St Anthony’s School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thrive in this highly ambitious school. They happily attend school regularly and feel safe because they know that adults here will do what is best for them. Pupils receive expert and bespoke support.

This includes high-quality therapy and skilled communication support. It is because of this that pupils here achieve exceptionally well as independent and enthusiastic learners and move on to ambitious next steps.

Pupils' behaviour is excellent in all areas of the school.

They develop a strong sense of why it is important to behave well. The school's well-planned approach to support behaviour really helps them with this. Sometimes, pupils do find it hard t...o regulate their emotions.

This happens rarely, but when it does, staff are sensitive and skilful in the support they provide. Pupils are aware of and appreciate the high expectations that staff have for them here. They work very hard to meet these both in and outside of the classroom.

Pupils' personal development is at the core of everything that happens at the school. Through the precisely planned community trips and their personal and social development lessons, pupils learn the skills they need to make a positive contribution to society.

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

The school has put in place an innovative curriculum that is extremely well matched to the needs of the pupils.

It is well sequenced and extremely ambitious. The specific knowledge and experiences that each pupil needs to be ready for the next stage in their learning are carefully mapped out. This careful planning starts in the early years, where adapted activities spark children's curiosity and interest.

It is in this phase that they learn how to interact and communicate through well-executed sensory activities. From this, the foundations for future learning are established and they are ready to succeed in Year 1.

Reading is an integral part of the school's curriculum.

All staff are trained to be expert teachers of phonics. Phonics teaching is ambitious and highly personalised to each individual pupil. Staff accurately check pupils' phonics knowledge and gather information from these assessments.

From this, they proficiently map out not just what each pupil will learn, but the way in which they should learn it, based on their needs. Along with regular story and reading time, these approaches mean that pupils develop their confidence and love of stories.

The school has a well-considered training package for staff.

Staff have strong knowledge of special educational needs and/or disabilities as well as of their subjects. They are highly adept at making the most effective changes to lesson activities so that these are specifically matched to each pupil. As a result, pupils achieve exceptionally well through the entire curriculum.

Staff are determined that pupils will be ready for the next stages in their lives. As pupils move into the secondary phase, they receive a highly individualised and high-quality careers programme. As part of this, the school provides visits for pupils to places of work in their community early on in key stage 3.

These vital encounters give pupils the skills and confidence they need to take part in appropriately matched work experience placements. In turn, these help to make pupils confident and prepared for their next steps.

Pupils' personal development is further enhanced through the school's strong therapeutic provision.

Expert professionals are highly effective at knowing pupils' needs and matching specific support to help them. This begins in the early years with the very well implemented 'little group' sensory activities. It is here where pupils start to develop a sense of self awareness and awareness of others around them.

This extensive work to develop pupils' ability to be part of a group builds through the school. It is from this starting point that pupils learn to understand and respect that people are different. In addition, they celebrate various cultural and religious festivals in school and are proudly inclusive.

The school has the highest expectations for how pupils will behave. Staff carefully provide the optimum environment to help pupils to self-regulate and be calm and focused. Pupils here are excited to learn.

They have been expertly taught the rules and routines of the school and they actively encourage each other to behave well.

Staff are very motivated and proud to work at this school. They feel valued by leaders and know that their well-being is a high priority.

Those that lead the school are extremely knowledgeable and experienced. They do not sit still in their work to constantly improve the provision, so it is the very best it can be for the pupils who come here.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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