Strong showing for Bognor Regis school in latest Ofsted Report

The inspection took place between September 27 and 28 and inspectors were impressed by the school in every possible category, rating it ‘good’ across the board.

This continues a trend set since St Mary’s first full inspection since July 2001, which has been rated ‘good’ every time it has ever been visited by Ofsted.

Inspectors said St Mary’s pupils ‘work hard and enjoy learning’, adding that ‘the curriculum is designed to excite and interest them through a Costal, Catholic and international approach.’

Beyond learning, inspectors found that students felt safe and cared for throughout the school, with no reports of bullying and ‘high expectations’ from adults: “Playtimes are fun and safe, and pupils say that bullying does not happen. They want everyone to feel equal. Most pupils are enthusiastic about learning, but some pupils need reminders to stay focused. They are always polite and respectful to adults. Sometimes, individual pupils need help with managing their emotions. Leaders provide well-being support to help them to improve behaviour and access learning,” the report says.

Ofsted inspectors also spoke to staff and parents about their experience with the school, who were said to glow when describing it. They said the families they spoke to were ‘thankful’ for the ‘high-quality care’ provided by school staff, and one parent said the headteacher ‘leads by example’ to create a ‘very nurturing environment.’

Despite all the praise, Ofsted said there were a number of areas in which the school could improve to increase their rating to ‘Outstanding.’ “Component knowledge is not clearly planned in some subjects,” inspectors said. “Learning in early years does not always link strongly with what is taught in the rest of the school. As a result, pupils may not know and remember more over time."

They also added that, although subject leaders are ambitious in their areas of expertise, staff subject knowledge is inconsistent across classes and not all teachers have strong subject knowledge: “Subject leaders and teachers require further professional development to help them grow and share their expertise further,” the report reads.

To read the full report, visit reports.ofsted.gov.uk.

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