St Anne’s RC Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

St Anne's RC Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are incredibly proud to be a part of this nurturing and caring school.

They are confident, kind and highly articulate individuals. Older pupils, in particular, can speak with maturity and clarity about a range of different topics.

Pupils value their education.

They work hard in lessons and make great effort in meeting the school's high standards for their academic achievement. From the early years, pupils show kindness and consideration to others, for example by holding open doors and listening to eac...h other politely. There is an atmosphere of happiness, calm and purpose throughout the school.

Pupils relish learning from the wide range of exciting trips and visits on offer. Many pupils participate in the experiences that the school offers to help them learn beyond the academic curriculum. For example, by joining in with clubs such as calligraphy, sewing and craft.

Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are encouraged to represent their school in a wide range of sporting tournaments. Many do so, receiving strong support from the rest of the school.

Pupils are highly respectful of others.

They enjoy recognising and celebrating the diversity in their community, while sharing the common identity of being highly regarded and important members of their school.

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

The school has put in place a clear and coherent curriculum which sets out the important knowledge that pupils will learn. Pupils learn the content in a carefully considered order which helps them to build knowledge over time.

In the main, staff help pupils to learn well. They have secure subject knowledge and routinely check that pupils are learning the intended lesson content. Where appropriate, staff provide timely feedback to address any misconceptions that pupils may have.

Pupils with SEND are identified quickly. However, sometimes, teaching is not adapted well enough to help pupils to embed important knowledge. Consequently, occasionally some of the approaches used do not help a small number of pupils, including those with SEND, to learn the curriculum as securely as they could.

The school has developed its use of assessment strategies to understand how well pupils are learning the curriculum. It uses this information effectively to make necessary changes and to proactively address any areas for development.

At the end of the previous academic year, the school quickly recognised that some pupils were not achieving as well as they could in phonics and in English, grammar punctuation and spelling.

Pupils' learning had been severely hampered by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The school has taken precise and swift action to ensure improvements to those aspects of the curriculum. For example, it has introduced a more specific approach to help older pupils practise spelling patterns.

It has also ensured that the phonics programme is delivered with fidelity and that staff are supported well. Pupils practise reading from books that match the sounds that they know. Pupils who are not keeping up with the intended pace of learning, or who have joined the school mid-year, are quickly spotted and helped to catch up quickly.

Pupils live up to the school's high expectations of their conduct. They welcome people into their school community with friendly words and warm smiles. The school analyses attendance information with rigour.

It uses this information highly effectively. For example, to provide challenge and support to families in overcoming any barriers that they may have in helping their children attend school regularly.

The school has created a thoughtful and ambitious programme to enhance pupils' personal development.

Pupils learn about how to stay safe in their locality, for example by learning about tram safety and about staying safe online. The school offers pupils leadership opportunities, such as being leaders of the school's religious groups or members of the eco council. Pupils can take part in a range of exciting trips and visits to help them learn through lived experiences.

Pupils value these highly. They also readily embrace learning about important social factors, such as fundamental British values and protected characteristics, to help to prepare them well for life in modern Britain.

Members of the governing body understand the school's context and its role within the community.

They support staff to manage their workload, for example, through providing dedicated time to carry out administrative tasks. However, many members of the governing body are new to their role. This means that, sometimes, the governing body does not challenge or support the school as well as it could.

This limits the impact of its strategic work. Nonetheless, governors are dedicated and focus their work on ensuring that pupils' needs remain central to the school's decision-making.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Occasionally, teaching approaches do not help pupils to connect or embed key information effectively. Consequently, a small number of pupils, particularly pupils with SEND, are not supported in securing their knowledge as well as they could. The school should develop staff's expertise so that they can effectively adapt learning to help pupils, particularly those with SEND, learn as well as they can.

• Due to the newness of many of its members, the governing body sometimes does not challenge or support the school as well as it could. This means that, on occasion, the governing body's work is not as effective as it should be. The school should ensure that new governors receive appropriate support and training to enable them to carry out their roles effectively and to gain a clear and accurate view of the school's work to ensure that it continues to improve.

Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted's website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade.

This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school's work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in June 2015.