St Anne's Catholic Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve systems for identifying and supporting the most able and most able disadvantaged pupils so that they are provided with a greater level of challenge and make stronger rates of progress.
• Ensure that the assessment of children on entry to the Reception Year is accurate and is used to plan activities and tasks that allow children to make more rapid progress.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Leaders and governors have high expectations of all staff and pupils. Leaders ensure that pupils are well supported to do their best. As a result, pupils understand, share and meet leaders’ high expectations for their learning and behaviour.
• Leaders and governors have worked hard to maintain a strong and stable workforce. Leaders and governors have eradicated poor teaching and have recruited enthusiastic, skilful staff who are reflective and seek to continually improve their skills. As a result of good professional development and rigorous performance management, teaching across the school has improved and is now good. Leaders make accurate judgements about the quality of teaching. They challenge and support teachers effectively.
• Senior leaders have improved how well staff share information and understand what is expected of them. Parents feel better informed about their children’s learning. Pupils enjoy learning and speak highly of the help they receive from their teacher. Leaders know what further improvements need to be made and have already prioritised actions to do so.
• Provisional results for 2016 indicate that rates of progress in reading at the end of key stage 2 were lower than national averages. However, leaders have quickly analysed areas where the curriculum can be adapted and have made changes to further meet the needs of current pupils. Changes have already had a positive impact on the quality of teaching of reading and the recently opened new school library further encourages pupils to read more. The progress made by pupils in writing is rapidly improving closer to national averages and in mathematics is above the national average.
• Leaders ensure that funding for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is spent well. Pupils benefit from provision which meets their needs and enables them to make good progress.
• Effective assessment and tracking systems have been put in place by leaders, which help teachers to pinpoint accurately pupils’ next steps in their learning.
• The school’s curriculum is broad and balanced and gives a sharp and appropriate emphasis to reading, writing and mathematics. High-quality literature is used well as a stimulus for writing activities. This has contributed to the good progress seen in pupils’ books. The school recently opened a new library and the impact of this can already be seen in the rapid rates of progress that pupils in the school are currently making in their reading.
• The range of subjects and topics covered in all years recognises local, regional and global differences, and promotes tolerance of different faiths and beliefs. The school prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain. Pupils respect and welcome diversity within their own and the wider community.
• The school provides a wide range of opportunities which promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils are sociable in lessons and in the playground. In a Year 2 mathematics lesson, pupils were observed chatting happily about their work and then encouraging each other to take on more difficult multiplication calculations. In the playground, pupils take turns with equipment and share well.
• Funding to support the learning of disadvantaged pupils is used to provide a range of interventions. One-to-one and small-group teaching ensures that most pupils who are falling behind are helped to catch up. Funding is also used to provide staff with the time to meet and plan additional programmes of support. The pupil premium funding also helps subsidise the cost of trips and visits that make learning more lively and real. Pupils’ work in books across the school demonstrates that any differences in their achievement and that of other pupils nationally are diminishing over time.
• The additional primary school physical education and sport funding is used well to improve the teaching of physical education and to support participation in sports clubs held at lunchtime and after school. This has resulted in a high number of pupils enjoying additional healthy exercise.
• The local authority is fully aware of the school’s strengths and areas for development and has worked well with senior leaders to improve the school since the previous inspection.
• Responses from Parent View indicate that parents have a very positive view of the school. The vast majority of parents who responded to Parent View stated that they would recommend the school to another parent.

Governance of the school

• At the previous inspection a review of governance was recommended. Findings from the review have been used effectively to develop the impact of governors’ work. The governing body operates through a structure of committees, focusing upon key aspects of the work of the school, including finance, safety, and teaching and learning. Governors evaluate detailed information about the school’s overall effectiveness and ensure that leaders are constantly striving for the highest standards.
• Frequent visits to the school by governors have helped develop a partnership approach to improvement. Governors are involved in agreeing the school’s priorities, how these relate to the strengths and weaknesses in teaching, and the effectiveness of performance management in improving the quality of teaching and learning.
• Governors share senior leaders’ high expectations for the pupils at this school. They hold senior leaders to account for the success of the school by seeking clarification of information provided about standards and the quality of learning. Governors increasingly focus upon pupils’ progress and recognise that further challenge is required for some pupils.
• Governors know how well additional support benefits pupils. They have a clear strategy for the spending of the pupil premium and the sports funding, and have helped ensure that differences in rates of progress between disadvantaged pupils and others nationally diminish over time.
• Governors keep themselves up to date through regular training, including effective induction for new governors. This ensures that they have high expectations and are better placed to hold school leaders to account.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. As well as making sure that key information is shared through important documentation, leaders ensure that safeguarding is integral to the daily work of St Anne’s Catholic Primary School.
• Leaders responsible for safeguarding ensure that all staff understand the reporting procedures and the latest guidance. Regular training makes sure that staff take very seriously their responsibility for keeping children safe from exploitation and harm. Pupils learn to be careful about who they listen to or what they read on the internet. The school ensures that pupils and parents know who to contact if they have any concerns about their safety or the safety of others.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• The quality of teaching has improved significantly since the previous inspection and is now good. Effective relationships between teachers and pupils enable lessons to start promptly and proceed smoothly. Pupils know the routines and little time is wasted moving between activities. Teachers explain their ideas clearly and use questioning well to check understanding. Pupils are always provided with the help they need.
• Teachers and teaching assistants work closely together to support pupils. Close attention is paid to setting tasks at the right level for the majority of pupils in each year group in line with the national curriculum. Well-trained teaching assistants provide effective support for those pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities or who are at risk of falling behind.
• Pupils receive feedback from teachers through discussion and written comments that is in line with the school’s policy. Pupils understand the school’s system for assessing their own work. They know what needs to be corrected and are able to improve their work.
• Staff teach phonics well. Effective teaching has contributed to an overall increase in the proportion of pupils who meet the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check. Staff encourage pupils to read for enjoyment and for research both at home and at school. Parents appreciate the guidance provided by the school to encourage pupils’ reading.
• The teaching of mathematics is good. Teachers plan tasks which meet most pupils’ needs. For example, in a Year 5 mathematics lesson pupils were motivated by increasingly difficult calculations using fractions and were keen to rise to the challenge in order to reach the highest standards.
• Careful attention is given to the quality and quantity of writing produced. Pupils’ work demonstrates that teaching staff expect pupils to use technical vocabulary correctly. Staff encourage pupils to consider richer, more detailed vocabulary choices when writing or sharing ideas.
• The school’s assessment policy is applied well across the school and pupils are clear about the criteria used.
• While teachers are working hard to increase the challenge for all groups of pupils in the school, occasionally the most able, including the most able disadvantaged, are set tasks that do not effectively challenge them. This limits the progress they make.

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 is successful in developing their curiosity as learners. Consequently, pupils are confident, have very good social skills and enjoy sharing their thoughts and ideas.
• Parents, pupils and staff at St Anne’s rightly feel that it is a safe place to learn and develop. Regular training, open communication and a vigilant focus on the safety and well-being of pupils contribute to a culture of safety. Child protection is well managed.
• Pupils report that bullying is very rare and is dealt with quickly and effectively by members of staff when it occurs.
• Pupils are confident and know what they need to do to become successful learners. The most able and most able disadvantaged pupils lose concentration on the odd occasion when their work has been pitched at the wrong level.
• The school contributes to pupils’ sense of responsibility by providing a range of opportunities to learn within lessons and through clubs and activities. For example, they are taught to look out for each other and always be aware of the potential risks of using the internet or talking to strangers.
• Pupils are taught to understand the links between hard work, perseverance and success. They also learn how to get along with others and show respect for different viewpoints, ideas and beliefs. These attitudes help pupils make the most of school and prepare them well for their future lives.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils are polite and courteous towards adults. They behave sensibly around the school and are respectful towards each other when outside at playtime.
• Classrooms are extremely well-organised learning environments. Pupils respond well to the very effective school behaviour system. Consequently, pupils’ positive attitudes mean that behaviour rarely disrupts lessons.
• Pupils are proud of their school and their achievements. They respect the views and beliefs of others and cooperate well with each other when working and playing. For example, Year 6 pupils were keen to help each other with their writing in the style of a chosen author.
• Attendance is above the national average. The vast majority of pupils enjoy coming to school. No group of pupils has low attendance. Additional support is provided where necessary to help parents ensure that their child attends school.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Pupils’ outcomes have improved since the last inspection. Evidence from the inspection and the school’s own assessment information shows that pupils currently on roll make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. Some pupils are making rapid progress and, as a result, across the school, the proportion pupils reaching or exceeding the expected levels of attainment are rising.
• Provisional results for 2016 indicate that Year 6 pupils left the school with standards above age-related expectations in reading, writing and mathematics. Progress in mathematics was above average. Progress in reading and writing were close to the national average. Pupils are well prepared for secondary education when they leave the school.
• The proportion of pupils achieving a good level of development by the end of the Reception Year has increased over the past two years and was above the national average in 2016.
• Standards have risen in key stage 1 and are now in line with the national average in writing and mathematics and close to national average in reading.
• The provisional 2016 outcomes for disadvantaged pupils in Years 2 and 6 show some differences with other pupils nationally. Observation in lessons and work in pupils’ books show that disadvantaged pupils who are currently in the school are making similar rates of progress to their peers.
• Leaders recognise that the most able and the most able disadvantaged pupils have not made rapid progress in the past and this remains the case in many classes. Tasks for this group of pupils sometimes lack sufficient challenge.
• Outcomes in the Year 1 national phonics screening check have been above the national expected standard for the previous two years and this high level has been maintained in 2016. This is due to the effective teaching of early reading and the engaging methods that teachers use to develop pupils’ interest in reading.
• The specific needs of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well in school. Activities are well-planned and help pupils to fully access their learning. Support also includes one-to-one support from well-trained teaching assistants. As a result, these pupils make good progress as they move through the school.
• Boys performed less well than girls in the tests at the end of Year 6 for 2016. However, books show that boys and girls who are currently in the school are making similar progress in reading, writing and mathematics. The school’s own information about the progress that pupils are making confirms this.

Early years provision Good

• Children often enter the school with skills that are below typical for their age, especially regarding their speech, language and communication. Adults question children effectively and model correct spoken and written language. As a result of good teaching, the proportion of children who leave Reception with a good level of development is above the national average, including for disadvantaged pupils. Learning journals for children currently in Reception indicate that this trend will continue.
• The leadership of the early years provision is good. Leaders are knowledgeable about what makes effective teaching and learning for children of this age. Staff have a sound knowledge of individual children and plan activities that are stimulating and designed to promote learning.
• Children make a strong start in developing early reading skills due to the high focus that is placed on this aspect of their learning. For example, during the inspection children in the Reception class were observed reacting enthusiastically to a story being read to them about a witch. Children were surprised and delighted when a teacher dressed as this character from the book entered the room. Children were asked to explain their feelings using as many appropriate words as possible. They were entranced by what they were doing and spoke to each other enthusiastically as they worked on their tasks.
• The pupil premium funding is used effectively to provide additional support to disadvantaged children. As a result, they make the same good progress as other children.
• Parents who spoke with inspectors were very positive about the start that their children were making at school. They were appreciative of how the school approached the induction process, and how they were able to contribute towards teachers’ assessment of their child’s progress.
• What children can do when they enter Reception is underestimated at times and teachers and other adults, on occasion, do not plan work and activities that move their learning forward quickly enough.
• Children’s welfare and well-being are ensured through rigorous checks on their safety, clear policies that are understood by all staff and frequent and relevant training on safeguarding. Children’s behaviour is good because adults have high expectations of them and set clear boundaries. Children are happy and have positive attitudes to learning and play well together.
• All the staff within the Reception class are skilled at supporting children in their learning and developing their independence. As a result, children are very well prepared for the next stage of their education when they move to Year 1.

School details

Unique reference number 103719 Local authority Coventry Inspection number 10020003 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Foundation Age range of pupils 4 to 11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 205 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Amanda McDonagh Headteacher Keri Baylis Telephone number 02476 302882 Website www.st-annes-coventry.org.uk Email address keri.baylis@st-annes.coventry.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 14–15 October 2014

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is above average.
• The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is above that found in most schools. After White British, the next sizeable ethnic group is African.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is above average compared to similar schools nationally.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics for pupils by the end of Year 6.

Information about this inspection

• The inspectors observed pupils learning in 15 lessons or parts of lessons. The majority of lessons were observed jointly with the headteacher and deputy headteacher.
• The inspectors looked at work in pupils’ books and listened to pupils read. They met pupils to gain their views of the school. The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour at breaktime, lunchtime and at the end of the school day, as well as in lessons.
• The inspectors looked at a range of documentation including: assessments and records of pupils’ progress, the school’s checks and records relating to safeguarding, child protection and attendance, records of how teaching is managed and the school improvement plans.
• Meetings were held with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, the special educational needs and disabilities coordinator and middle leaders. The lead inspector met governors including the vice-chair of the governing body and a representative of the local authority.
• The inspectors took account of the 12 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, and talked to parents at the beginning of the school day. They also looked at the 26 responses to the staff questionnaire. There were no responses to the online pupil questionnaire.

Inspection team

Steven Cartlidge, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Gill Turner Ofsted Inspector