St Mary's RC Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: St Mary’s RC Primary School Victoria Road, Horwich, Bolton, Lancashire BL6 6EP

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Outcome

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

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to attend this happy school. The warm and welcoming culture helps children in the early years to settle in and quickly make new friends. Older pupils value ‘bubble time’ sessions, where they talk to trusted adults if they have any worries or problems. Pupils across the school flourish and grow in confidence.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils work and play together harmoniously. For example, Year 6 pupils value their roles as buddies, where they support children in the Reception Year at breaktimes. They enjoy gaining awards for showing resilience and for being kind towards others.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school encourages pupils to aim high and to give their best. Most pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), eagerly rise to meet the school’s high expectations for their learning. They achieve well in a range of subjects.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils fulfil their many leadership roles with great diligence and pride. They make an exceptional contribution to their school and the wider community. For instance, pupils regularly lead assemblies and organise many fundraising activities. They enjoy helping other pupils learn about issues such as road safety and the importance of looking after the environment.

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

Early reading, writing and mathematics are prioritised so that future learning is built on secure foundations. Typically, pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics is significantly above the national average by the end of key stage 2. In 2024, the proportion of pupils who met the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check was significantly below the national average. The school has analysed carefully the 11 and 12 March 2025

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reasons for this dip and has taken effective action to address this drop in outcomes. As a result, current pupils are now making strong progress through the school’s early reading programme. Early readers receive effective support. They read new books, which are well matched to their reading abilities, with growing fluency.

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Developing a love of reading is at the heart of the school’s work. Pupils enjoy celebrating events such as World Book Day, where exciting reading activities take place across the school. Children in the early years relish choosing books from the ‘secret’ library. Older pupils enjoy reading a wide range of books.

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Since the previous inspection, the school’s curriculum has undergone further refinements. The curriculum is ambitious. Learning is organised in small, logical steps from the early years to the end of Year 6. Staff teach subjects with enthusiasm and explain new learning clearly to pupils. Teachers use assessment information well to address pupils’ misunderstandings rapidly.

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In most subjects, the school has ensured that earlier learning connects meaningfully with new knowledge. In these subjects, pupils build a strong body of knowledge over time. However, this work is at an earlier stage of development in some subjects. In these subjects, pupils’ learning is uneven and not as deep as it could be.

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The school accurately identifies the additional needs of pupils with SEND. However, some of the support for these pupils is not tailored closely enough to meet their individual needs. This sometimes hampers pupils with SEND from learning all that they could.

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Pupils’ behaviour embodies the school’s values. A calm and purposeful atmosphere is evident throughout the school. Ensuring that pupils attend school is a top priority. The school has effective attendance systems in place to support pupils and their families. Pupils’ attendance is above the national average.

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The school provides pupils with an impressive range of opportunities to enhance their personal development. For example, pupils enjoy visits from past pupils who are local celebrities. Pupils enjoy events such as Parliament Day, where they learn about how laws are made and see fundamental British values in action.

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Pupils relish the ‘year of live’ art and music programmes, where they enjoy visits to the Hallé and Philharmonic orchestra and attend local art galleries and museums. Pupils develop their talents and interests through a diverse range of extra-curricular clubs. Through these activities, pupils broaden their horizons. They learn that the future is filled with a raft of exciting possibilities.

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Governors perform their roles very effectively. They, and the overwhelming majority of staff, are very proud to be part of such as tight-knit team. The school helps staff to manage their workload, for example, by trialling new teaching approaches before fully implementing them. Most parents and carers would recommend the school to others. 11 and 12 March 2025

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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, the school’s work to connect earlier learning with new content is at an earlier stage of development. This means that some staff do not know the most important concepts to revisit over time. As a result, this hampers some pupils in building on earlier learning and developing a strong body of knowledge. The school should finalise its work in this area so that pupils deepen their learning in the longer term.  Some of the support for pupils with SEND is not as effective as it could be. This hinders some pupils from progressing as well through the curriculum as they could. The school should review its systems so that pupils with SEND are even better supported to learn all that they can.

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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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in March 2020. 11 and 12 March 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). 11 and 12 March 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Elizabeth Gillies

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School details

Website www.st-marys-horwich.bolton.sch.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 3 and 4 March 2020, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use alternative provision.  The school runs a breakfast club and an after-school club.  St Mary’s is a Roman Catholic school in the Diocese of Salford. The school’s most recent section 48 inspection took place in March 2024. The next section 48 inspection will happen in the 2029/30 academic year.

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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 the school and has taken that into account in her evaluation of the school.  The inspector spoke with the headteacher, deputy headteacher and other leaders. She also spoke with a representative of the diocese and the school improvement partner. 11 and 12 March 2025

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 The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector spoke to parents and considered the responses to, Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. The inspector spoke to pupils and to staff to gather their views. She also took into account the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff and pupils.  The inspector reviewed a range of documents, including those related to the governance of the school.  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 safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector discussed the school’s approach to behaviour and attendance. She spoke with pupils about behaviour and observed them when moving around the school and

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Inspection team

Louise McArdle, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 11 and 12 March 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 looked-after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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