St Antony’s Catholic Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at St Antony's are incredibly polite, courteous and respectful.

They conduct themselves with maturity and confidence. Pupils feel safe because of the warm and caring relationships between staff and pupils. Pupils look after one another and are kind.

They play happily with one another at social times.

Pupils' behaviour is exemplary. Starting from the early years, there are clear and consistent high expectations for pupils' behaviour.

Classrooms are calm and orderly. Pupils are keen and focused learners. They support each other to do the right thing.

Pupils rise to the school's high expectations for their achievement. This is particular...ly evident in English and mathematics, where published outcomes are consistently high.

Pupils benefit from a wealth of opportunities that prepare them well for their future.

These include developing their confidence as public speakers and debaters. Pupils are active members of their school community. Every pupil has an allocated job.

Examples of these include leadership roles such as head boy and head girl or leading assemblies. Pupils proudly represent their school at events, such as performing at Windsor castle and the Globe theatre. They achieve success in national song competitions.

There is a vast range of extra-curricular clubs, such as drama, orchestra, cheerleading and a variety of sports. Educational visits provide opportunities to bring the academic curriculum to life and support pupils' learning.

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

Pupils experience an ambitious, broad and balanced curriculum.

Starting in the early years, the school has mapped out what it wants pupils to learn and when. The curriculum for the core subjects of English, mathematics and science is very established. Staff have strong subject knowledge.

Pupils' learning builds effectively over time because the precise knowledge and skills that they need to learn have been defined and are then emphasised in teaching. Gaps in pupils' knowledge are quickly identified and addressed. As a result, pupils achieve well in these areas.

In some wider curriculum subjects, curriculum thinking is not as developed as it is in the core subjects. The crucial knowledge that pupils need to know and remember is not as clearly defined. As a result, the activities pupils complete are not consistently well matched to the school's ambitions for pupils' intended learning.

In these subjects, this reduces the impact of the curriculum on what pupils learn and remember over time.

Children in the early years get off to a good start. From the provision for two-year-olds upwards, the school focuses on developing children's communication and language skills as well as foundational knowledge across the different areas of learning.

Children enjoy the range of activities available to them. These are designed to support their successful learning across the curriculum. Through the school's clear and established expectations and routines, children are also well supported to grow in their independence.

The school prioritises the teaching of reading. Pupils benefit from the routines and expectations of phonics sessions, where they have lots of opportunities to practise and recall the sounds that they have learned. Staff quickly identify and address any gaps in pupils' phonics knowledge to help everyone to keep up.

Extra support is promptly put in place where needed. Pupils read books that are appropriately matched to the sounds that they know. Pupils' reading journeys continue past the phonics programme through a curriculum that focuses well on developing specific reading skills.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) participate fully in school life. The school's inclusive ethos ensures that pupils' individual needs are swiftly identified. Leaders work with families and other agencies to plan and get extra support where this is needed.

Staff adapt activities effectively so that pupils with SEND are able to learn well alongside their peers.

The school's exceptional quality of provision for pupil's personal development plays an integral role in pupils' excellent conduct and behaviour. Beginning in early years, children develop an understanding of right from wrong.

They know that everyone has the right to be treated equally. Pupils learn about different faiths and visit places of worship. The wealth of opportunities available complements the school's vision for pupils to see themselves as 'catalysts for meaningful change'.

This approach supports the development of pupils' character. Pupils are helped to explore their feelings and emotions. They learn how to keep physically and mentally healthy.

The trust and governing body are committed to the school community. They make decisions to secure the best possible outcomes for pupils. There are clear approaches in place to make sure that the trust and governing body have oversight of the school's work.

However, the governing body is not as well informed about the impact of the wider curriculum on pupils' learning as it is for the core subjects. This means it is not able to fully hold the school to account for its impact on pupils' outcomes across the whole curriculum.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, but minor improvements are required.

Aspects of the school's oversight of its record-keeping are not as robust as they could be. The school's checks on its single central record are not rigorous enough to ensure that all required information is recorded. Records of incidents and concerns are not as systematic as they could be so that information is easily accessible and available, when this becomes necessary.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• For some of the wider curriculum subjects, the precise knowledge and skills that pupils need to learn has not been identified. As a result, the activities pupils complete do not support pupils to learn the curriculum as intended. The trust and school should ensure that all curriculum areas have the same impact on pupils' learning as seen in the core subjects.

• Some aspects of the school's work have greater strategic oversight than others. For example, the governing body's understanding of the school's work in the wider curriculum is not as strong as it is for the core subjects. The school should develop and implement approaches to strengthen oversight of all aspects of the school's provision, including the way that necessary information is recorded.