this additional help is not as timely and focused as it could be in ensuring that these pupils catch up as soon as possible.

Pupils' behaviour is confident and kind. Staff model the behaviours they expect to see.

In the early years, children quickly learn to play together and how to share. Children listen carefully and follow instructions well. Pupils know why it is important to do the right thing.

Through positions of responsibility, older pupils instil pride in others and all that they do. They help friends in need and are role models for younger pupils. Most pupils behave well on the playground and in lessons.

They speak with respect when discussing difference and diversity.

The school provides exceptional opportunities for pupils' positive personal development. This starts in the early years.

The youngest children are provided with many well-planned wider activities to extend their understanding of the world in which they live. This is built on further in Years 1 to 6, including through a rich range of educational visits and extra-curricular clubs. Outside of lessons, pupils take part in competitions for sport and raise money for charities.

Leaders make sure that all pupils take part in these opportunities in some way. For example, pupils raise funds to provide Easter eggs and Christmas presents for families who may not otherwise be able to do this. This is really appreciated by all families and contributes to the caring ethos at the school.

Pupil ambassadors meet regularly with leaders. They discuss the curriculum and other issues and share their views on what leaders can do so the school can become even better.

Leaders have positive working relationships with staff.

Staff explain that leaders are considerate and supportive of their well-being and workload. Governors fully support the school and are closely involved in its work. Parents are positive about the school and feel part of its community.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders prioritise pupils' safety and welfare. They provide frequent training to ensure that staff are alert to any signs that pupils might be at risk.

Staff have good partnerships with families and outside support agencies. They know pupils very well and take prompt action when they have concerns.

Leaders make sure that adults are suitable to work with pupils in school.

Staff carry out risk assessments for activities in and beyond the school premises. All pupils learn extensively about online safety, and staff improve pupils' knowledge regularly. For example, pupils know not to make friends with strangers online.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Leaders are still working to embed their curriculum goals in the foundation subjects. In some instances, teaching is not enabling pupils to secure important ideas in their long-term memory. Leaders should continue to focus on strengthening the implementation of the curriculum, ensuring that teaching focuses sharply on helping pupils to recall with fluency the knowledge that is particularly important for them to secure.

• While, overall, weaker readers receive suitable additional help, on occasion, this support is not sharply focused on getting pupils back on track as soon as possible. This can affect how swiftly these pupils become fluent readers. Leaders should accelerate the provision of additional help to weaker readers so that these pupils catch up rapidly.