St Antony’s Roman Catholic School, a Voluntary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy their time at St Antony's School. The school community is warm and welcoming, and pupils are well cared for by staff.

As a result, pupils feel safe in school.

The school values underpin the high expectations for pupils' behaviour. Pupils behave well in lessons and around school.

They value their friends and the positive relationships that they have with staff. Pupils are happy in school and most attend regularly.

The school has recently increased the level of ambition that it has for pupils' achievement.

For example, the school has made positive changes to the quality of education that pupils receive. However, it is too soon to ...see the impact of these changes on how well pupils achieve. Some pupils do not achieve as well as they should.

Pupils benefit from the strengthened personal development offer available to them.They have many opportunities to take part in an increasing number of extra-curricular activities. These activities include sports clubs and being navy cadets.

The school supports pupils to broaden their interests and talents. Some pupils told inspectors that they were eagerly preparing for the forthcoming school production, which is the first for several years.

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

During the last two years, there have been considerable changes to the leadership of the school.

With the support of the trust, the school has taken positive action to address weaknesses in the curriculum. In the main, this has been successful. However, some older pupils have not benefited from the strengthened subject curriculums.

Some of these pupils do not learn as well as they should.

The school has carefully considered what pupils need to learn and when this content should be taught. All pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), study a broad range of subjects.

The proportion of pupils studying the English Baccalaureate suite of subjects is increasing.

Teachers have been provided with the support that they need to implement the updated curriculum effectively. In most lessons, teachers explain concepts clearly and they design learning that supports pupils to build their knowledge well.

However, on occasion, the activities that teachers select do not match the renewed ambition of the curriculum. As a result, in some subjects, pupils' learning is uneven.

The school has strengthened its processes for checking how well pupils have learned the curriculum.

Teachers identify and address most gaps in pupils' learning quickly. However, sometimes, teachers do not remedy gaps in pupils' learning as quickly as they should. As a result, some pupils' misconceptions are not rectified before they move onto new learning.

The school has prioritised reading. Pupils who find reading difficult are provided with the support that they need to catch up. These pupils are becoming confident and fluent readers.

The school has implemented a range of actions, such as the development of the school library, to strengthen the culture of reading for enjoyment.

The needs of pupils with SEND are accurately identified. The school ensures that staff have the information that they need to appropriately adapt the delivery of the curriculum.

In the main, the needs of pupils with SEND are met suitably in the classroom. However, in subjects where the delivery of the curriculum is not as strong, some pupils with SEND do not achieve as highly as they could.

Behaviour across the school is calm and orderly.

Typically, pupils are engaged and they want to learn. The school has intensified its actions to support pupils with low attendance. This has led to improved rates of attendance for most groups of pupils.

The school ensures that pupils are suitably prepared for life in modern Britain. For example, they can recall a range of important knowledge about healthy relationships and how to keep themselves safe. Pupils have a strong understanding of the importance of tolerance and respect for those who are different to themselves.

Pupils experience a comprehensive programme of personal development that includes information about careers. Pupils benefit from carefully tailored opportunities to help them to make informed choices about their next steps.

Staff are supportive of the momentum of change in the school.

They appreciate leaders' consideration of their workload while new initiatives are being introduced. Staff value the support that the school has provided to enable them to implement the changes effectively.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some teachers do not deliver the revised curriculums as well as they should. This hinders how well some pupils, including some with SEND, learn the knowledge in the curriculum. The school should ensure that teachers are supported to design learning that helps pupils to develop deeper knowledge and understanding of key concepts over time.

On occasion, some teachers do not use the school's assessment strategies sufficiently well. As a result, some teachers do not identify or address pupils' gaps in knowledge as quickly as they should. The school should ensure that teachers use assessment strategies well to remedy pupils' misconceptions and gaps in knowledge from missed or forgotten learning.

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