Statement Of Intent

St Mary and St John Catholic Primary continues to be an excellent school by providing a high quality of education that results in aspirational and ambitious children who believe that there are no limits to what they can achieve. We are an outstanding school and this was reiterated in the most recent OFSTED Section 5 graded inspection (March 2023).

The curriculum is broad, exciting and responsive to children’s needs and interests, giving them the knowledge and cultural capital needed to succeed in life and it is taught by committed and outstanding staff who have children at the heart of what they do. By the time they leave St Mary and St John Catholic Primary School at the end of Year 6, children have achieved excellent attainment and progress and reached standards that equip them exceptionally well for their future.

• The school’s catholic ethos underpinned by strong spiritual, moral, social and cultural values prepare children well for life in 21st century Britain and lays the foundations for the mission and vision of all stakeholders.

• The quality of education is outstanding with all groups of children experiencing a broad, relevant, inclusive and challenging curriculum that addresses their needs and within the context of the community, leading to children achieving well, both in terms of attainment and progress.

•  Progress in Early Years, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 is a key strength where the school successfully builds on prior learning for all pupils and this is reflected in the high outcomes achieved in the national assessments in reading, writing and mathematics in Year 6 over at least the previous five years (prior to the pandemic) and in Summer 2022 and 2023. The curriculum is underpinned by strong spiritual, moral, social and cultural values that prepare children well for life in 21st century Britain. Pupils encounter a very wide range of opportunities and challenges in the curriculum, together with an extensive range of extra-curricular activities, which helps to build their confidence and resilience, giving them the knowledge and cultural capital they need to succeed in life.

• Pupils demonstrate excellent behaviour and attitudes to learning both around school, in lessons and at break times. This was identified in both our recent OFSTED inspection (March 2023) and during our most recent Section 48 RE inspection (Sept 2019) where it was highlighted that ‘behaviour is exemplary in lessons..’ . Pupils respond positively, understand the boundaries that are set and live out the school’s Mission Statement and values to the extent that they know why they should behave well without prompting. Incidents of misbehaviour and/or bullying are rare and always tackled thoroughly and resolved.

• The personal development of pupils is outstanding and children have developed the self-confidence, strength of character, resilience and determination to succeed in their future lives, as recognised in our most recent Section 48 inspection monitoring visit where it was identified that, ‘pupils relish the many opportunities and responsibilities they are given.’  As a result children are well equipped to ensure that they can keep themselves safe, appreciate and respect the diversity in their communities and beyond and are keen to actively involve themselves in a wide range of community activities. Safeguarding processes are consistent and explicit, individual children’s specific needs are addressed sensitively in a timely manner.

•  Attendance remains above the national average because the overwhelming majority of pupils want to be in school, on time, and enjoying all the exciting opportunities that are made available to them. The school is also relentless in following up absences and sustaining effective relationships with parents.

• The governors and school leadership team share an aspirational vision for the school. This is based upon the principles of strong basic skills, broadened by an enriched curriculum that extends to developing pupils’ cultural capital through the wide ranging menu of sporting and creative activities that are available and consistently used by children of all abilities and backgrounds. Governors wide range of expertise ensures that the school is managed effectively, financially secure, meets its statutory obligations and staff feel appropriately challenged yet well supported. The headteacher and governors have invested significantly in supporting and developing senior and middle leaders thus building the school’s capacity for sustaining future and further improvements. Through sustained professional development, the pedagogy throughout the school is of an outstanding quality and is significantly influencing the expertise of subject leaders. As a result, teachers are confident with all subjects and are astute in using formative assessments in planning the next steps in children’s learning.

• Early Years provision is of the highest quality and undoubtedly forms the solid foundations for children to be ready for the challenges that lay ahead. On entry to school many children are lacking basic skills (especially communication and language) but the quality of provision, the stimulating environment and the breadth of experiences all combine to enable children to make excellent progress and this has been reflected in the end of year GLD results over time and again in Summer 2022 and 2023.

• The overwhelming majority of pupils contribute to outstanding attainment and make at least expected or above progress from Key Stage 1 to the end of Key Stage 2 and this is reflected in the ‘above national’ assessments results in reading, writing and mathematics in Year 6 over at least the past three years (prior to the pandemic) and achieved again in July 2022 and 2023.