St Anne Line Catholic Infant School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Short inspection of St Anne Line Catholic Infant School

Following my visit to the school on 22 February 2018, I write on behalf of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education, Children's Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in December 2013. This school continues to be good.

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. You have successfully addressed the areas for improvement raised in the previous inspection report. In particular, the most able pupils are challenged to do well.

During the inspection, I saw pupils rapidly learning and appl...ying the skill of contracting words and pupils tackling challenging words with confidence during a phonics session. The work of the most able pupils shows that they make good progress over time. Similarly, you have taken on board the recommendation from the previous inspection report to further develop pupils' speaking and listening skills.

Teachers make good use of a range of opportunities to do this. Pupils communicate their ideas well and listen to what others have to say. Adults often ask questions of individual pupils which encourage those pupils to think about and share their ideas.

You agree that there is still scope for teachers to develop their questioning techniques further so that pupils can more consistently develop their communication skills in a whole-class setting. Parents and carers have well-founded confidence in the school. Many of those who completed Ofsted's online survey, Parent View, took the time to leave positive comments about how happy and well cared for their children are.

Most said they feel that their children are well taught and make good progress. Almost all of those who completed the survey would recommend the school to others. Staff are similarly pleased with the work of the school.

All staff who completed Ofsted's survey said they are proud to work at the school. They feel that they are supported to develop their own professional skills and that all pupils are challenged to make good progress. Pupils I met with told me that the school is a happy place where pupils feel well looked after and enjoy learning.

Governors provide effective challenge and support to school leaders. They are rightly pleased with the impact of the school and provide appropriate checks and balances to you as headteacher. Prior to undertaking works on a new building, for example, governors made sure it was the best use of resources.

They continue to ensure that this significant commitment does not distract leaders from their core role of making sure pupils receive high-quality education. Safeguarding is effective. You have secure practices in place to ensure the safety of pupils.

You make sure that all appropriate checks are completed on staff and other adults in the school and maintain clear records of concerns about the well-being of pupils. You understand the risks faced by pupils in your school community and are proactive in dealing with these. You seek advice when it is appropriate to do so, and you follow up on safeguarding matters to ensure that they are effectively dealt with.

You teach pupils to keep themselves safe. Pupils I spoke with were confident there was an adult in school they could talk to if something was worrying them. They said that bullying is rare and that, when it happens, staff deal with it quickly and well.

Parent View showed that most parents are similarly content. They believe their children feel safe and that bullying is not a concern. Inspection findings ? My first line of enquiry was to establish whether pupils currently in key stage 1 are making good progress in reading and writing.

In 2017, a smaller proportion of pupils than the national average achieved the expected standard in reading and writing. In addition, a smaller proportion of pupils who joined key stage 1 with high starting points reached greater depth in reading and writing than seen nationally. ? You have overhauled the way in which you teach phonics.

It is now taught well. Pupils' diaries show the range of texts pupils read, and pupils who read to me during the inspection did so with evident enjoyment. Other pupils I met with told me how they particularly enjoy learning to read.

You have successfully improved the way in which you teach pupils to read, and pupils are making good progress in this area. ? You are committed to a curriculum which broadens pupils' horizons and interests them. You believe that pupils will improve their writing more effectively if they write about experiences and topics which spark their enthusiasm.

Your chosen approach has been successful. Pupils' writing covers a diverse range of topics and shows pupils' development of style and content. Pupils are making good progress in writing through key stage 1.

• My next line of enquiry related to how well you and other leaders identify and meet the needs of specific groups of pupils. In 2016 and 2017, the attainment of pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities was lower than the average for all pupils nationally in Reception and key stage 1. In addition, over time, disadvantaged pupils have typically attained at a lower level than other pupils nationally.

• Your work to support pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is impressive. You have chosen to operate dedicated provision to support these pupils in the 'Swallow's Nest'. You have a detailed understanding of their precise needs and abilities and take great care to support them socially and academically.

With a wide range of strategies, close monitoring and well targeted support, you ensure that these pupils make good progress from their starting points. ? Disadvantaged pupils also make sound progress from their starting points, though it is not as strong as other pupils nationally. You agree that further developing your support for disadvantaged pupils would be the right next step for the school.

• My third line of enquiry related to the extent to which children in Reception make good progress. At the time of your previous inspection, there was no separate judgement for the early years, though the report commented positively on the progress children made. ? Adults provide children with a wide variety of activities which are well suited to each child's needs.

Adults base what they do on the interests, understanding and level of development of individual children. They structure tasks which build on what each child already knows and can do. Adults in Reception work closely with parents to build a shared understanding of what children should move on to next.

As a result of this well-led provision, children in Reception make good progress. Next steps for the school Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that they: ? develop teachers' use of questioning so that pupils further develop their speaking and listening skills ? continue to enhance the support they provide for disadvantaged pupils so that this significant group of pupils makes accelerated progress. I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the director of education for the Diocese of Brentwood, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children's services for Essex.

This letter will be published on the Ofsted website. Yours sincerely Andrew Hemmings Her Majesty's Inspector Information about the inspection During the inspection, I spoke with school leaders, three governors, an adviser to the school and a representative from the diocese. I visited all lessons, accompanied by leaders, and reviewed pupils' work in their books.

I looked at performance information and attendance records and reviewed a range of documentation relating to the school's development planning and safeguarding arrangements. I considered a complaint received about the school, the 19 responses to Ofsted's online questionnaire, Parent View, and the 15 responses to the staff survey. I met with pupils to discuss their views of the school, as well as listening to pupils read.

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