St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich

Inspection of St Mary’s Church of England Aided Primary School, Prestwich Rectory Lane, Prestwich, Manchester, Lancashire M25 1BP

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Inspection dates: 12 and 13 February 2025

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Outstanding

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Until November 2020, the school was exempt from routine inspection because it was judged as outstanding for overall effectiveness at its previous inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The school has not been inspected under section 5 of the Act since September 2014. Since September 2024, schools have not been awarded an overall effectiveness grade. 12 and 13 February 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

St Mary’s provides a nurturing environment, where pupils feel welcomed, valued and included. Pupils have extremely positive relationships with others. This creates an atmosphere of mutual respect among staff and pupils.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary. They actively resolve differences that arise between themselves on the playground. Older pupils are thoughtful members of the school community. They are strong role models for younger pupils. Children in the early years settle well and approach their learning with curiosity and enjoyment.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), respond well to the high expectations that are set for their learning. This is evident in many subjects across the curriculum. It is especially true in the high proportion of pupils who meet the expected standard in the phonics screening check at the end of Year 1.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy a wide range of high-quality activities that enhance the wider curriculum. There is an extremely well-considered approach to developing pupils’ leadership skills. This enables older pupils to take on roles that develop their sense of responsibility and citizenship. Pupils also enjoy exciting tasks, such as designing and creating their own products as part of an enterprise project that aids their personal development.

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

The school has refined the curriculum to focus on the key knowledge that it wants pupils to remember in most subjects. In most subjects, teachers check on pupils’ learning well. This helps teachers to be more precise in the way that they design pupils’ future learning. In these subjects, pupils recall key knowledge extremely well. However, in a small number of subjects, and including some aspects of the early years curriculum, the school has not been clear enough in exactly what it is that it wants pupils to know and remember. Consequently, the arrangements to check pupils’ knowledge and understanding are not as well developed. Although the school is taking action to remedy this, pupils’ recall in these subjects is not as strong as it is in others. This also means that teachers are not as clear about pupils’ achievement as they could otherwise be.

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

Staff deliver the phonics programme consistently well throughout the early years and key stage 1. Children in the early years develop a strong understanding of letters and the sounds that they represent. Where there are misconceptions in children’s learning, these are quickly addressed. In key stage 1, most pupils develop their phonics knowledge so that they read with increasing fluency and confidence. For those pupils who need additional support, there are effective strategies to ensure that they catch up with the intended curriculum. By the end of key stage 2, pupils read with intonation and understanding.

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

The school has strong processes in place to identify the needs of pupils with SEND at an early stage. The provision for these pupils is precisely matched to their needs. This means 12 and 13 February 2025

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that staff are able to put effective support in place to ensure that these pupils progress well through the curriculum.

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Attendance rates are high. That said, the school is always looking to improve its provision. It keeps a close eye on pupils’ attendance and take effective action to tackle any persistent absence. As a result, pupils’ attendance rates are improving even further.

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Pupils behave exceptionally well. They actively celebrate and encourage each other’s success. These highly positive interactions are encouraged from the time that children start in the early years. This leads to a calm and harmonious environment and ensures that there is no disruption to learning.

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The school enhances pupils’ spiritual and moral development through a well-thought-out programme of assemblies and through the reinforcement of the school’s values. There is also a strong focus on developing pupils’ understanding of fundamental British values so that they are well prepared and confident to be part of modern society. Pupils make an exceptionally strong contribution to the school community. For example, the school council think about the needs of others when they decide which charities they will support. Pupils have an excellent understanding of what it means to be equal. They demonstrate high levels of respect and understanding for other faiths and cultures.

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Governors ask probing questions about all aspects of the school to inform their detailed knowledge of the provision. They assure themselves that the actions taken to develop the school are making a positive difference to pupils. Staff appreciate the measures that the school takes to look after their workload so that they can focus on developing pupils’ learning.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of subjects, and in some aspects of the early years curriculum, the school has not identified clearly enough the key knowledge that it wants pupils and children to learn. As a result, pupils’ recall of their learning is not as strong as it is in other curriculum areas. The school should be more specific about the content of the curriculum in these subjects to help pupils to know and remember more.  In some subjects, the arrangements to assess what pupils know are not clear enough. As a result, teachers do not have the information that they need to check on whether pupils have remembered the intended learning. As such, there are gaps in some pupils’ recall of key knowledge. The school should ensure that there are more effective assessment arrangements in place to help teachers to develop pupils’ understanding even further in these subjects. 12 and 13 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). 12 and 13 February 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.stmarysprestwich.bury.sch.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 10 and 11 September 2014, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection, there is a new senior leadership team in place. All governors have been appointed to their roles since the previous inspection and almost half of the teaching staff have started at the school since then.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  St Mary’s is a Church of England school. The school’s most recent section 48 inspection of a school with a religious character took place in March 2022. The next inspection is due before July 2027.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade. 12 and 13 February 2025

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 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. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors spoke with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, the teaching and learning leader and the coordinator for SEND, as well as speaking with governors, a representative of Bury local authority and a representative of the Diocese of Manchester.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, science and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also discussed the curriculum and the arrangements for assessment in other

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subjects. They spoke to pupils and looked at a sample of work in these subjects.  Inspectors heard pupils read individually and as part of classroom activities.  Inspectors took account of the responses to Ofsted Parent View as well as Ofsted’s online surveys for staff and pupils.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons, at breaktimes and around the school. They looked at records for behaviour and bullying and spoke with pupils and staff.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors: 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 safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.

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Inspection team

Steve Bentham, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Lindy Griffiths Ofsted Inspector 12 and 13 February 2025

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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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