Ofsted

I have great pleasure in sharing the Report from our recent Ofsted inspection, in February 2023. St Mary’s has been graded as a good school in all areas of the inspection. The school last had a full, graded inspection in 2009, under a very different inspection framework. The demands of the current framework are wider ranging and more rigorous than previous ones, so we are very pleased to have achieved such a good outcome.

The inspection team recognised the many strengths of St Mary’s and I wanted to share with you a few of the comments from the report, firstly about the children.

• Pupils are very lucky to have unique experiences that they will remember for years to come.
• Pupils are part of a caring community where they feel safe and at ease.
• Pupils have a ‘love for learning’ and want to know more. Pupils are naturally curious, and adults really foster pupils’ creativity.
• Happiness can be seen in pupils’ eagerness to learn and when playing outside. Many pupils comment about kindness. Everyone looks out for each other, and new pupils settle in quickly.

The governors and staff have been working very hard to further improve learning at St Mary’s and the inspectors could see that;

• Recent changes to the school’s curriculum have been for the better. Leaders are focused on ambition in every subject.
• The collaborative, close-knit staff have welcomed the new direction and professional development opportunities.
• Pupils behave positively in lessons and work hard.
• A well-rounded education is evident in how leaders prioritise pupils’ personal development.

We will continue with our excellent work on our curriculum and our professional development programme.

Along with the Governors and the staff, I am grateful to you for your valued support and input. We will continue our work in partnership as we strive to give your children the best possible education whilst at St Mary’s.

Valerie Elliott, Executive Headteacher                

Please see our Ofsted reports here.