St Anthony’s Catholic Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy at this welcoming school. They enjoy learning and socialising with their friends. Pupils respect and value diversity.

They are quick to help and support each other.

The school has high aspirations for pupils' achievement. This includes for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Pupils are positive about school and their learning. Typically, they achieve well. Year 6 pupils are well prepared for their secondary education.

Pupils behave well during lessons and at playtimes. They are kind to one another. Pupils relish the praise and rewards that they receive for following the school's rules.

Pupils be...nefit from a rich set of experiences that go beyond the academic curriculum. For example, they spoke excitedly about gymnastics, cycling and orienteering, as well as city visits and residential trips. These experiences enable pupils to develop exciting new interests and find unexplored talents.

Pupils excel in their various roles. These responsibilities include acting as head pupils, prayer leaders and fairtrade warriors. Pupils learn to care for animals, including the school's therapy dog.

Older pupils organise clubs for their younger peers. Pupils make a tangible contribution to school life through these roles. This contributes strongly to pupils' personal development.

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

Following the previous inspection, the school has successfully revised the curriculum to ensure that it is well organised. This enables children in the early years and pupils in key stages 1 and 2 to build up their knowledge logically and securely.

Improvements to the curriculum have ensured that staff have greater clarity about the important learning that they should focus on within their classes.

Typically, staff explain new concepts clearly and use a range of strategies to check pupils' understanding. However, in a small number of subjects, some pupils have gaps in their knowledge and subject-specific vocabulary, due to weaknesses in the previous curriculum. This sometimes makes it difficult for these pupils to make connections between their existing knowledge and new learning.

The school is in the early stages of implementing the revised curriculums. Even so, staff have embraced the expectations of the new curriculum. In the main, staff select activities that enable pupils to develop their knowledge in a logical and coherent way.

Nevertheless, from time to time, the activities that some staff choose to deliver curriculum content do not support pupils to deepen their knowledge as well as they could. Occasionally, this hinders how well some pupils, including those with SEND, learn.

Reading is important in this school.

Pupils read from a wide range of interesting books. Staff have received suitable training to deliver the phonics programme effectively. Pupils read from books that match their current phonics knowledge.

Staff have the expertise that they need to identify when pupils find reading difficult. If this happens, pupils receive the help that they need to catch up quickly. As a result, most pupils learn to read with fluency and accuracy.

Pupils with SEND access the same ambitious curriculum as their peers. The school identifies pupils' additional needs swiftly. Staff are well trained to adapt their delivery of the curriculum.

This means that pupils with SEND can learn well alongside their classmates.

There is an atmosphere of calm and order around school. Pupils work well together on tasks during lessons.

Children in the early years enjoy learning new things and take an active part in their own learning. The school is reviewing its actions to promote higher rates of attendance at school. Although this work is in its infancy, in the main, most pupils attend school regularly.

The school places a great emphasis on pupils' personal development. Pupils enjoy learning about different cultures, religions and families that make up modern Britain. They know how to keep themselves safe while online and how to keep themselves physically and mentally healthy.

Pupils are well prepared for their future lives.

Governors understand their statutory duties and fulfil their responsibilities well. They assure themselves about the quality of education that pupils receive by supporting and challenging the school well.

The school is considerate of staff's workload and well-being. For example, it considers how best to implement new initiatives without overburdening staff.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a small number of subjects, some pupils have gaps in their knowledge and subject-specific vocabulary, due to weaknesses in the previous curriculum. This makes it difficult for them to make connections when they learn new content. The school should ensure that it identifies the remaining gaps in pupils' knowledge and understanding, so that they can successfully build on prior knowledge when learning new concepts.

• On occasion, the activities that staff select to deliver the curriculum do not help pupils to deepen their knowledge as effectively as they could. This hinders some pupils, including those with SEND, from learning all that they should. The school should equip staff to design learning activities that support pupils to acquire knowledge well so that they know and remember more across the curriculum.

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