St Mary's Church of England Primary School
Catchment Area, Reviews and Key Information

Primary
PUPILS
192
AGES
4 - 11
GENDER
Mixed
TYPE
Voluntary aided school
SCHOOL GUIDE RATING
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Can I Get My Child Into This School?

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This pupil heat map shows where pupils currently attending the school live.
The concentration of pupils shows likelihood of admission based on distance criteria

Source: All attending pupils National School Census Data, ONS
0151 511 7271 / 0151 511 7338

This School Guide heat map has been plotted using official pupil data taken from the last School Census collected by the Department for Education. It is a visualisation of where pupils lived at the time of the annual School Census.

Our heat maps use groups of postcodes, not individual postcodes, and have naturally soft edges. All pupils are included in the mapping (i.e. children with siblings already at the school, high priority pupils and selective and/or religious admissions) but we may have removed statistical ‘outliers’ with more remote postcodes that do not reflect majority admissions.

For some schools, the heat map may be a useful indicator of the catchment area but our heat maps are not the same as catchment area maps. Catchment area maps, published by the school or local authority, are based on geographical admissions criteria and show actual cut-off distances and pre-defined catchment areas for a single admission year.

This information is provided as a guide only. The criteria in which schools use to allocate places in the event that they are oversubscribed can and do vary between schools and over time. These criteria can include distance from the school and sometimes specific catchment areas but can also include, amongst others, priority for siblings, children of a particular faith or specific feeder schools. Living in an area where children have previously attended a school does not guarantee admission to the school in future years. Always check with the school’s own admission authority for the current admission arrangements.

3 steps to help parents gather catchment information for a school:

  1. Look at our school catchment area guide for more information on heat maps. They give a useful indicator of the general areas that admit pupils to the school. This visualisation is based on all attending pupils present at the time of the annual School Census.
  2. Use the link to the Local Authority Contact (above) to find catchment area information based on a single admission year. This is very important if you are considering applying to a school.
  3. On each school page, use the link to visit the school website and find information on individual school admissions criteria. Geographical criteria are only applied after pupils have been admitted on higher priority criteria such as Looked After Children, SEN, siblings, etc.

How Does The School Perform?

Good
NATIONAL AVG. 2.09
Ofsted Inspection
(10/07/2019)
Full Report - All Reports
58%
NATIONAL AVG. 60%
% pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics



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Progress Compared With All Other Schools

UNLOCK Well Below Average (About 9% of schools in England) Below Average (About 9% of schools in England) Average (About 67% of schools in England) Above Average (About 6% of schools in England) Well Above Average (About 9% of schools in England) UNLOCK Well Below Average (About 10% of schools in England) Below Average (About 9% of schools in England) Average (About 67% of schools in England) Above Average (About 6% of schools in England) Well Above Average (About 8% of schools in England) UNLOCK Well Below Average (About 10% of schools in England) Below Average (About 11% of schools in England) Average (About 59% of schools in England) Above Average (About 11% of schools in England) Well Above Average (About 9% of schools in England)
Castlefields Avenue South
Runcorn
WA7 2NR
01928565995

School Description

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. You are a determined and motivated headteacher who strives to meet the needs of all pupils, their families and your staff. You lead and manage your school very well. You are supported admirably by your leadership team. Together, you have driven improvements across the school, and ensured that pupils make consistently good progress. The school is a calm, happy and welcoming place. Throughout the school, vibrant displays celebrate examples of pupils’ learning and the Christian ethos. This is at the heart of everything that you do in school. Your Christian values have created an inclusive and nurturing environment. This has a direct influence on pupils’ wellbeing and their attitudes to learning. The school motto ‘learning to love, loving to learn’ contributes to the culture of caring and learning together. This is followed by everyone in the school community. Staff morale is high, because staff feel supported and valued. They appreciate the range of opportunities that they receive to improve their knowledge, skills and understanding. Those who responded to the online survey stated that they are proud to work at the school. You set high expectations for the behaviour and conduct of both pupils and staff. Pupils behave well in class and around school. Conduct across the school during the inspection was of the highest standard. Pupils wear their uniforms with pride and present their work well. Pupils are very confident and curious. They have positive attitudes to learning. The pupils with whom I spoke are proud of their school and value their education. Most parents that responded to Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey, are supportive of the school and would recommend the school to others. One comment summed up many of the positive views of parents: ‘St Mary’s is an inclusive family which helps all of its learners (to) grow, both socially and educationally.’ You have an accurate and thorough understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. You ensure that all leaders and governors also understand. This information is then used to improve the quality of provision further. The areas for improvement identified at the time of the last inspection have been addressed. Safeguarding is effective. Safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. There is a strong culture around keeping children safe throughout the school and in the wider community. All staff and governors understand their roles in keeping children safe. They receive a wide range of comprehensive training. As a result, staff are knowledgeable and know what to do if they have concerns about pupils’ safety or well-being. Checks that leaders undertake on the suitability of adults to work with pupils meet requirements. Pupils all feel safe, respected and cared for at school. Pupils that I spoke with demonstrated their knowledge of different kinds of bullying and how to stay safe online. Pupils were also in agreement that bullying was rare. If it did happen, they said that teachers would quickly sort things out. Consequently, pupils enjoy school, and their attendance is good. Inspection findings As part of this inspection, I focused on several lines of enquiry. The first concerned boys’ writing in the early years. Children enter the school with skills below those typical for their age, and with limited experiences. They make a strong start to their education because of the quality of teaching, learning and assessment. The learning environments, both inside and outside, are vibrant and well resourced. A wide range of learning activities engage children’s imaginations and develop their independence skills. Teachers use accurate assessment and children’s interests to plan activities that develop the children’s skills across the curriculum. Alongside this, teachers have spent time refining their curriculum. They plan topics and purposeful writing opportunities that engage boys. For example, during their ‘superhero’ topic, boys had the opportunity to write to the queen and apologise because her jewels were stolen. Current school assessment information and the work in boys’ books, shows that boys are making good progress in their writing. However, despite these improvements, teachers do not provide a range of opportunities for children to consolidate their reading and writing skills in free-choice activities. The next area we looked at was the progress that pupils are making in their phonic skills in Year 1. This was because the proportion of pupils who achieved the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check declined in 2018. You have acted swiftly to improve the teaching of phonics. The English leaders are knowledgeable and have a good understanding of the strengths and areas for development. They have ensured that all staff have attended recent phonic training to deepen their subject knowledge and confidence when teaching phonics. As a result, pupils are using their knowledge of letters and sounds with increasing effect in their reading and writing. However, the improvements made to the teaching of phonics are still relatively new and have not had the desired impact on pupils’ outcomes. In addition, many of the books that pupils read in school and at home are not matched well to pupils’ phonic abilities. I also looked at how leaders are improving outcomes in key stage 1 at the higher standard in reading, writing and mathematics. You have made many changes to improve teaching and learning for the most able pupils. Teachers have had targeted training. They also work with colleagues from other schools in order to improve their knowledge, skills and understanding. Teachers ensure that activities are matched well to pupils’ abilities. Pupils are challenged to extend their vocabulary. They are confident to ask what certain words mean. As a result, they are using their increasing vocabulary to good effect in their writing. For example, pupils in key stage 1, were using words like, ‘petrified’ and ‘slithered’ during a writing lesson. Additionally, the teaching of higher-order reading skills, and high-quality texts across the curriculum are having a significant impact on the current progress of the most able. In mathematics, the most able pupils are rapidly developing their mathematicalreasoning and problem-solving skills. Current school assessment information and the work in pupils’ books shows that the most able pupils are making strong progress. Finally, I focused on pupil premium funding and what leaders do to support disadvantaged pupils to catch up. This was because the attainment of disadvantaged pupils in Year 6 has remained lower than that of other pupils nationally, especially in reading and mathematics. Leaders have carried out a thorough analysis of the needs of the disadvantaged pupils. You have placed a high priority on supporting pupils’ social and emotional needs, by employing a family support worker. Until she recently left, she provided small nurture group support and counselling for pupils and their families. Pupils that spoke to me were keen to tell me that one of the best things about the school is the care and support that it provides for everyone, especially as pupils stated, ‘those who need it most’. You have recruited a new family support worker to continue this work. Leaders ensure that the progress of disadvantaged pupils is carefully tracked. The pupils receive a range of support and interventions. A team of teaching assistants provide small-group sessions and individual support so that pupils’ individual needs are met. Many of these improvements are new, and are not embedded.

St Mary's Church of England Primary School Parent Reviews



unlock % Parents Recommend This School
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>66, "agree"=>21, "disagree"=>6, "strongly_disagree"=>6, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 62 responses up to 16-07-2019
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>66, "agree"=>32, "disagree"=>2, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 62 responses up to 16-07-2019
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>50, "agree"=>37, "disagree"=>6, "strongly_disagree"=>5, "dont_know"=>2} UNLOCK Figures based on 62 responses up to 16-07-2019
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>61, "agree"=>31, "disagree"=>3, "strongly_disagree"=>2, "dont_know"=>3} UNLOCK Figures based on 62 responses up to 16-07-2019
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>60, "agree"=>24, "disagree"=>11, "strongly_disagree"=>3, "dont_know"=>2} UNLOCK Figures based on 62 responses up to 16-07-2019
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>47, "agree"=>23, "disagree"=>19, "strongly_disagree"=>6, "dont_know"=>5} UNLOCK Figures based on 62 responses up to 16-07-2019
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>60, "agree"=>29, "disagree"=>8, "strongly_disagree"=>2, "dont_know"=>2} UNLOCK Figures based on 62 responses up to 16-07-2019
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>39, "agree"=>23, "disagree"=>13, "strongly_disagree"=>3, "dont_know"=>23} UNLOCK Figures based on 62 responses up to 16-07-2019
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>53, "agree"=>21, "disagree"=>8, "strongly_disagree"=>16, "dont_know"=>2} UNLOCK Figures based on 62 responses up to 16-07-2019
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>53, "agree"=>26, "disagree"=>11, "strongly_disagree"=>8, "dont_know"=>2} UNLOCK Figures based on 62 responses up to 16-07-2019
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>52, "agree"=>29, "disagree"=>13, "strongly_disagree"=>6, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 62 responses up to 16-07-2019
Yes No {"yes"=>79, "no"=>21} UNLOCK Figures based on 62 responses up to 16-07-2019

Responses taken from Ofsted Parent View

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