St Peter and Paul's Catholic Primary School, Mawdesley

Strengths

• Pupils achieve well overall and are prepared well for the next stage of education.
• Attendance is above the national average, with clear monitoring systems and effective support for persistently absent pupils.
• Behaviour is positive, respectful and calm, with rare bullying and effective management of low-level disruption.
• The curriculum is broad, balanced and well sequenced, and teachers teach mixed-age classes confidently.
• Early reading is a clear priority, helping pupils become confident and fluent readers.
• Leaders and governors share a clear ambition and have driven sustained improvements.
• Governance has improved significantly since the previous inspection and provides effective support and challenge.
• Safeguarding arrangements are robust and statutory responsibilities are met.
• Personal development is well planned, including PSHE, RSHE and online safety.
• Pupils value leadership roles, clubs, trips and collective worship, which build confidence and responsibility.
• Pastoral support is highly valued by pupils.
• Pupil premium funding is used well to support disadvantaged pupils.
• Staff development is strategically aligned to school priorities and supports workload.
• The school has a community-focused ethos with positive family relationships.

Areas for Improvement

• Inclusion requires attention because support for pupils with SEND and other barriers to learning is not consistently matched to need.
• Some pupils do not receive the right help at the right time, limiting their progress.
• Adaptations and inclusive practices are not yet fully embedded or consistently effective.
• Pupils do not always have sufficient time to review and improve their work.
• Expectations for high-attaining writers are inconsistent, so the most capable writers do not always reach their potential.
• Some pupils repeat errors because written work is not reviewed enough.
• Staff do not always have or use precise information about pupils’ starting points, SEND and gaps in learning to adjust teaching consistently well.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools