St Mary’s Catholic Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school. Pupils achieve extremely well and reach standards that are above average in English and mathematics.

Teaching is consistently good with much that is outstanding. Teachers expect pupils to do well, whatever their starting points, and plan for this accordingly. Marking of the highest quality celebrates pupils' achievements and ensures that they know what they need to do next to improve.

Pupils are not always given sufficient opportunities to respond to feedback or to review their work. Excellent support for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs ensures that they make very good progress. Pupils' behaviour is e...xcellent.

They enjoy being in school and they are extremely enthusiastic about what they are learning. The executive headteacher sets very high expectations of staff and is passionate about ensuring that all pupils do as well as they can. She has assembled a unified staff team in a relentless drive to improve teaching and learning.

School leaders and managers, including the governing body, know what needs to be done to sustain the high standards achieved. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. They reflect very carefully on an extensive range of issues and have a very clear understanding of the school's values.

Parents agree that the school keeps pupils safe and pupils know what to do to avoid potentially dangerous situations.

Information about this school

The school is much smaller than the average-sized primary school although the number on roll is rising. Most pupils are White British.

The proportion of minority ethnic pupils and pupils who speak English as an additional language is very low. The proportion of pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals or looked after by the local authority, and for whom the school receives additional income (the pupil premium), is well below average. The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs who are supported at school action is below average.

The proportion of those at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above average. The school meets the government's current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress. Since September 2011, the school has been part of a hard federation of three Catholic primary schools, located in two separate counties; the headteacher of this school was appointed executive headteacher of the three schools.