Anton Junior School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending this positive and welcoming school. They behave well and proudly demonstrate the school values of kindness and respect. Pupils are keen to learn and they show great care towards each other.

They welcome the positive relationships they enjoy with staff. Pupils appreciate how staff take care to listen to them if they have a worry.

Changes in leadership since the previous inspection have affected the quality of education.

The school is determined for pupils to achieve well, but this ambition is not realised. The curriculum is not fully developed, and it is implemented inconsistently. This means that some pupils do not achieve well enough.<...br/>
However, the school's recent work means that staff adapt lessons skilfully to support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Pupils learn to be responsible citizens through a variety of diverse extra-curricular experiences. They relish the impressive range of leadership roles on offer, including reading and anti-bullying ambassadors.

One pupil rightly described how these opportunities 'provide valuable experiences of helping others so we understand how to do this when we are older'. Pupils who are disadvantaged benefit equally well from the school's work to promote pupils' personal development.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Since the previous inspection, the school has experienced a turbulent period.

Most leaders, staff and governors are new. New subject leaders are starting to strengthen their knowledge of the curriculum and evaluate pupils' understanding. This means that pupils' learning in some subjects is not yet as strong as it should be.

Staff feel supported and recognise how recent curriculum improvements are benefiting pupils. The governing body's work to challenge and support the school is not as strong as it should be. Governors are working to improve their expertise to hold the school to account.

The school has designed a coherent curriculum in English and mathematics. In other subjects, it has broadly identified the key content it intends pupils to learn. The implementation of the curriculum is inconsistent.

Staff sometimes use secure subject knowledge, revisit previous learning and make effective use of resources to support learning. This is variable across subjects. Staff review pupils' understanding accurately in English and mathematics and use this information carefully to inform their teaching.

The school's checks of pupils' learning in other subjects are at an early stage of development.

Overall, pupils' learning is variable. In recent years, key stage 2 results in reading and mathematics have been well below the national average.

Pupils' current learning in these subjects is gradually improving. In wider subjects, pupils' grasp of key knowledge and skills remains inconsistent. This means they have important gaps in their learning.

The school has successfully strengthened the provision for pupils with SEND. It identifies individual needs swiftly. Staff are equipped with the skills to carefully adapt their teaching to provide bespoke support for pupils.

This helps pupils with SEND to make effective progress through the curriculum.

Pupils have a passion for books. The school successfully fosters a strong culture of reading.

Pupils are exposed to a broad range of engaging texts. The support for pupils at an early stage of reading is less advanced. The school has not equipped staff with expert knowledge to teach pupils who have fallen behind.

As a result, some struggling readers do not swiftly gain the skills they need to become confident and fluent readers.

Overall, pupils behave well and enjoy positive attitudes to learning. Staff have benefited from high-quality training and use a consistent approach to promote positive behaviour.

The school's actions to encourage high attendance are effective. It has successfully reduced the proportion of pupils who are routinely absent.

The school's work to promote pupils' personal development is strong.

Pupils are supported to gain a mature understanding of healthy relationships. The school prioritises teaching pupils how to look after their mental and physical health. This includes, for example, knowing the importance of diet and exercise.

Pupils are helped to acquire a sophisticated understanding of diversity and recognise the importance of treating people with respect.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Staff do not have the required knowledge to teach early reading.

This means that pupils who struggle with their reading are not supported sufficiently well to help them to catch up. The school should ensure that all staff have the knowledge and skills they need to support those pupils at the early stages of learning to read so that they can become accurate and fluent readers quickly. ? The curriculum in foundation subjects is not fully developed.

This means that pupils do not build a secure understanding in these subjects over time. The school should continue to strengthen the curriculum design and help staff to use effective teaching and assessment strategies so that pupils securely learn the intended curriculum content in the foundation subjects. ? Subject leadership is at an early stage of development.

This means that leaders do not have an accurate understanding of the effectiveness of curriculum implementation or pupil achievement. As a result, pupils' learning in some subjects is not strong enough. The school should equip subject leaders with the skills and knowledge to support teaching staff and evaluate how well pupils are learning.

• Governors do not have a strong enough oversight of the school's work. This means that governors have not challenged leaders sufficiently, including about how well pupils at the school are achieving. Governors should develop their expertise so that they can hold leaders fully to account for the school's performance.

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