St Mary Magdalen’s Catholic Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

St Mary Magdalen's is a special place.

Relationships are warm and nurturing. Pupils enjoy coming to school and are keen to learn. Staff work closely with parents, carers and the community to deliver the best experience for all pupils.

Pupils are kept safe. They flourish in this positive environment. Staff, parents, and pupils are proud of their school.

Staff have high ambitions for pupils' achievement, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school's curriculum is broad and ambitious. Pupils work hard and are very committed to their learning, attaining well in national assessments.

In classrooms and around the s...chool pupils behave very well. This is because there are consistently high expectations that are consistently applied. This begins in early years, where children settle quickly into established routines, cooperate well and show increasing curiosity in their learning.

The school provides pupils with a several opportunities to develop their talents and interests. Pupils relish taking part in the rich choice of activities and visits. They are excited about the school's residential trips, as well as performances at musical and theatrical events.

Pupils participate actively in a range of clubs, which include sports, arts and languages.

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

The school's curriculum is ambitious, well-sequenced and goes beyond the scope of what is expected nationally. The school has thought carefully about the knowledge they want pupils to learn.

Pupils have regular opportunities to revisit learning. In most subjects they apply what they know and remember with confidence. Pupils, including those with SEND, achieve well across most subjects in the curriculum.

Teachers design activities which are purposeful and enable pupils to make connections in their learning. In art, for example, pupils study a broad and diverse range of artists, deepening their knowledge of different ideas and techniques as they move through the school. Teachers have secure subject knowledge.

They explain ideas clearly and check pupils' understanding. This ensures that any misconceptions are swiftly identified and addressed. The school has created an environment that focuses on pupils, but without creating unnecessary workload.

Staff appreciate the consideration shown for their well-being.

In a small number of subjects, the curriculum is at an earlier stage of implementation. The school has rightly identified that more needs to be done to ensure that pupils develop the same depth of knowledge and understanding in all subjects.

The work to strengthen implementation and improve assessment practice so that all teachers identify precisely what pupils know and can remember is underway, but not embedded. This means that, on occasion, pupils need further consolidation of what they have learned, so that they can apply their knowledge more securely.

The school has made early reading the bedrock of the school's curriculum, right from the start of the Reception year.

Staff have received thorough training in the teaching of phonics. Pupils, including those with SEND, have regular opportunities to practise their reading. Books are matched closely to the sounds they are learning.

This helps pupils to gain the phonics knowledge they need to read with increasing fluency and confidence. Staff use assessment precisely. They swiftly identify pupils who struggle, ensuring they are given effective support to catch up quickly.

The school continues to promote reading as pupils move through the school. For example, the school has reorganised the library, to ensure that pupils can choose from a wider selection of books to read for pleasure.

The school carefully identifies pupils with SEND.

Effective systems are in place to ensure that information about the needs of these pupils is communicated to staff. This helps to ensure helpful adaptations are made to support pupils with SEND to access the same curriculum as their peers, where this is possible.

The school provides an exceptional programme for pupils' personal development.

The curriculum is designed to support pupils to become confident and resilient. Pupils are very respectful towards each other. They understand the importance of being kind and of treating everyone equally.

They show appreciation of different faiths, beliefs and perspectives. Pupils make a tangible contribution to the life of the school. They actively support the well-being of others.

This includes activities such as Year 6 pupils making a webpage for each child joining the school in Reception, to make them feel welcome.

Pupils attend very well. Staff ensure that there is swift follow up, should attendance fall below the school's expectations.

They work closely with external agencies to support pupils' welfare.

Governors are highly strategic. They are very well informed and understand their statutory responsibilities, striking an effective balance between providing support to the school and holding leaders to account.

Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the education the school provides for their children.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• A few subjects are at an earlier stage of implementation and do not fully reflect the school's ambitious plans.

In these instances, some pupils do not consistently secure the knowledge they need. The school should ensure that staff have suitable training to monitor the implementation of the curriculum to gauge the impact of any improvement work undertaken. The school should also ensure assessment is used well in these areas to check what pupils know and remember.

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