St Mary's Catholic Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: St Mary’s Catholic Primary School Arden Road, St Mary’s Catholic School, Henley-in-Arden, Warwickshire B95 5LT

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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 principal of this school is Alice Wilson. This school is part of Our Lady of the Magnificat Multi-Academy Company, 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. There is also an executive principal, Owen Finnigan, who is responsible for this school and two others.

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What is it like to attend this school?

St Mary’s is a welcoming school that sits at the heart of the local community. Pupils achieve high standards in reading, writing and mathematics. It is a school that staff, pupils and parents are right to be proud of.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school sets clear expectations for how pupils should behave. Staff consistently expect pupils to behave well, and pupils rise to these expectations. They are incredibly polite and respectful. Pupils are highly motivated to learn. They know that if they have a worry, an adult will help them to sort it out. Pupils feel happy and safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There is a range of inclusive extra-curricular and enrichment activities. These include community club, hockey and choir. Pupils have visited a living museum as part of a history topic. They take part in an annual residential visit to London to watch a theatre show.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn how to be responsible citizens through one of a range of leadership roles at the school. These include head boy, head girl and ‘Mini Vinnies’. Pupils fundraise for an annually appointed charity. They are taught about the importance of how their actions impact positively on the local community. Pupils have recently created care packages for patients at a local hospital. 18 March 2025

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

The school has created an ambitious curriculum. Staff possess the right expertise to teach the curriculum as it is set out. They implement the curriculum effectively for most pupils. Misconceptions are noticed and addressed swiftly. Regular checks of pupils’ learning take place, including regular revisiting of important knowledge. Some of these methods for checking pupils’ knowledge have recently been implemented. Most pupils remember important knowledge across the curriculum over time. However, in a few subjects, some pupils do not remember important knowledge across the whole curriculum. This affects pupils’ achievement in these subjects.

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

Reading is a top priority. Staff are experts at teaching early reading. Children are taught phonics as soon as they join the school in early years. Staff model with precision and provide pupils with lots of opportunities to practise using their new phonics knowledge. The school makes sure that daily support occurs for pupils who need additional help to keep up with their peers. Pupils read a wide variety of texts, both at school and at home. These include library books and texts matched to their phonics knowledge. Pupils are encouraged to read for pleasure. As a result, pupils achieve high standards in reading.

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

The early years environment is warm and friendly. Staff are very caring. They have identified that some children need further support with their fine motor skills as they join the school. Staff have made sure that there are lots of activities to develop fine motor skills effectively, such as using tweezers to pick up small objects. Children regularly take part in outdoor woodland activities. They are well prepared for Year 1.

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

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are identified quickly. The school provides additional support for some pupils with SEND and works well with external agencies. The school has ensured that staff have the appropriate expertise to support pupils with SEND. Recently, staff have received training on how to adjust their teaching to better meet the needs of individual pupils. However, the school does not always ensure that these strategies are implemented effectively. As a result, some pupils with SEND are not as well supported as they could be. This affects their achievement.

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

The school has clear expectations that pupils should be punctual and attend school regularly. As a result, pupils attend school on time. Attendance rates are very high.

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

Pupils are prepared for life in modern Britain. They know how to keep themselves safe, both online and in the local community. They know not to share personal information online and have trusted adults that they can talk to if they have a worry.

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

Pupils demonstrate that they understand what democracy means. They take part in a democratic vote to decide on the head boy and head girl. Pupils are very accepting of other faiths and beliefs that are different from their own.

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

Governors and trustees know their roles and responsibilities. They use important information to challenge and support the work of the school effectively. They hold leaders 18 March 2025

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to account fully. Staff report that their workload is very well managed. Their well-being is supported successfully.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, pupils do not remember important knowledge. This affects how well pupils achieve in these subjects. The school should consistently implement recently introduced assessment methods to make sure that pupils remember important knowledge across the whole curriculum.  Support strategies for some pupils with SEND are not implemented consistently. As a result, these pupils do not always receive the support they need to access learning successfully, which can affect the progress they make. The school should ensure a consistent approach to supporting pupils with SEND across all classes, so they can achieve ambitious outcomes.

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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, St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, to be good for overall effectiveness in December 2012. 18 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). 18 March 2025

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School details

Website www.stmaryshenley.warwickshire.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 14 January 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school runs a before- and after-school club.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.  The school is part of Our Lady of the Magnificat Multi-Academy Company, comprising 18 schools.  The school’s last Section 48 inspection was in September 2022.

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Information about this inspection

n Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision. n 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. 18 March 2025

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n Inspectors met with the principal, executive principal and other leaders. Inspectors held a meeting with directors of the trust board and members of the local governing board. Inspectors met with a representative from the Arch Diocese of Birmingham, the CEO and other leaders from the trust. Meetings were held with curriculum leaders, teachers and support staff. n Inspectors visited a sample of lessons, spoke with pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. n Inspectors listened to pupils reading to a familiar adult. n Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour and interactions during lessons and at breaktimes and lunchtimes, and they spoke to many pupils during the inspection. n 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

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safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first. n Inspectors considered responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View. This included free-text comments. The inspectors spoke to parents. The inspectors also reviewed responses to Ofsted’s online staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Emma Titchener, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Roulla Gabriel Ofsted Inspector 18 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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