St Mary’s Catholic Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school. They feel very happy and safe here. Pupils are incredibly proud to be part of the school.

They enjoy the different opportunies they experience. The relationships between pupils and staff are consistently caring and friendly.

Leaders and stakeholders have very high aspirations for pupils.

This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). These ambitions are realised through a shared vision and planned curriculum. This curriculum starts in the early years and prepares all pupils for their next steps in learning.

Behaviour around school is superb. Any issues with behaviour are picked up prompt...ly by adults. Pupils rise to leaders' high expectations for their behaviour in lessons and around school.

Bullying is known and understood by pupils. Pupils say that bullying is not a problem in school.

Leaders carefully plan opportunities to broaden pupils' experiences.

Pupils learn about water safety in inventive ways, such as visits to surf school. Pupils talk excitedly about residential trips.

The leadership of the school is outstanding.

Parents are overwhelmingly supportive of the school. Parents say that leaders and staff 'go the extra mile'.

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

Leaders have carefully planned an ambitious curriculum.

This curriculum starts in the early years, building on what children know through the year groups. This ensures that pupils are ready for secondary school. Teaching plans are designed to ensure that pupils build knowledge over time.

In mathematics, the use of daily retrieval work and checks on pupils' learning help pupils to connect their learning. Teachers' subject knowledge and confidence help to embed the aims of the mathematics curriculum.

In wider curriculum subjects, such as art and design, and history, leaders have supported staff to understand the curriculum well.

The curriculum makes purposeful links to the local area. In history, pupils talk enthusiastically about their learning. This learning starts in the early years, where pupils compare the seaside now to the past.

Pupils' work shows how they are thinking like historians in more detail as they move through school.

Leaders have prioritised reading in school. A reading spine is in place to help pupils read a wide range of books.

Pupils benefit from clearly structured phonics lessons. Teachers provide a range of opportunities for pupils to practise their reading and writing of sounds. Children in the early years enjoy sharing their knowledge and understanding.

Staff use their training and ongoing support to teach phonics consistently. Pupils at the earliest stages of reading do not always have books that are well matched to their phonic knowledge. Pupils do not consistently develop early fluency using the sounds they know securely.

This is an inclusive school. Pupils with SEND take part in all aspects of school life. Leaders use appropriate specialist support and referrals where needed.

Teachers make adaptations in classrooms for pupils who need additional support.

Around school and in classrooms pupils routinely show focus and determination in their learning. They rise to the high expectations set by leaders and staff for behaviour.

Pupils know the school rules of 'ready, respectful, safe'. Low-level disruption is extremely rare. If it does occur, staff deal with it quickly.

As pupils move around school, they are respectful and show consistently good manners. Pupils are excellent role models to each other.

Leaders are proud of the offer they have beyond classroom learning.

Pupils learn how to keep safe online and in the community. Leaders plan opportunities to explore careers and aspirations across the curriculum. Extra-curricular clubs and leadership roles for pupils are plentiful.

Pupils understand what it means to be British. Pupils and staff do not tolerate discrimination. However, pupils' knowledge and understanding of different faiths are not as secure as in other areas of the wider curriculum.

Leaders take the workload of staff seriously. Teachers feel that leaders act to manage their workload and well-being carefully. Teachers in the early stages of their career are supported well.

Opportunities for leadership development are clearly planned. Work with trust and federated schools is building leadership capacity further. The trust and members of the local governing committee share leaders' high ambitions.

They challenge leaders to ensure that pupils are achieving well. Governors carry out their role extremely effectively.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders know their school community very well. The training given to staff means that they are knowledgeable and vigilant to any issues in the local area. Stakeholders also receive timely training to fulfil their duties.

Where necessary, leaders make appropriate referrals to additional agencies. Record-keeping captures clearly the actions taken by the school to keep pupils safe. Those responsible for recruitment have the necessary training to ensure that adults who work with pupils are safe to do so.

Safeguarding is considered throughout the recruitment process.

Pupils feel very safe in school. They recognise all the things adults in school do to keep them safe.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Pupils who are at the early stages of reading are given books that are not consistently matched to the sounds they know. As a result, pupils do not always read with fluency or confidence. Leaders should ensure that the books they give pupils to read match the sounds they know so that they build fluency, automaticity and progress more rapidly.

• Pupils have a limited understanding of the different world faiths and religions. While there is a planned curriculum in place to teach pupils about the different faiths and religions, leaders do not check effectively what pupils know, understand and remember from this learning. Leaders should ensure that they use assessment to check pupils' knowledge and understanding of faiths and religions so that teachers can address any misconceptions that pupils may have.