St Mary's Catholic Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: St Mary’s Catholic Primary School High Street, Evesham, Worcestershire WR11 4EJ

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Inspection dates: 25 and 26 February 2025

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Outcome

St Mary’s Catholic Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Jacqueline Smith. This school is part of Our Lady of the Magnificat Multi-Academy Company, a trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Tom Leverage, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Yvonne Brennan.

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What is it like to attend this school?

St Mary’s Catholic Primary School lives by its Christian values and pupils learn how to look after themselves and others. The staff know pupils as individuals and take good care of their well-being. Pupils trust that adults will listen to them if they have a concern. This means that they feel safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There are high expectations for what all pupils can achieve. Pupils, including those who speak English as an additional language, learn to read quickly and fluently. They become confident, polite and articulate. Across the school, in different subjects, pupils learn well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders expect pupils to meet a high standard of behaviour. In the early years, children settle into sensible routines. Pupils wear their uniforms with pride. They behave well in lessons and at social times. The school is a happy and purposeful place.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Visitors and trips out of school contribute well to pupils’ learning. Pupils can take up a very wide range of responsibilities, such as house captains, school councillors or playground buddies. They contribute significantly to school decision-making, arranging outdoor clocks so that pupils know how much play time is left. Pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, benefit well from extra-curricular opportunities. 25 and 26 February 2025

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

Reading is a top priority. Staff teach phonics with a well-structured programme. Staff use the programme’s resources in a consistent way. As a result, pupils learn sounds and letters in a logical order. Staff check on what each pupil knows and can do. They track pupils’ reading skills to spot and address any gaps. Books for younger pupils are carefully matched to their phonics knowledge. Pupils who are at risk of falling behind or who join the school part way through a key stage receive effective support. Across the school, pupils enjoy reading and develop a personal taste in books.

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

The school has planned an ambitious curriculum carefully. Pupils study all the subjects in the national curriculum. In the early years, the teaching focuses effectively on children’s language development and early mathematics. Learning moves smoothly from one key stage to the next. In mixed-age classes teachers make sure that their teaching for each year group takes account of what pupils already know. Staff take care to ensure that the right pupils work together, for example to prepare a verbal presentation.

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

Teachers have secure subject knowledge. They understand what to teach and when. The school identifies the correct vocabulary for pupils of all ages to learn. Teachers explain new knowledge clearly and use resources, such as technology or gymnastic equipment, well. They check effectively for misconceptions by questioning pupils or looking at their work. The school uses longer-term assessments of what pupils have learned to make improvements to the curriculum.

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

At the start of a lesson, teachers often help pupils to recall previous knowledge. Pupils can sometimes remember their learning and link it together well, for example seeing how the history and the geography of Evesham connect. However, this practice is not consistent, so the extent to which pupils can recall and make overall sense of their learning varies.

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

Starting in the early years, the school identifies the additional needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) promptly and effectively. Staff draw on detailed guidance to ensure that they meet pupils’ needs well. As a result, pupils with SEND make secure progress through the full curriculum.

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

Pupils concentrate well in class and present their work neatly. Starting in Reception, children learn to form letters correctly. Pupils enjoy coming to school, and attend regularly.

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

Pupils follow an effective programme of personal, social and health education. They learn about healthy relationships and how to keep themselves safe, including online. Pupils know to respect others, including those who are different from themselves. A trip to the Houses of Parliament has underpinned pupils’ understanding of democracy. The school helps pupils to develop a fine moral and social awareness. For example, pupils help to make sure that the local food bank distributes items for a traditional Christmas lunch. 25 and 26 February 2025

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The school works closely with another local primary school in the trust. This helps staff to share expertise, and widens pupils’ experiences, for example by facilitating joint sports events. The school has worked well with parents and carers, for example to enhance the support it provides for their children’s reading.

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The school makes sure that staff are well trained for the roles that they do. Everyone works together as a team, and staff believe that leaders are considerate of their workload and always ready to listen to their views. The trust provides well for the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s work to help pupils recall what they have learned is not yet consistent. As a result, pupils sometimes struggle to retain new learning and fit their learning together. The school should go further to help pupils commit their learning to their long-term memory so that they have a secure and integral knowledge of their subjects.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school, of the same name, to be good for overall effectiveness in February 2014. 25 and 26 February 2025

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How can I feed back my views?

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). 25 and 26 February 2025

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 4 and 5 February 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is a Catholic faith school within the Archdiocese of Birmingham. The school was inspected under section 48 in July 2019.  The headteacher also serves as headteacher of St Mary’s Catholic Primary School in Broadway, another school in the trust. The schools share a local governing board.  Some pupils transfer to middle school at the end of Year 5. Older pupils are taught in mixed-age classes. There is considerable variation in the number of pupils in each year group.  A significant number of pupils join the school other than at normal points of transfer. Many of these pupils speak English as an additional language.  The school runs a breakfast club and an after-school club.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision. 25 and 26 February 2025

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation 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 inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher and other leaders. He spoke by telephone to a representative of the archdiocese.  The chair of the local governing board and one other governor met with the inspector. He met remotely with the chair and two directors of the trust and the CEO.  The inspector spoke with pupils at social times and with groups of pupils more formally.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around

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Information about this inspection

safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector reviewed a range of documents. These included the minutes of local governing board meetings, and information about pupils’ behaviour, attendance, the school’s curriculum, self-evaluation and improvement planning.  The inspector took account of responses to Ofsted Parent View, including free-text comments. The inspector met with parents at the start of the second day of the inspection. The inspector also considered responses to Ofsted’s surveys for staff and pupils.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning, and looked at samples of their work.

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Inspection team

Martin Spoor, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 25 and 26 February 2025

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