St Anselm's College Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of teaching by:
  • ensuring that teachers use their assessment of where pupils are in their learning to plan effectively for more rapid progress
  • ensuring that pupils have the opportunity to think for themselves
  • ensuring that pupils are challenged in all lessons to achieve academic excellence.
• Improve the quality of leadership and management by:
  • ensuring that there are sufficiently high aspirations and expectations of what pupils can achieve
  • ensuring that leaders have an accurate view of the quality of provision across the school to ensure that pupils make the progress of which they are capable
  • ensuring that the school’s assessment and feedback policy is consistently implemented
  • ensuring that teaching develops a thirst for learning and allows pupils to excel across a range of subjects, especially at key stage 3.
• Improve the rates of progress made by:
  • disadvantaged pupils, including the most able disadvantaged pupils, so that they make similar progress to other pupils nationally with the same starting points
  • pupils so that they achieve the standards of which they are capable and so that they attain the highest grades
  • students following academic courses in the sixth form so that they reach their full potential. A review of governance should be undertaken to assess how governors may improve their work. A review of the use of pupil premium funding should take place to check how this aspect of the school’s work could be improved.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management

Requires improvement

• Leaders, including governors, do not have sufficiently high aspirations for what pupils can and should achieve. They have allowed standards to decline since the previous inspection and have not acted quickly enough to improve the quality of teaching so that it consistently promotes high levels of progress. Although leaders have started to address shortfalls, current information provided by the school does not convincingly show that pupils in Year 11 this year will make the progress of which they are capable. Leaders recognise that expectations are not high enough in relation to pupils’ typically high starting points and are now addressing this. It is, however, too early to see the impact of their work.
• Leaders, including governors, have an overgenerous view of the quality of education provided by the school. Their actions to ensure that pupils make the progress that is expected of them have been inconsistent. Leaders have not acted swiftly enough to address underperformance in some subjects, especially English and science.
• Leaders do not have sufficiently rigorous information to inform them how well pupils are doing across the school and across subjects. Consequently, although pupils achieve good grades in their examinations and assessments, these grades are not high enough in relation to their very high starting points. Leaders have new systems for target-setting and for measuring the progress pupils make to ensure an increase in challenge. It is, however, too early to see the impact of those new systems on pupils’ progress.
• The systems leaders use to assess the quality of teaching, learning and assessment are not yet sharp enough. Consequently, leaders have been too slow to acknowledge that pupils are underchallenged in some subjects. This is because teachers do not consistently plan learning that stretches and challenges pupils or promotes scholastic excellence. As a result, pupils do not make the excellent progress of which they are capable.
• Leaders do not ensure that teachers use the school’s marking and assessment policy consistently well. Pupils are sometimes unclear as to whether their classwork is correct. Teachers’ feedback is not consistently effective in helping them to know what the next steps are in their learning. Pupils’ books do not provide a secure revision base because misconceptions are not routinely identified. In some subjects, for example English, there is a lack of challenge to ensure that pupils achieve as well as they should. A small number of parents have concerns about these issues.
• The progress made by disadvantaged pupils, including the most able disadvantaged pupils, is not yet good. Leaders’ use of the additional funding from the government to support disadvantaged pupils is not having an impact on pupils’ progress. Leaders have plans in place to improve the support disadvantaged pupils get; however, it is too soon to see the impact of those strategies.
• Leaders do not ensure that there is adequate support for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. As a result, these pupils do not do as well as they should.
• The curriculum, although it is broad and balanced, sometimes does not allow pupils to complete the combination of qualifications that they wish to study. Some pupils are unhappy that, if they study separate sciences for example, they cannot also take an art or technology subject. As a result, pupils do not always study the breadth of qualifications of which they are capable. The impact of the school’s current mixed-ability structure in all subjects, except science and mathematics, is that teachers do not routinely plan for the full range of abilities within their class. As a result, some pupils do not make the progress of which they are capable.
• Leaders, alongside the school improvement partners, have reviewed their plans to improve the standards in the school following the disappointing 2016 results. Leaders’ action plans are clear and identify how improvements will be made. As a result, there is clear capacity to improve the school. It is currently, however, too early to see any impact from those plans.
• Leaders know opportunities for teachers’ ongoing training require strengthening. Leaders recognise the importance of evaluating the effectiveness of the current programme to improve the overall quality of teaching.
• On the rare occasions when leaders make use of alternative provision, pupils’ behaviour, attendance and progress are tracked. As a result, pupils continue to make progress and leaders ensure that they are safe.
• The school’s procedures for assessing teachers’ performance against the teachers’ standards are robust.
• Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is of the highest quality. Tutor time is a powerful experience. Leaders commit to providing a wide range of opportunities to enhance pupils’ development. The Catholic life of the school also provides pupils with the opportunity for spiritual reflection and Christian worship. As a result, pupils gain a good understanding of the school’s commitment to the ‘Eight Essentials of Edmund Rice Education’.
• The school offers a full range of experiences, including overseas visits, musical productions, concerts, charity work, community volunteering opportunities and sporting activities. Pupils are proud of their excellent achievements and they value this feature of an Anselmian education.
• Leaders’ work to promote British values is strong. Pupils have a strong grasp of the democratic process and they are tolerant of other people’s views. The teaching of equalities is also a key strength. Pupils accept that people are different and know that they must value and respect each person for who they are.
• Relationships between leaders, staff and pupils are purposeful. Staff are unreservedly positive about the work leaders do to support them across the school. Pupils too appreciate the work their teachers do to help them to achieve. As a result, staff morale is high and pupils are satisfied with the overall quality of education that they receive.

Governance of the school

Safeguarding

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• The school’s personal, social and health education programme (PSHE) helps pupils to develop a strong understanding of how to stay healthy and keep safe. They receive a good range of information through the school’s ‘Health and Well-Being Day.’ In Year 7, for example, pupils learn about water safety with the RNLI and how to stay safe online, including the dangers and implications of ‘sexting’. They also are made aware of how to stay safe on the roads and about the impact of bullying on all those involved. There is an ongoing PSHE programme that takes place once a week. However, teachers do not routinely plan lessons which are challenging enough to give pupils the depth of understanding of which they are capable. Pupils are, however, aware of the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle and they know who to go to if they need more advice.
• Pastoral support in the school is excellent and pupils are unreservedly positive about that support. Parents echo this view. Pupils have a strong network of peer mentors, teachers and other staff who provide information, advice and guidance. Pupils respect one another and, as a result, bullying, when it occurs, is dealt with quickly and appropriately. Consequently, pupils, including those in alternative provision, feel safe and are safe.
• Careers education, information, advice and guidance are good. Pupils have a range of opportunities available to them to make informed choices about the next stages of their education. Pupils told inspectors that they really value the support they get. As a result, most pupils know what courses will allow them to progress to the next stages of their education, training or employment.
• Pupils are expected to reflect on their progress during individual reviews with their teachers. They complete an evaluation of where they are in their learning against the school’s assessment. If, for example, they are ‘coasting’, pupils are expected to set themselves targets to improve.
• Pupils have the opportunity to make a positive contribution to their local community, for example, through the Saint Vincent De Paul Society. Within this group, pupils help local elderly people and fundraise for charitable causes, demonstrating a spirit of cooperation and dedication to others.
• Although pupils have opportunities to become resilient, self-assured and self-confident in their learning, the lack of challenge in both PSHE and day-to-day lessons results in missed opportunities for pupils to demonstrate a love of learning. This impacts on the overall progress pupils make.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils are polite, courteous and thoughtful. They behave well around the school grounds and are fully respectful of the environment. They describe their school as a part of their family; there is a strong community feel. Pupils feel the school ‘is their home from home’.
• Pupils rarely use derogatory language around the site and they routinely show respect for one another. Relationships between pupils are strong and they take pride in their appearance and in their school. As a result, the school is a harmonious community where the boys develop into well-rounded young men. This is because the school facilitates pupils’ growth spiritually, morally, socially and culturally with a plethora of rich experiences.
• Pupils attend school regularly. Leaders constantly work to ensure that pupils attend school every day. As a result, pupils’ attendance is higher than is seen nationally and the proportion of pupils who are regularly absent from school is much lower than the national average. Leaders’ ongoing work to secure improvements in the attendance of disadvantaged pupils has been successful.
• Some pupils feel that behaviour in a minority of lessons is not as good as it could be. This frustrates them as they want to learn and do their best. Moreover, pupils’ concentration sometimes wavers because they are underchallenged in some lessons. For these reasons, pupils do not always demonstrate the flair and passion for learning that they are so capable of showing.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

16 to 19 study programmes Requires improvement

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 136780 Wirral 10019391 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 Grammar (selective) School category Academy converter Age range of pupils 11 to 18 Gender of pupils Gender of pupils in 16 to 19 study programmes Number of pupils on the school roll Of which, number on roll in 16 to 19 study programmes Boys Boys 907 202 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headmaster Telephone number Website Email address John Brown Simon Duggan 0151 652 1408 www.st-anselms.com/ headmaster@st-anselms.com Date of previous inspection 29–30 October 2013

Information about this school

• St Anselm’s College is an average-sized grammar school and sixth-form college for boys. It became part of the Edmund Rice Academies Trust in January 2011. As such, the school is part of a global network of 300 schools in 25 different countries.
• The proportion of pupils known to be disadvantaged, and therefore supported through the pupil premium funding, is below average.
• Most pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is below the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is below the national average.
• The school does not receive any Year 7 catch-up funding because pupils who entered the school have attained and exceeded the nationally expected standards at the end of key stage 2.
• The school occasionally makes use of the Wirral Respite Alternative Provision.
• The school met the government’s floor standards in 2015.
• The school met the key stage 5 interim standards in 2015.
• The school complies with the Department for Education’s guidance on what academies should publish.
• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed teaching in a range of lessons across key stages 3, 4 and 5. Several observations were conducted jointly with senior leaders. Inspectors also observed an assembly and form time across the school.
• Inspectors undertook an in-depth analysis of pupils’ work in several subjects across the school, including the sixth form. This was jointly conducted with both senior and middle leaders. In addition, inspectors looked at a wide range of pupils’ work in lessons.
• Meetings were held with senior leaders, members of the governing body, middle leaders, teachers and newly qualified teachers. A phone call was made to the school improvement partner.
• A range of documentation was scrutinised by the inspection team, including the school’s own self-evaluation, the school improvement plan, the school improvement partner’s reports and departmental review documentation. Inspectors also considered records of the quality of teaching, learning and assessment, records of ongoing teacher training, minutes from the meetings of the governing body, information about how well current pupils are progressing in their learning and analyses of past pupils’ performance and behaviour and attendance records.
• Observations of pupils’ behaviour were undertaken before the start of the school day, between lessons, during breaktimes and at lunchtimes. Inspectors met formally with a range of pupils from key stages 3 and 4 and with students in the sixth form.
• Inspectors took into account 251 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, 237 free text responses from parents, 41 responses to Ofsted’s staff questionnaire and 298 responses to Ofsted’s pupil questionnaire. Inspection team

Jonathan Smart, lead inspector Helen O’Neill Deborah Bailey Dympna Woods Gary Kelly Shirley Gornall

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