Saint Mary’s Catholic Voluntary Academy is celebrating after being rated ‘Good’ in all areas by Ofsted.
The quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management and early years provision at Saint Mary’s, in Glossop, were all judged to be ‘Good’ following a two-day inspection.
Inspectors said that pupils are happy and enjoy attending Saint Mary’s.
They said: “They (pupils) feel safe and cared for by the staff. Pupils’ attitudes to learning are positive. They are respectful of each other. They show respect to the school’s religious character. Pupils know the importance of being kind. They try to show kindness every day. They do this by upholding the school’s mission, ‘Learning to love, learning to believe and learning to achieve’. “
The report noted that leaders have high expectations of all pupils at the school, which is part of the St Ralph Sherwin Catholic Multi Academy Trust.
Parents and carers are extremely happy with the school, according to inspectors. One parent, typical of many, said: “My son really enjoys his time at school and has been really supported by the staff. It is a caring school.”
Pupils’ behaviour was praised in the report.
Inspectors said: “Older pupils take on responsibilities, including as lunchtime stewards. They are role models for the younger pupils and children in school. The school environment is calm. Pupils behave well.”
The curriculum was described by inspectors as being “well planned and ambitious for all pupils.”
The report said: “The school has made rapid improvements since joining the Trust. Leaders have prioritised their work on the curriculum. They have developed strong leaders for each subject area.”
Inspectors said that children in the early years know the expectations adults have of them and follow the class routines.
“They enjoy their vibrant learning environment. Leaders ensure that all children develop their spoken language. Those children who start school with low communication and language skills receive the support they need to catch up,” the report said.
It was noted that leaders have high ambitions for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and they are quick to identify pupils’ additional needs
The wide range of opportunities to promote pupils’ personal development was also highlighted, including a number of clubs.
Inspectors said: “There is a selection of clubs on offer, including gymnastics, netball, drama and multi-sports. These clubs are popular with pupils, including disadvantaged pupils. Leaders prioritise the mental health and well-being of all pupils.”
Pupils learn about different faiths and cultures, according to the report.
Inspectors said: “Pupils learn about different faiths and cultures. They know the importance of respecting others who may be different to them. They celebrate diversity through their assemblies and the ‘character awards’.”
Arrangements for safeguarding were found to be effective, inspectors said.
Paul Ackers, Headteacher at Saint Mary’s, said: “The success of our school is down to a real team effort being in place and the findings are testament to that. The staff and Local Governing Body work incredibly hard and are fully committed to giving the best of themselves for your children. We are so very grateful to them all and it was wonderful to hear the inspectors feedback throughout the process about all the good things they were seeing and hearing.
“Equally, we are very proud of all our pupils and it was lovely to hear the inspectors talk about the children in such glowing terms.
“There are lots of positives that can be taken from the report and this is down to all the hard work that has taken place over the past few years. It has been a period of rapid growth and this has been pivotal to enabling our school to be where it is now. We also know that we can improve further and this is something that we will embrace and rise to the challenge of.”
Kevin Gritton, Chief Executive of the St Ralph Sherwin Catholic Multi Academy Trust, said: “We were delighted to see the wonderful caring community of St Mary’s captured in this report and the hard work of all of the community recognised. The school has made rapid improvements over recent years and we will continue to work closely with leaders at the school to ensure this great success story continues.”
