St Mary Magdalen Catholic Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: St Mary Magdalen Catholic Primary School Spring Street, Brighton, East Sussex BN1 3EF

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Outcome

St Mary Magdalen Catholic 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 feel at home in this school, which serves as a safe and comforting place for them to learn. Staff greet them enthusiastically each morning at the gate. Pupils’ days begin calmly with independent reading sessions where staff check in on their well-being. Pupils trust staff to help them if they have any worries. The school helps pupils to develop their confidence and aspirations for their futures. Pupils are full of enthusiasm for learning and love coming to school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious that pupils will achieve highly in their personal and academic development. Many pupils join the school at untypical times during the year and at the early stages of learning English. Some have not attended school before. They are welcomed by staff and other pupils. Pupils relish opportunities to translate for their newly arrived friends during the school day. Pupils achieve well and are ready for the next stage of their education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well. Staff understand pupils’ social and emotional needs. Any pupils who struggle with behaviour have expert support. Pupils are taught how to talk about their emotions. They understand what makes them feel calm and ready to concentrate. This helps them to focus on their learning and participate purposefully in class discussions. 24 and 25 June 2025

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

The school has developed a curriculum with language, communication and reading at its heart. This particularly benefits the large number of pupils who are at the early stages of learning English. In the early years, stories and songs are woven into children’s everyday experiences. Children are fascinated by telling stories and creating characters. They begin learning the phonics programme as soon as they start school. Checks on pupils’ learning are carried out regularly and precisely. Staff make sure that pupils understand the curriculum before moving the learning on. Pupils who struggle to read benefit from tailored support which enables them to catch up with their peers. The percentage of pupils passing the phonics screening check in Year 1 is typically below the national average. Most pupils catch up rapidly by the end of Year 2. They develop into confident, fluent readers.

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

The school has identified the important knowledge and skills that pupils need to understand. Staff know precisely what to teach and in which order. As pupils progress through the curriculum, they revisit key prior learning to deepen their understanding and make connections with new ideas. In every subject, the school has built a bank of ambitious technical vocabulary. Pupils practise this regularly through supported discussions.

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

Checks on pupils’ understanding are carried out routinely. Staff explain new concepts well. They identify misconceptions and give pupils feedback straight away, so their learning is secure. Activities and resources are adapted well, so that all pupils can access curriculum. The school has clear systems in place to identify pupils who may have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff are expertly trained to support pupils with SEND. They adapt activities and resources so that pupils with SEND can learn the same curriculum as their peers.

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

In most subjects, more formal checks on pupils’ learning are used well. The information gathered helps staff to close gaps in pupils’ understanding. However, the school has recently introduced a more aspirational mathematics curriculum. Here, the school is developing a way of checking, long term, what pupils understand and remember. As a result, gaps in pupils’ learning are not always precisely identified and some pupils may not learn as deeply as they could.

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

The school’s consistent routines and expectations for behaviour help pupils to feel safe. Pupils show high levels of responsibility as they use the school’s extensive playground equipment. The school has several initiatives to help families understand the importance of attending regularly. The school understands families’ needs and does all it can to support them to bring their children to school. The attendance of pupils has improved.

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

The school caters exceptionally well for pupils’ personal development. A broad, high- quality offer of wider opportunities brings pupils huge benefits. All pupils take part in a wide range of clubs during the school day, to develop their interests and range of experiences. Trips to places of local interest bring the curriculum to life. Pupils learn how to be responsible, active citizens through their roles as school councillors and helping to 24 and 25 June 2025

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organise school celebrations and assemblies. The school partners with local external agencies to educate pupils in keeping safe on the internet and when playing in the local area.

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Leaders and governors have a highly ambitious, coherent strategy to improve and sustain the quality of education pupils receive. They carry out their statutory duties knowledgeably. Staff are proud to be part of this school and the difference it makes to pupils’ lives.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school does not have an accurate understanding of what pupils understand and remember over time in mathematics. As a result, some gaps and misconceptions in pupils’ knowledge are not addressed and they do not progress through the curriculum as securely as they could. The school should develop ways of checking precisely what pupils understand and remember in mathematics and support them to close any gaps in their learning.

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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. 24 and 25 June 2025

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This is the first ungraded inspection since we the school to be good for overall effectiveness in November 2019.

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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). 24 and 25 June 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Headteacher Sarah Clayton (Executive headteacher)

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School details

Website www.stmarymags.brighton- hove.dbprimary.com Dates of previous inspection 13 and 14 November 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has a religious character. The last section 48 was carried out in June 2019.  The school runs its own nursery.  The school runs its own breakfast club.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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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. 24 and 25 June 2025

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 During the inspection, the inspector met with the executive headteacher and other senior leaders. She also met with a representative from the local authority and members of the local governing body.  The inspector met with some pupils to discuss their learning.  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’ interest first.  The inspector considered parents’ views expressed through Ofsted Parent View, including any free-text comments.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Throughout the inspection, the inspector met with groups of staff. She also considered the opinions expressed through the staff survey.

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Inspection team

Jo Brinkley, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 24 and 25 June 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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