St Anne's Catholic High School for Girls Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve rates of progress for students in the sixth form who are studying academic courses, particularly in English literature, mathematics and the sciences.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

• The headteacher has led her staff highly effectively so that together they have created a school where pupils are flourishing. Pupils love their school, are proud to attend it and they achieve excellent academic results. Pupils are happy, well-rounded and articulate individuals.
• Leaders and governors have a deep and accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development. This has enabled leaders to focus carefully on the correct priorities. Leaders use a range of information to assess the quality of teaching over time. Their ability to identify any issues and then to intervene quickly has been a key reason why outcomes for all groups of pupils are consistently high.
• Leaders at all levels are highly capable. Subject leaders have secured outstanding teaching in their areas and, as a result, outcomes across the curriculum are excellent. Pastoral leaders help ensure that the emotional well-being of pupils is secure and that there are high rates of attendance. The quality of their work is one of the main reasons why such high proportions of pupils report that there is always an adult that they can turn to for support.
• The rigorous targets set for performance management ensure there is an expected impact that links to the school’s priorities. All staff are routinely held to account for the quality of their work.
• Leaders do not let a pupil’s background stand in the way of academic achievement. The thorough evaluation of pupil premium funding has identified the strategies that are working well. Consequently, disadvantaged pupils, including the most able, are making progress and attaining at levels that, over time, are consistently significantly above national averages. This is the case for almost all subject areas, including English and mathematics.
• Leaders at all levels share their effective practice with other schools in a variety of ways. This includes mentoring new senior and middle leaders in developing their leadership skills, or hosting visits from other leaders to look at the school’s work.
• The quality of professional development for staff has led to outstanding teaching and leadership at all levels. Staff, including those new to the profession, report that the quality of their training is first class, that it is useful and that it makes a difference to the impact they have in their roles. Consequently, staff morale is very high.
• The curriculum is broad, balanced and evolving. Leaders routinely audit the curriculum to ensure that it meets the needs of pupils, for example introducing more work-related subjects in the sixth form. Pupils, including the most able, benefit from a wide range of extra-curricular clubs and activities outside school. Pupils were particularly keen to talk to inspectors about the ‘Growing Girls’ group, where sixth form students lead debates on topical issues for pupils in Years 10 and 11. Participation in this group is particularly high.
• Leaders of special educational needs and inclusion ensure that funding for pupils is used effectively. The number of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is low. Overall, for example, by the end of key stage 4, through careful support and tracking, pupils typically make progress better than that of other pupils nationally.
• Leadership of the sixth form is good. Leaders have implemented a lot of change in the sixth form, including the building of a new sixth form centre which has added much-needed learning space. The curriculum is improving to meet the changing needs of students, and teaching is now good; as a result, student progress on academic courses is improving rapidly. Leaders have correctly identified the actions needed to improve outcomes further.
• The development of pupils’ social, moral, spiritual and cultural (SMSC) awareness is a strength of the school. Volunteering has a high prevalence across the school, including in the sixth form. Pupils are active citizens, participating in a range of fund-raising activities to help others less fortunate than themselves.
• Pupils are reflective and they listen to the opinions of others. They have an astute understanding of modern British values. The SMSC curriculum contributes strongly in making sure diversity is celebrated. Pupils are therefore exceptionally well prepared for life in modern Britain. All pupils have an excellent equality of opportunity regardless of their backgrounds.

Governance of the school

• The governing body has an extremely thorough understanding of the school’s effectiveness. Governors challenge and support in equal measure. This is evidenced in their questioning about the impact of pupil premium funding, curriculum reviews and pupil progress in different year groups.
• The governing body has a strong range of skills that contribute to the strategic improvement of the school. Governors visit the school regularly to talk to leaders at all levels and to pupils to inform their views of the school. Therefore, the quality and rigour of their work have improved since the last inspection.
• Governors engage in a range of training opportunities. This makes a difference to the questions they ask leaders and to their attention to detail. For example, this is seen in their understanding of protecting vulnerable pupils and the use of performance-related pay.
• Governors pay full attention to the safeguarding of pupils. There is regular reporting and monitoring of early help referrals, staff training and recruitment. This contributes to the strong ethos around safeguarding at all levels of school leadership.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• The quality of staff training ensures that staff are confident in identifying and reporting any changes in pupil behaviour. A variety of leaders have had training as designated leaders in safeguarding to ensure that there is sufficient knowledge and skills on both sites of the school.
• The age-appropriateness of the safeguarding curriculum ensures that pupils are educated in staying safe, whether that be online or outside of school. Leaders are aware of local risks such as child sexual exploitation, and use a number of effective measures to manage this risk for pupils.
• Pupils report very clearly that they feel safe and that there is an adult that they can talk to at the school. Equally, almost all parents who responded to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, state that their child is safe at school and is well cared for.
• Leaders’ work in managing pupils’ transition from primary school ensures that there is a quick identification of any safeguarding concerns for young pupils. Likewise, as pupils move from the lower site to the upper site, a great deal of care and attention is taken, particularly for vulnerable pupils, to ensure that this is a smooth process.
• All pre-employment checks for staff meet statutory requirements.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

• Teachers have the highest expectations of what pupils should be able to achieve. They know their pupils well and are highly skilled in matching learning activities to reflect the different starting points of pupils in their classes. This has resulted in excellent progress over time for different groups of pupils. A pupil told an inspector: ‘teachers push us to do our best’.
• Teachers use their excellent subject knowledge to explain concepts clearly and to make learning easier for pupils to understand. They use probing questions to make pupils think deeply about their learning. This was evident in a Year 8 mathematics lesson where pupils were translating shapes using vectors. The teacher was able to quickly identify misconceptions, correct them and then move pupils on to more challenging activities. Pupils reported that this is typical.
• Pupils enjoy learning. There are strong relationships between teachers and pupils. Pupils take risks, engage in challenging activities and never settle for second best. For example, Year 11 pupils were sitting mock examinations during the inspection. At break and lunchtime, they were all studying and supporting each other in a friendly yet focused way.
• Pupils’ literacy skills in particular are highly developed. They speak with confidence and can articulate their thoughts clearly. They write fluently and accurately. Pupils are used to improving the quality of their written responses, including redrafting work where needed.
• The high-quality teaching in mathematics across all year groups ensures that pupils are confident in applying their learning to solving problems. Pupils routinely show their workings, have to tackle more difficult problems and, over time, make outstanding progress. Leaders have rightly identified that despite excellent outcomes in mathematics, there can be more opportunities for pupils to develop their numeracy skills across the curriculum.
• Teaching in the sixth form is improving quickly to match the high standards seen in key stages 3 and 4. As teachers become increasingly confident in their understanding of assessment and the content of A-level courses, the degree of challenge and accuracy of feedback is leading to stronger progress for students.
• Homework is set regularly and is purposeful. Leaders’ decisions on how to use morning registration time are effective. Pupils use some of their registration time to revise, to read or work on their feedback from teachers. Pupils engage fully with this. On learning walks across the school, inspectors saw all pupils, including those in the sixth form, completing work or reading for pleasure. Over time, this encourages pupils to be self-disciplined and to take responsibility for their own learning.
• The assessment system that leaders are using at key stage 3 is providing meaningful information to staff, pupils and parents. Parents, in their responses to Parent View, report that they receive valuable information on the progress that their child is making. Leaders’ careful tracking of pupil progress means that intervention is swift and any differences in learning are made up quickly.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• The inclusive ethos of the school and leaders’ work to prioritise the well-being of pupils have ensured that they are very happy at school. Pupils who responded to Ofsted’s inspection survey and those who spoke to inspectors were, without question, absolutely clear that they feel safe, supported and are well looked after. In the words of a pupil: ‘My achievement leader is always there, the door is never shut.’
• Pupils stated that bullying of any form rarely happens. School records support this. Pupils stated that if it were to happen there are systems in place to deal with it quickly.
• Pupils of all ages are able to talk very confidently about how to stay safe and to protect themselves from risk, including when online. They benefit greatly from a variety of age-appropriate issues relating to safety education including female genital mutilation, drugs and alcohol misuse, stress management and healthy eating. Pupils stated that they find these topics extremely useful, particularly in managing their emotional well-being. Staff are responsive to the requests from pupils. For example, leaders introduced education for pupils on breast cancer awareness.
• Careers education and guidance are of a high quality. Pupils start their guidance in Year 8 and it is sequenced through to Year 13. A range of external speakers, visits to universities or colleges and learning about apprenticeship routes all combine to offer a strong base to inform pupils’ decision-making about their next steps.
• The willingness of pupils to ‘give back’ to their community through their citizenship work is excellent. The number of pupils participating in activities with the National Citizenship Service is high.
• Leaders know pupils exceptionally well and are quick to put in place the early help needed to support pupils. This includes working with a variety of external agencies to keep pupils safe. It is striking how well leaders know pupils, even those who join the school in Year 7.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.
• Pupils have impeccable behaviour. Pupils report that poor behaviour is rare, as do staff. A high proportion of parents strongly agree that the school makes sure its pupils are well behaved. In the words of a parent: ‘The school has an excellent balance between discipline and happiness.’
• Pupils have a highly positive focus on learning. They are confident individuals who are keen to learn and to challenge themselves to do better. Pupils have well-established routines to keep them focused during the school day.
• Pupils are calm and orderly at all times, including when they leave at the end of the school day. They show full respect for their teachers and for each other. Pupils, without exception, have excellent manners.
• Pupils celebrate the differences they have, including an appreciation and understanding of different beliefs, sexual orientation and their views on issues facing them as they grow up in a changing world. Pupils listen to each other and show full respect to differing ideas and opinions.
• Sixth form students are excellent role models for younger pupils. They lead by example and interact with younger pupils in a variety of ways, including mentoring.
• Attendance is high and persistent absence is low. Leaders have effective systems to track and monitor attendance. They are quick to respond to any issues or emerging patterns. Pupils, including sixth formers, are typically punctual to lessons.

Outcomes for pupils Outstanding

• Pupils’ attainment at the end of key stage 4 across the curriculum is high. Results in the humanities, English, mathematics, the sciences and modern foreign languages are consistently significantly above national averages. Consequently, by the end of key stage 4, pupils are exceptionally well prepared for the next steps in their education.
• Pupils, including the most able, typically make significantly above-average progress from their different starting points. This is evident across almost all subjects that pupils study. In 2016, provisional information shows that almost all groups of pupils, including those from White British backgrounds, made progress that would place their achievement in the top 10% of schools nationally. Overall progress is in the top 3% of schools nationally. In 2015, almost all groups of pupils made progress significantly above national averages.
• Disadvantaged pupils, over time, have high attainment and significantly above-average rates of progress, including the most able disadvantaged pupils. For example, the proportion of disadvantaged pupils who attained an A* to C in English and mathematics in 2016 was 77%, well above the national average. This is even higher than in 2015.
• The most able pupils’ achievement is above average at the highest GCSE grades, particularly in the sciences and in modern foreign languages. The progress made is typically significantly above average across most of the subjects that most-able pupils study.
• Pupils read widely, regularly and for pleasure. Pupils read aloud regularly in lessons and those listened to by inspectors read fluently and with expression. This is a contributing factor in why literacy skills are highly developed across the school. Pupils have an excellent understanding of grammar, punctuation and spelling. They are also articulate speakers. Pupils use a range of age-appropriate language when talking about their subjects and their learning.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are typically few in number. Overall, they make progress which is typically significantly above that of others nationally. Learning support assistants are particularly effective in helping pupils to make rapid progress. They understand the needs of the pupils they are supporting and are highly skilled in questioning pupils to help them to access the learning when needed.
• Pupils who speak English as an additional language make more rapid progress compared to other pupils nationally. This is greatly helped by the effective teaching of literacy across the school.
• Lesson observations, work scrutinies, talking to pupils and reviewing the school’s assessment information show that across key stages 3 and 4, groups of pupils are making sustained progress from their starting points. Lower-ability pupils in Year 7 make rapid gains after joining the school and, over time, catch up with others in their mathematics and English learning.
• The ‘age related expectations’ model used in key stage 3 is providing the information needed to map and track pupil progress according to the school’s new policy. Consequently, pupils make sustained progress across a wide range of subjects.
• Sixth form students make excellent progress on their work-related courses. Those currently following academic courses are making good progress over time. Outcomes in some subjects, including the sciences, mathematics and English, are improving but are not yet as strong as in other academic or work-related subjects.

16 to 19 study programmes Good

• The sixth form is rapidly improving. It is also rapidly growing; for example, Year 12 is much larger than Year 13. This is because the sixth form is now proving more popular with students in Year 11. A new sixth form block opened this year and has given much-improved learning facilities for students.
• The curriculum has improved to best meet the needs of students, for example with the introduction of a variety of work-related courses, including one in science. These courses provide students with learning and experiences that link effectively to their career plans. Outcomes on work-related courses are significantly above the national average.
• Retention is improving. The proportion of students who move into higher education is well above the national average. Three students in the last two years have been successful in gaining places at Oxbridge, including two from disadvantaged backgrounds. Others were successful in gaining places at Russell Group universities.
• Progress of pupils who are entitled to free school meals is very similar to other pupils nationally on both academic and work-related courses. However, progress overall on academic courses is lower than on work-related courses. Although improving for current pupils, including the most able, leaders have correctly identified that progress on certain academic courses needs to improve more quickly. This includes mathematics, English literature and the sciences.
• Teaching in the sixth form is good. Teachers have benefited from professional development focused on improving their understanding of A-level courses and their assessment practice. Work scrutinies and observations of learning are showing that this is securing good progress over time. Middle leaders are now using the intervention strategies that are successful in key stage 4 with the sixth form. This is helping students who need it to catch up quickly.
• The range of enrichment and employability opportunities is effective. Pupils benefit from impartial careers advice, including on apprenticeships as well as university application processes.
• From the beginning of this academic year, leaders decided that students should attend study periods during the school week. Students told inspectors that this is helping them to be more independent and focused in their learning.
• Attendance for the sixth form, particularly Year 12, is high. In Year 13, it is improving rapidly. This is because leaders are following the same systems and procedures that are used in the lower school. Students’ behaviour is exemplary. They are highly effective role models for younger pupils.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 102053 Enfield 10008676 This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act. Type of school Secondary comprehensive School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Gender of pupils in 16 to 19 study programmes Voluntary aided 11 to 18 Girls Girls Number of pupils on the school roll 1,013 Of which, number on roll in 16 to 19 study programmes 167 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address John Donnelly Siobhan Gilling 020 8886 2165 http://www.st-annes.enfield.sch.uk/ admin@st-annes.enfield.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 28–29 September 2011

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school has two sites. Pupils in Years 7, 8 and 9 are taught at the lower site and pupils in Years 10 and 11 and students in the sixth form are taught at the upper site.
• The school is a Roman Catholic faith school within the Diocese of Westminster. A section 48 inspection of the school’s religious faith took place in March 2012.
• The school is of average size with a growing sixth form. It is oversubscribed for entry into Year 7.
• The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is well above the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is well below the national average.
• The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is significantly above the national average.
• Pupils who attend the school have average prior attainment from their primary school education.
• No pupils currently on roll attend alternative provision.
• The school currently meets the government floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress by the time they leave school.

Information about this inspection

• The inspection team visited a wide range of lessons across a range of subjects and year groups, including in the sixth form. Several of these were joint observations undertaken with school leaders. Inspectors also looked at the work produced by pupils and students in the sixth form.
• Meetings were held with senior and middle leaders to evaluate the impact of their work. Meetings were also held with members of the governing body, newly qualified teachers and teachers undertaking training, and different groups of pupils, including students in the sixth form. The lead inspector met with the local authority representative and had a telephone call with the director of education for the Diocese of Westminster.
• Inspectors took into account the views of 115 parents who had responded to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire. They also considered 14 responses to the pupils’ questionnaire as well as 13 responses to the staff inspection survey. Due to some technical issues for staff accessing the staff survey, inspectors considered some email communications from staff who shared their views about the work of the school.
• Inspectors scrutinised a variety of documentation provided by the school, including: assessment information for pupils currently at the school; self-evaluation; improvement plans; monitoring, evaluation and review information; surveys undertaken by the school for parents and pupils across all year groups; minutes of meetings; attendance and behaviour information; case studies; the single central record of recruitment checks; and other information relating to the safeguarding of pupils.

Inspection team

Sam Hainey, lead inspector Carmen Rodney Annie Gammon Des Dunne Joan Deslandes

Her Majesty’s Inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector