St Anne's RC Primary School

St Anne’s RC Primary School Carruthers Street, Ancoats, Manchester, Lancashire, M4 7EQ

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Good 2 Leadership and management Outstanding 1 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Early years provision Outstanding 1

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 St Anne’s is a happy school where relationships between adults and pupils are excellent.  Leaders and governors are passionate about the school and its values. Their work has led to strong improvements in teaching and pupils’ achievement.  Extremely rigorous checks carried out by leaders at all levels ensure they have a clear understanding of the school’s performance and how it can improve.  Leadership and teaching in the early years have improved and are now outstanding.  A strong ethos of nurturing and caring pervades the whole school. Families are warmly welcomed when they require help and support.  Teachers and teaching assistants work very closely together to support the learning of individual and vulnerable pupils.  Achievement is good. Pupils make good progress and attainment is improving. There is an increase in the proportion of pupils reaching above average standards in reading, writing and mathematics.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Disabled pupils, those who have special educational needs, as well as those who are disadvantaged or are at an early stage of learning English are supported very well and make good progress.  Pupils have good attitudes to learning. They behave consistently well. This makes a very positive contribution to their good progress and the school’s harmonious atmosphere.  Students feel very safe because of the school’s outstanding safeguarding practice.  The curriculum and the range of after-school activities promote pupils’ excellent spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The strong emphasis on promoting pupils’ understanding of values prepares them well for life in modern Britain.  Leaders, including governors and all staff are especially rigorous in their efforts to keep pupils safe.  Governors are extremely well informed about the school’s work. They use their detailed knowledge to provide a strong level of challenge and support to

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

the school’s leadership.  The school is extremely well-placed to improve further.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Occasionally the work set for pupils, especially the most able, is not hard enough to enable them to reach the highest standards in reading, writing and mathematics.  Teachers’ expectations of pupils’ presentation of their work, especially handwriting, are not high enough.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching and learning in a range of lessons. In addition, they made a number of short visits to lessons and listened to pupils from Year 2 and Year 6 read. They also gathered other evidence relating to the quality of teaching over time.  Inspectors observed two lessons jointly with the headteacher.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher and senior and middle leaders. They also met with three governors and a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors took into account the responses to the school’s survey of parents’ views and held discussions with parents who brought their children to school and of the 25 questionnaires returned by staff. The number of responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) was too few to be a representative of parents’ views.  Inspectors observed the school at work and scrutinised the work in pupils’ books and the school’s own data on pupils’ progress. They also scrutinised improvement plans, planning and monitoring information

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Information about this inspection

and minutes of governing body meetings. Inspectors reviewed records relating to behaviour and attendance and documents relating to safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspection team

Anthony Kingston, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 St Anne’s is slightly smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is well above average.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils, those eligible for support through the pupil premium, is well above average. The pupil premium is additional funding that the school receives for those pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those children who are in the care of the local authority.  The majority of pupils in the school are from minority ethnic groups, many of whom are of African heritage. Almost one-third of pupils speaks English as an additional language. This proportion is well above the national average.  The proportion of pupils who join the school other than at the usual time is well above average.  Children attend full-time in both the Nursery and the Reception classes.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for

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Information about this school

pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Accelerate pupils' learning further by ensuring all pupils, especially the most able, are given work that is always hard enough to enable them to reach the highest possible standards in reading, writing and mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that teachers’ expectations of the presentation of pupils’ work, especially handwriting, are consistently high.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Excellent leadership from the headteacher, supported extremely ably by the deputy headteacher, creates a highly motivated staff who share a common purpose to deliver the best possible education for the pupils. All staff take responsibility for ensuring pupils achieve as well as they possibly can. As one staff member said, ’I am proud to be a part of a team that believes in children being at the very heart of the school.’ Consequently, leaders have successfully established a culture of high aspiration where pupils are able to thrive.  Senior leaders have been particularly successful in developing the skills and effectiveness of leaders at all levels. As a result subject and phase group leaders are as rigorous and robust as senior leaders in their checks on the quality of teaching. Pupils' achievement has risen because of this close attention to developing the quality of pupils’ learning.  The leadership, provision and outcomes of the early years have improved since the previous inspection.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Leaders manage staff performance extremely well. They check the quality of teaching very carefully and give staff challenging targets that reflect the school’s high expectations. Leaders give staff, including new staff and newly qualified teachers, very good support towards meeting these targets. As a result, teaching and standards are improving rapidly. The school has rigorous systems to check on the progress and achievement of pupils. School leaders at all levels use this information to set challenging targets for pupils and staff. The school has a very clear and accurate view of how well it is doing. There is no complacency and the school improvement plan identifies where it could do even better, for example by continuing the strong focus on improving teaching.  Although the local authority has taken a light-touch approach towards supporting the school since the time of the previous inspection, leaders welcome their helpful advice.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The curriculum is a strength of the school. Through a range of exciting and lively themes which capture pupils’ imaginations pupils have many meaningful and purposeful opportunities to practise key skills, such as reading, writing, mathematics and speaking and listening across subjects and topics.  The primary school sport funding has provided much appreciated training for staff. This has been very effective in improving their ability to teach different sports confidently. Pupils have benefited from this in lessons. Many more pupils now take part in the increasing range of sports available and gain a greater understanding of the benefits to their health from regular sporting activities. Over 90% of pupils in Years 5 and 6 have represented the school in a wide range of inter-school tournaments with ever-increasing success.  The whole staff team including the caretaker and the cook make a significant contribution to pupils’

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The leadership and management are outstanding

outstanding spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. It is fundamental to the school's values and all it does. Through this, pupils are extremely well prepared for life in modern Britain. Particularly strong is its promotion of tolerance and respect for all. Pupils have very positive attitudes towards one another both in the classroom and at play. They talk very maturely about their understanding of ideas such as faith, consequences and cultural diversity. For example, they are given every opportunity to learn about each others’ different cultures and backgrounds. Their views were summed up by one pupil who said, ‘Differences in colour or religion are not what count. What’s important is what is in your heart, your soul and your mind.’  Staff do not tolerate discrimination of any kind. There is a whole-school commitment to making sure all pupils have the same opportunities and there is no discrimination.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Leaders use the pupil premium funding especially well to support disadvantaged pupils' academic and personal development. Their relentless focus on how well disadvantaged pupils are doing is effective and these pupils are rapidly closing the gaps in attainment with other pupils nationally and in school.  Pupils who enter school at the early stages of learning English or midway through the year make good progress. This is because staff assess pupils’ skills accurately and ensure extra support addresses their specific learning needs.  A recent school survey of parents’ views and discussions held between inspectors and parents at the start of the school day show that the very large majority of parents feel that their children enjoy school, that they are safe and that they make good progress.  Leaders and governors carry out their duty to keep pupils safe extremely effectively. Procedures and systems relating to safeguarding arrangements are exceptional and leaders are vigilant in ensuring they

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The leadership and management are outstanding

remain robust and up to date. All staff are fully aware of these procedures and ensure they are fully implemented. As a result, the school is highly effective in keeping pupils safe.  The governance of the school:  Governors maintain a strong focus on the school’s improvement. They are extremely proud to serve the school. They share a determination of all leaders and staff for the school to become outstanding.  Governors are actively involved in all aspects of school life. They visit the school regularly to check on teaching, behaviour and on how well pupils are doing. Governors understand the use of data and are very knowledgeable about the school’s performance in comparison to other schools nationally. As a consequence, they understand fully the school’s strengths and areas for development and are in a very strong position to offer leaders high levels of support and challenge.  The governing body receives frequent updates about the progress of different groups of pupils across

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The leadership and management are outstanding

all year groups and seeks clear evidence that teaching and the use of funds to support, for example, disadvantaged pupils, are enabling them to make good or better progress.  Together with the headteacher, governors use information about pupils’ progress well when they review staff performance and pay progression. They ask leaders searching questions about all aspects of performance and make sure that staff only receive financial reward if they meet their targets in relation to pupils’ progress.  Governors monitor all safeguarding procedures robustly to ensure they are effective and meet requirements.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. All adults have high expectations for pupils’ behaviour and attitudes to learning. The overwhelming majority of pupils rise to this expectation. Pupils move around the school in an orderly way and are polite and courteous to adults.  The school’s systems to encourage good behaviour are understood by pupils and are applied with a high level of consistency by staff. Pupils are often reminded that they have a choice of how they should behave.  The school has been very successful in bringing about significant improvements in behaviour over time. This was exemplified extremely well by one parent who said, ‘Moving my son to St Anne’s has been the best decision in my life. The teachers have met every one of his needs. He now behaves more calmly because he has strategies to control his behaviour.’  Pupils willingly take on responsibilities such as belonging to the Chaplaincy Group, acting as Eco-monitors

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Behaviour

or being reading buddies to support younger pupils.  The school has rigorous procedures to monitor and improve attendance. Swift action is taken when poor patterns of attendance are noted. As a result of this close monitoring attendance is consistently above average year-on-year.  Relationships are excellent throughout the school. Built on mutual respect, pupils get on with each other and with adults. Parents are welcomed into the school and staff work together for the good of pupils and their families.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. Parents and pupils agree. The school carries out extremely thorough and regular checks to ensure policies and procedures are followed.  Pupils have an exceptionally good understanding of different forms of bullying and are knowledgeable about how to stay safe when using computers and the internet. Through assemblies, classroom activities, discussions and taking part in, for example, Crucial Crew, pupils know how to keep themselves and others safe. They are unanimous in their view that staff will help to sort out any problems.  Record keeping is detailed and any follow up with parents about safety concerns is swift and effective. Virtually all parents who responded to the school’s recent parent survey and all those spoken with at school confirm that they are unreservedly confident that their children are safe and staff keep them safe.

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Safety

A parent typically commented, ‘This school supports every family 110%. Together, the staff at St Anne’s must be the greatest team ever.’

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The quality of teaching is good

 A review of work in pupils’ books, monitoring carried out by senior leaders and external consultants, and a review of pupils’ progress show that teaching is typically good with some that is outstanding. This good and better teaching enables pupils to learn well in all year groups.  Teachers and other adults create an exceptionally positive climate for learning. Relationships between staff and pupils are excellent and help considerably to foster pupils' love of learning and positive work ethic. Teachers have very high expectations of pupils and they in turn, work hard to meet them. There is little evidence of low-level disruptive behaviour in lessons.  Teachers provide pupils with work that is generally well matched to their needs. However, observations of classrooms and pupils’ books reveal that occasionally work is too easy, especially for the most able. This prevents some pupils from making the progress of which they are capable.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers’ good subject knowledge and range of approaches support pupils in making good progress. This was evident in English when, in Year 6, pupils were encouraged to use more adventurous vocabulary and writing styles to develop their imaginative writing further.  Teaching assistants provide crucial support for learning. They routinely liaise very closely with teachers, assessing the effectiveness of their support to promote good standards of achievement. They are often responsible for specific group tuition in and out of the classroom. The teaching assistants use an effective range of strategies to help pupils who have special educational needs, those who are at the early stages of learning English, disadvantaged pupils and those who join the school midway through the year. They are skilled and highly effective in giving pupils a boost to their learning and this contributes to the good progress made by different groups of pupils.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Reading is taught well. Teachers use questioning very effectively to ensure pupils understand what they have read. Pupils relish opportunities to use their skills to elicit meaning not explicit in the text and to predict what they think will happen next. These skills begin to develop in the early years with adults using picture books to talk about, for example, the feelings of characters communicated by facial expressions.  Pupils’ writing in their books reflects the good and better teaching of writing. Marking and success criteria remind pupils of the need to use their grammar, punctuation and spelling skills in their work. However, in some year groups teachers do not insist on work being presented neatly enough.  The teaching of mathematics is good. Teachers have secure knowledge and ensure pupils have well developed skills upon which to draw in order to solve problems.  There is an equal focus on acquiring new skills, practising and then using them and transferring the skills

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The quality of teaching is good

in a range of situations and subjects.  Effective guidance, both verbally and through marking, helps pupils know exactly what they need to do to improve. Pupils are eager to act upon this. The high-quality dialogue between staff and pupils is also used to great effect to extend and deepen pupils' knowledge and understanding.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 At the time of the previous inspection, standards in reading, writing and mathematics were slightly below average by the end of Key Stage 1. In 2014, standards improved to above average, especially in reading and mathematics. From pupils’ below-average starting points on entering Year 1, this reflects good progress.  By the end of Key Stage 2, overall standards have improved from average at the time of the previous inspection to above average in 2014, especially in mathematics. The proportion of pupils who made expected and better-than-expected progress was above average in mathematics, average in reading and close to average in writing.  Inspection evidence from the scrutiny of pupils’ books, observations of learning in lessons and school performance data on the progress made by each year group, all indicates that there is a greater proportion of pupils attaining the higher levels in reading, writing and mathematics than in previous years.

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The achievement of pupils is good

The most able pupils apply their skills well across a range of subjects and tackle more challenging work with confidence. This is as a direct result of improvements in the quality of teaching.  Reading is a priority throughout the school. This is reflected in the well-considered investment of time and resources and the development of a new, exciting, well-stocked and comfortable library.  Pupils’ knowledge of phonics (linking letters and sounds they make) is very secure. This is reflected in the high proportion of six-year-olds who achieved the expected level and above in the 2014 national screening check on phonics.  As pupils move through the school, they continue to develop a love of reading. They read fluently throwing themselves fully into characterisation; reading with expression and showing they understand what characters may be feeling or thinking. Pupils willingly talk about their favourite authors and themes.

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The achievement of pupils is good

This was exemplified by a group of Year 6 pupils who agreed that they enjoyed, ‘entering new worlds that are different from our own.’  Pupils’ write imaginatively across a range of activities in English and the topics they learn. Their writing is helped by the emphasis that is given to reading which boosts the range of words they understand and use, and to speaking and explaining ideas in lessons.  Pupils are competent mathematicians. They make efficient use of their mental and written skills of calculation to solve a range of problems and generally explain their reasoning well.  Pupils are proud of their work. However, their handwriting and the presentation of their work is generally not of a sufficiently high standard.  Throughout Key Stage 2, the most able pupils make good progress. This is reflected in the much higher proportion of pupils who at Key Stage 2 reach the higher Level 5 than the proportion who reached the

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The achievement of pupils is good

higher Level 3 at the end of Key Stage 1. Inspection evidence supports the school’s data which show that the most able pupils are continuing to make good progress in all year groups.  Disabled pupils, those who have special educational needs and those who enter school at the early stages of learning English make good progress. Those pupils at an early stage of learning English quickly develop the ability to talk with their friends and follow teachers’ instructions.  In 2014, attainment of the disadvantaged pupils was one term behind all pupils nationally in reading and mathematics and two terms behind in writing. Progress was good compared to others nationally.  Compared to other pupils in school, disadvantaged pupils’ attainment was five terms behind in mathematics, two terms behind in reading and four terms behind in writing. This gap in their attainment was due to the composition of the disadvantaged group of pupils, many of whom had specific needs.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disadvantaged pupils progress well from their starting points. Gaps in their attainment when compared to others in school are closing rapidly. For example, the latest school data and inspection evidence show that in most classes disadvantaged pupils are now making more progress than other pupils in reading, writing and mathematics, particularly in Year 6. This demonstrates the school’s success in narrowing the gaps between disadvantaged pupils and all other pupils.  Pupils’ well-developed skills in reading, writing and mathematics ensure they are well prepared for their future learning in secondary school.

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The early years provision is outstanding

 The overwhelming majority of children start school with skills and knowledge below those typical for their age in all areas of learning, but especially in speech, language, reading, writing and their personal and social development.  Children make excellent progress across all areas of learning. As a result, the proportion of children who in 2014 reached a good level of development was above average. School data, children’s work, inspection evidence and the recent moderation carried out by the local authority indicate that the proportion of children reaching a good level of development will be well above average this year. Consequently, children are very well prepared for joining Year 1.  The indoor and outdoor learning areas are vibrant, inviting and capture children’s imaginations. Resources are easily accessible to the children and are well chosen to excite interest. For example, children in

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The early years provision is outstanding

nursery had great fun riding their tricycles around a set route before driving them into the role play car wash and selecting their choice of service. They then set about, with the help of others, washing and cleaning their vehicles. The level of cooperation and collaboration was outstanding.  Children gain much confidence when they choose from the exciting range of activities for themselves. In small groups led by teachers, they successfully acquire skills, such as phonic knowledge and number. Staff spend a great deal of time talking and playing with the children to encourage them to communicate and interact.  Teaching is outstanding because members of staff are highly skilled in identifying the children’s individual needs and ensuring that activities build on what they already know and can do. Swift action is taken to enable children to catch up with their peers when necessary. There is little difference between the

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The early years provision is outstanding

progress of the various groups of children, including the disadvantaged, the most able and disabled children and those who have special educational needs.  Children’s behaviour and safety are exemplary. Teachers and teaching assistants have high expectations for behaviour and are excellent role models for the children’s social development. Children are exceptionally enthusiastic about their learning and concentrate very well on their tasks. For example, in the Reception class, children displayed enormous enthusiasm when making a league table showing how many balls individual children had thrown into a tub. They then calculated how many more or less one child had scored than another and with the support of the teaching assistant moved on to writing number sentences to work out the total score.  Leadership and management are outstanding. Leaders are clear about how they can further enhance provision. They keep parents well informed and make sure that they are fully involved in their children’s

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The early years provision is outstanding

education. They frequently share with parents their children’s learning journals that demonstrate how well they are doing.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is failing

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Grade Judgement Description

to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 131884 Local authority Manchester Inspection number 461752

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Voluntary aided Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 207 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Tracy Weedon Headteacher Angela Shore Date of previous school inspection 2 July 2012 Telephone number 0161 2732417 Fax number 0161 2735359 Email address admin@st-annes-pri.manchester.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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School details

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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School details

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please

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School details

telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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