St Mary's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy

Inspection of St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Baffam Lane, Selby, North Yorkshire YO8 9AX

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Inspection dates: 20 and 21 February 2024

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Overall effectiveness Good

The executive headteacher of this school is Louise Bird. This school is part of The Bishop Konstant Catholic Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Lesley Fitton, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Helen Utting. 20 and 21 February 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school offers a warm and welcoming learning environment for its pupils. Pupils are happy. They are proud to attend St Mary’s. Pupils feel safe and build positive relationships with the adults who care for them. They understand and talk confidently about the virtues of love, honesty and faith that run throughout the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for pupils’ academic achievement and behaviour. Leaders have recently made further improvements to the school’s behaviour policy. Pupils behave calmly and sensibly in lessons and during the less structured times of the school day. Adults consistently encourage and praise the efforts of pupils. Pupils talk positively about playing with their friends at breaktimes.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious to develop the whole child. In addition to the academic curriculum, pupils benefit from many opportunities to broaden their personal development. The school ensures that pupils are able to take part in a range of extra activities and roles to promote their well-being and independence, including ‘Mini-Vinnies’, eco-warriors and school councillors.

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better?

The school prioritises the teaching of phonics. Pupils learn to read words quickly. They apply their phonics knowledge well when reading unknown words. Staff ensure that the delivery of phonics sessions is sharply focused on those pupils who need the most support. In key stage 2, this rigour continues. Pupils at risk of falling behind their peers are prioritised for support.

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better?

A love of reading starts in the early years. Pupils enjoy sharing books together. They confidently retell their favourite stories. Pupils throughout school continue to have plentiful opportunities for reading. Teachers carefully choose the books they read in class so that pupils experience a wide range of authors, themes and genres.

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better?

Leaders have worked with the trust to develop a new curriculum. They have clearly set out what they intend pupils to learn across all subjects. The school’s curriculum matches the national curriculum. Although the curriculum has been carefully sequenced from early years to Year 6, the delivery of the curriculum in some lessons does not focus on the key knowledge that pupils are required to learn or need to consolidate.

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better?

The school benefits from working with colleagues across the trust to continue to make improvements in some subjects. This also supports teachers’ subject knowledge. In lessons, teachers use a range of methods to check how well pupils are learning. However, subject leaders do not have a clear oversight of this information. Therefore, the school is not able to evaluate the curriculum effectively enough or respond to pupils’ needs in a timely way. 20 and 21 February 2024

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Pupils with SEND are fully included in the life of the school. Leaders offer appropriate guidance for staff on how best to support pupils with SEND to access the full curriculum. As a result, teachers make appropriate adaptations to tasks and activities. These help pupils with SEND to achieve well.

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In the early years, children are taught a wide range of carefully chosen words to support their language development. Children talk confidently to others during their play. They share and take turns well. Routines are well established. Pupils show some independence when making their own choices. Staff take the time to get to know their pupils, parents and carers. Parents hold the school in high regard. One parent summed up the views of others, commenting, ‘The school has a positive and nurturing environment. It cares not just for my child, but for my family too.’

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The school’s personal, social, health and economic education curriculum ensures that pupils are taught to manage risk and keep safe. This includes following online safety guidance. The school provides high-quality pastoral support to pupils. Pupils have an age-appropriate understanding of healthy relationships and of growing up. There is a strong culture of respect in school. Pupils learn about ‘what makes me me.’ Pupils are accepting of others who may be different to themselves. Pupils lack the knowledge they need about aspects of diversity, such as different cultures, within the community and the wider world.

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Those responsible for governance, at both a local and trust level, are highly committed to the school. They have an accurate view of the quality of education that pupils receive and of the school’s strengths and priorities for further improvement. They check regularly on the school’s progress in addressing its next steps. Staff appreciate the support that leaders provide. They are proud to be part of the St Mary’s community.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, pupils are not taught the key knowledge that has been identified by the school. This means that pupils do not make the progress of which they are capable. The school should ensure that all subjects are taught in line with the agreed curriculum.  Pupils do not have an age-appropriate understanding of diversity within their community and the wider world. They are not fully prepared for the next stage of their education and life in modern Britain. The school should ensure that pupils are taught about the diverse nature of modern Britain to ensure they have the knowledge they need to become responsible citizens of the future. 20 and 21 February 2024

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 In some foundation subjects, the school does not check on how the curriculum is being implemented, or what pupils know and remember. This means that gaps in pupils’ knowledge are not addressed in a timely way. The school should ensure that the checks are focused on the implementation of the intended curriculum and the knowledge that pupils remember.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, 'disadvantaged pupils' is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 20 and 21 February 2024

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, a voluntary academy, converted to become an academy in March 2021. When its predecessor school, St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good. The school is part of the Bishop Konstant Catholic Academy Trust.  The school is a Roman Catholic primary school within the Diocese of Leeds. The most recent section 48 inspection of the school’s religious character took place in December 2017. The next section 48 inspection of the school is due in 2024.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.  The school operates a breakfast club and an after-school club.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. 20 and 21 February 2024

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 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the executive headteacher and other trust leaders. They held discussions with members of the academy council and the chair of the board of trustees. They spoke with a representative from the Diocese of Leeds.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, art and design, and history. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, considered the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers and pupils, and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school.

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 To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of school leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspectors met with parents at the start of the school day and considered the views of parents, pupils and staff, including through responses to Ofsted’s online surveys.

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Inspection team

Sarah Gordon, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

John Davie Ofsted Inspector 20 and 21 February 2024

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regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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