St Mary's Catholic Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of leadership and management by ensuring that:
  • phase leaders routinely hold teachers to account to ensure they have consistently high expectations of what pupils can achieve so that those pupils who have previously average attainment achieve their full potential
  • governors build on their recent work to hold leaders to account precisely for the progress and attainment of pupils in every year group
  • leaders’ checks on the quality of teaching and pupils’ progress are refined so that any relative weaknesses in teaching and pupils’ progress across classes in the same year group are minimised.
• Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment, including in Reception, by ensuring that:
  • pupils are sufficiently challenged to practise and apply their writing so that more pupils write with complexity, cohesion and accuracy
  • the teaching of phonics enables pupils who have previously underachieved to catch up, so that they can read with accuracy, fluency and speed
  • teachers use their assessments consistently well so that they adjust their teaching precisely to meet the learning needs of all groups of pupils.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

Governance of the school

Safeguarding

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

Behaviour

Outcomes for pupils Good

Early years provision Good

School details

Unique reference number 137147 Local authority Swindon Inspection number 10058352 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Academy converter Age range of pupils 2 to 11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 371 Appropriate authority Board of trustees Chair Anne-Marie Long Headteacher Andrew Henstridge Telephone number 01793 523850 Website www.st-marys.swindon.sch.uk Email address head@st-marys.swindon.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 6–7 May 2015

Information about this school

• St Mary’s Catholic Primary School is a single academy trust. It opened as an academy in 2011. On 5 January 2019 the academy changed its age range to accommodate nursery-age children.
• The school is part of Clifton Diocesan Education Consortium. The school is designated as having religious character and received a section 48 inspection in June 2015.
• The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is above the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals is below the national average.
• The proportion of pupils with SEND or who are supported by an education, health and care plan is below average.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed pupils’ learning in visits to lessons across the school, and reviewed pupils’ work in books across a wide range of subjects.
• Inspectors talked with groups of pupils to seek their views about the school. Inspectors also listened to the views of pupils during lessons, breaktimes and lunchtimes. Inspectors listened to pupils read from Years 2 and 5.
• Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, assistant headteacher, phase leaders, and the SENCo. An inspector met with the school’s external adviser. A meeting was also held with two members of the governing body. An inspector held an additional telephone conversation and meeting with the director of education of Clifton Diocese.
• Inspectors scrutinised a number of school documents including: the school’s action plans; the school’s view of its own performance; pupils’ performance information; minutes of governing body meetings; records relating to behaviour; checks on teaching and learning; pupils’ attendance information; and a range of safeguarding records.
• Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons, at lunchtimes and breaktimes, and around the school.
• Inspectors considered 33 responses to the online survey, Parent View, and the responses from the free-text service. Inspectors also talked to parents during the inspection to seek their views of the school and the education that their children receive. Inspectors talked to a range of staff and pupils to gather their views.
• An inspector visited the breakfast and after-school clubs.

Inspection team

Julie Carrington, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Lizzy Meadows Ofsted Inspector Nicola Berry Ofsted Inspector