St Anthony's Catholic Primary School

Inspection of a good school: St Anthony’s Roman Catholic Primary School Genoa Road, Anerley, London SE20 8ES

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Outcome

St Anthony’s Roman Catholic Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are very happy to come to school. They told me it is a friendly place where everyone cares for each other. The ethos of respect and consideration for all means that pupils understand the importance of being kind. Bullying rarely happens. If it does, pupils know that staff will act quickly to make it stop. Pupils and staff alike have warm relationships, which gives the school the feel of a family.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Pupils know how to behave well and respond quickly to instructions. They are polite and are keen to talk to visitors about their school. Pupils’ behaviour, both in the playground and classrooms, is calm.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff work hard to help every pupil to be successful. Across a range of subjects, they plan teaching which enables all pupils to achieve well. Pupils try their best and are excited about their learning. They particularly enjoy taking part in the many clubs and educational visits the school provides.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders want pupils to know about the wider world. Pupils have regular opportunities to learn about and celebrate different cultures. These experiences help pupils to recognise and respect their similarities and differences.

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

Leaders and staff have high expectations. They are determined that all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve and behave well. They know pupils well and adapt planning to ensure that pupils achieve highly in a range of subjects. This is particularly the case for pupils with SEND. Pupils concentrate well in class and do not disrupt the learning of others.

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

Reading is a high priority. Leaders expect all pupils to learn how to read well. From the Nursery class to Year 2, pupils benefit from well-structured phonics teaching. All staff are well trained. They are clear about the sounds that pupils should know and by when. Leaders and staff check pupils’ knowledge regularly. If anyone falls behind, staff help 12–13 November 2019

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them to catch up quickly. Pupils enjoy listening to carefully chosen stories that include the sounds that they are learning. They also take reading books home so that they can practise the letters and sounds they have been taught. This approach ensures that pupils quickly become accurate and fluent readers. Younger pupils’ positive attitudes to reading were clear. As pupils get older, their love of books grows. They read for enjoyment and understand the deeper meaning of the text.

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Mathematics is taught well across the school. Teachers introduce new learning carefully, taking into account what pupils already know. Teachers ensure that pupils practise what they have learned on a regular basis. This helps pupils to remember what they have been taught. Pupils carry out calculations accurately and efficiently. They become increasingly confident in their own abilities. Pupils enjoy working out problems and explaining to each other how they found the answer. In the early years, teaching develops children’s understanding of important concepts, including number and shape. Staff select activities which promote children’s curiosity about these concepts. For instance, children took great delight in looking for different shapes, both inside and outside of the classroom.

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In subjects such as computing, leaders make careful decisions about the content pupils should learn. Planning enables pupils to develop their knowledge step by step. For example, younger pupils learn how to write simple programs by giving instructions in the right order. Older pupils build on this by creating more complex instructions and introducing variables. By Year 6, pupils apply this knowledge and design their own computer games. Staff make sure that pupils use technical vocabulary correctly. This deepens pupils’ understanding.

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Most other subjects are well planned and taught. However, geography and art are not as strong. This is because subject planning is not sharply focused on introducing pupils to new concepts in a logical order. Pupils sometimes complete tasks that do not link well with what they already know or can do. Leaders are clear about where further improvements are needed. For instance, they are strengthening teachers’ subject knowledge and refining subject planning. Nevertheless, more work is needed to ensure that pupils achieve to the best of their abilities in art and geography.

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Pupils participate in a range of extra-curricular activities to enrich their learning. Examples include cooking and photography clubs. Pupils also take part in many educational visits, as well as events involving external speakers. Pupils really enjoy these experiences.

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Leaders manage teachers’ workload carefully. Any changes are thought about so that staff can make them work. As a result, staff feel well supported and morale is high.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and governors are clear about their responsibilities in ensuring that pupils are safe. All staff are well trained. They are vigilant when identifying signs that pupils may be vulnerable. Staff understand and follow the school’s procedures for managing 12–13 November 2019

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Pupils feel confident to share concerns with staff. Leaders and staff keep detailed records of any concerns so that they obtain a full picture of pupils’ welfare. Leaders respond effectively when concerns arise. When necessary, they involve outside agencies.

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Pupils told me that they know how to stay safe, both in and out of school. For example, they could explain how to keep safe when online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The well-planned curriculum enables pupils to achieve well across a range of subjects. However, planning for art does not set out the sequence of learning as clearly in other subjects. Leaders should strengthen planning so that teachers have precise guidance on what content they should teach and the order in which they should teach it.  Leaders check that teachers have the subject knowledge to teach all subjects well. However, in geography and art, leaders should ensure that teachers fully understand how the content they teach fits in with pupils’ existing knowledge, as well as what pupils will learn in the future. This will support teachers to plan work that enables pupils to connect what they already know with the new ideas or concepts that they study.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the predecessor school, St Anthony’s Catholic Primary School, to be good on 2–3 March 2016.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection. The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school. 12–13 November 2019

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 12–13 November 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10124662 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 St Anthony’s is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils eligible for pupil premium funding is above the national average and in the top 40% of schools nationally.  The proportion of pupils with SEND is above the national average and in the top 40% of schools nationally.  There are 24 places in the school’s Nursery class. All children attend on a part-time basis.  The school converted to become an academy on 1 June 2017. When its predecessor school, St Anthony’s Catholic Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good overall.

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Information about this inspection

 I reviewed the single central record, recruitment checks and other documents relating to safeguarding and child protection, including the school’s safeguarding policy.  I looked deeply into early reading, mathematics and computing during this inspection. This involved lesson visits in these subjects, a scrutiny of pupils’ books and discussions 12–13 November 2019

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with subject leaders and teachers. I also considered other subjects as part of the inspection.  I met with the headteacher, other senior leaders, teachers and a member of the governing body.  I reviewed the school’s self-evaluation documents and improvement plans.  I observed pupils’ behaviour in a range of situations, including at break and lunchtime.  I held conversations with groups of pupils, and with pupils in lessons and in the playground.  I considered the 21 responses received to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, including written comments.

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Inspection team

David Lloyd, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 12–13 November 2019

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regulates and inspects to 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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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