St Anne’s CofE (Aided) Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

St Anne's CofE (Aided) Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a friendly, welcoming school where leaders and teachers have high expectations of pupils. Staff teach pupils the importance of tolerance and respect.

Adults model these characteristics each day. As a result, pupils are safe and happy, and they enjoy collaborating with each other during lessons and at play times. They work hard and are enthusiastic about their learning.

Pupils enjoy a range of clubs and other after-school activities. They particularly like taking part in sporting events. Pupils also enjoy the many trips and special events that staff organise t...o support their learning.

For example, pupils in Year 5 and Year 6 take part in a residential trip each year.

Most parents and carers speak highly of the school. They say that their children are happy, safe and well looked after.

The pupils who I spoke with told me that although behaviour is good, bullying does happen from time to time. However, they also said that staff soon sort any problems out.Pupils wear their uniforms with pride and rarely miss a day.

They are also proud to wear their 'Golden Promises' badges. These reflect their commitment to the school's key values, which are based around care, honesty and respect.

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

Reading is promoted well across the school.

From their very first days in the Nursery class, children are introduced to stories, poems and books. Teachers are skilled at teaching phonics. As a result, most pupils reach the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check.

Those pupils who fall behind receive regular, effective support. Staff ensure that these pupils read regularly. Staff also ensure that the books children and pupils read are well matched to their ability.

As they move through the school many pupils develop a love of reading. The older pupils who I met with were confident and competent readers. Pupils achieve well in reading at the end of key stage 2.

Pupils also achieve well in mathematics. The school's mathematics curriculum is well planned and well structured. This helps children in the early years to develop a good understanding of numbers.

As children move though the school, the curriculum places a strong focus on arithmetic. This helps to ensure that pupils are confident and competent when asked to use and apply their calculation skills to solve problems.

Leaders have developed a strong personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) curriculum.

It is planned around topics such as equality, keeping safe and mental health. Staff encourage pupils to see themselves as valued individuals who can make a difference to the community in which they live. This work also contributes to pupils' good behaviour.

The school offers many opportunities for pupils to learn outside of the classroom. Recent visitors to the school include a mountain rescue team and a theatre group. All pupils learn a musical instrument.

They can also join the school choir or join one of the many sports clubs.

Leaders have also made sure that the school supports pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) well. These pupils are fully involved in the life of the school.

This group achieves as well as others in the school.

School leaders have recently reviewed the curriculum plans that teachers are required to follow in subjects other than English and mathematics. They recognised that, in many subjects, there was not enough clarity about what pupils need to learn and when they need to learn it.

The new plans, which have recently been introduced, provide a much clearer structure for teachers to follow. The plans are already having a positive impact on pupils' learning.

The pupils who I met with said that they enjoyed history because they liked learning about the past.

However, the work in their books showed that there are many gaps in pupils' learning in this subject. This is mainly due to previous weaknesses in the history curriculum. However, pupils' learning has also been limited by the lack of challenge in the work that teachers set.

This has prevented many pupils from developing their knowledge and understanding of key events from the past and how they have influenced our lives today.

Staff are fully supportive of the school's leadership team. All of those who responded to the Ofsted staff survey said that school is well led and managed and that they feel well supported.

They also said that leaders do all they can to ensure that the school has a motivated, respected and effective teaching staff.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have developed effective systems to safeguard pupils.

All members of staff understand their role in protecting pupils and know what action to take if they have any concerns about a pupil's safety or welfare. Leaders ensure that appropriate checks are made on all adults who work with pupils in the school. Safeguarding records are well maintained and stored securely.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

Leaders have recently drawn up plans to improve the quality of the curriculum in subjects other than English and mathematics. However, although these plans have been introduced they have not yet had the desired impact on pupils' learning. Leaders now need to ensure that teachers implement the plans effectively so that pupils are able to learn more and remember more in all subjects.

Ofsted's transition arrangements were used on this inspection to confirm that pupils benefit from a good quality of education. . Some teachers do not have a good enough understanding of how well pupils are developing their knowledge and understanding in history.

As a result, pupils in some classes are not learning well enough in history. Leaders need to ensure that all teachers make good use of assessment to plan learning that builds effectively on what pupils already know or can do.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called a section 8 inspection of a good school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged St Anne's CofE (Aided) Primary School to be good on 26–27 March 2012.

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