St Mary’s receives outstanding Diocesan inspection report

St Mary’s School has received the highest possible grading in a recent Diocesan inspection report undertaken by the East Anglia Diocesan Schools’ Service.

We received the highest ‘Grade 1’ rating of Outstanding in all three areas assessed by inspectors in June 2022: Catholic Life, Religious Education and Collective Worship.
 
Inspectors praised St Mary’s as ‘a school where everyone is respected and valued for who they are’, with the quality of leadership described as ‘extremely strong; it is both enterprising and aspirational.’ 

Inspectors reported ‘it is evident that the core Gospel values lie at the heart of life in school, clearly witnessed by the positive and caring relationships that exist between all groups.’

The pastoral care for both students and staff was said to be ‘outstanding, and indeed, a strength of the school.’ When observing students, inspectors said ‘it is evident that pupils enjoy their learning in RE and feel challenged and motivated by the content and skills presented in a variety of creative and engaging ways.’ They also said that ‘from the youngest age, pupils are highly articulate and use a well-developed religious vocabulary during discussions.’
 
Headmistress at St Mary’s School, Charlotte Avery, said:

“We are delighted with the outstanding conclusions from our recent Diocesan inspection. The feedback received demonstrates how successful we have been at building a school within a moral and spiritual framework that helps our students to navigate their path in an often uncertain world. At its core, St Mary’s is an independent Christian school, in the Catholic tradition and we welcome girls from all faiths and secular backgrounds to join our diverse and nurturing school community.”

Listen to Mrs Avery's response to the report findings:

Read the full Diocesan inspection report