Warrington St Ann's CofE Primary School

Inspection of Warrington St Ann’s Church of England Primary School Lathom Avenue, Orford, Warrington, Cheshire WA2 8AL

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Inspection dates: 12 and 13 October 2021

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 12 and 13 October 2021

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s values of respect, hope and perseverance are golden threads running through the life of Warrington St Ann’s Church of England Primary School. Pupils live out these values in their work and play. Pupils, and their families, are pleased to be part of this friendly and caring school community.

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What is it like to attend this school?

From Nursery Year, children learn to be kind to each other. Pupils get on well together across the school. They are polite and respectful towards staff and each other.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils trust adults to help them if they have any worries. Pupils said that any incidents of bullying are dealt with quickly by adults. Pupils feel safe and happy at school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are delighted that clubs and activities, including the book club, have now restarted after the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Older pupils benefited from the recent overnight trip to Delamere Forest.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy the different subjects that they are taught, and teachers expect pupils to work hard. The youngest children get off to a good start in early years. While learning is well planned in reading and mathematics in Years 1 to 6, the curriculum plans in some other subjects do not set out clearly enough what pupils should be learning. Consequently, some pupils do not achieve as well as they should.

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better?

Overall, pupils follow a broad and balanced curriculum at Warrington St Ann’s Church of England Primary School. Leaders have successfully focused on adopting and implementing new curriculums across early years, and in mathematics and reading. These curriculum plans set out the precise knowledge that children and pupils should know and remember. Leaders have made sure that staff have had the training and support that they need to plan and deliver lessons well in these areas.

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better?

As a result of improved curriculum planning, children are flourishing in early years. They are well prepared for Year 1. Pupils in Years 1 to 6 are now making secure progress in reading and mathematics. However, this is not the case in some other subjects across key stages 1 and 2. Several curriculum plans do not set out precisely the knowledge and skills that pupils must learn. Added to this, these plans do not always make clear the order in which new knowledge should be taught. This means that some teachers do not successfully build on what pupils already know and can do. Some subject curriculums do not capitalise on the strong grounding that children receive in early years. These weaknesses in subject planning hinder some pupils’ achievement.

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better?

Some subject leaders have not had the training and support that they need to carry out their roles as effectively as they could. Equally, some leaders do not always 12 and 13 October 2021

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check how well teachers deliver the curriculum for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Some pupils with SEND do not achieve as highly as they should.

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Pupils get off to a strong start in reading. Teachers introduce the phonics programme at the start of Reception Year. Teaching staff have had the training and support needed to help them deliver the programme consistently well. Small-group support sessions help those pupils who join the school part-way through the year to catch up with their reading. They also help those pupils who find learning to read trickier to keep up. Leaders check on pupils’ progress closely. Teaching staff across the school promote a love of reading. They signpost pupils to appropriate books that they may enjoy. Teaching staff also set up cosy reading corners and well-attended book clubs.

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A significant number of pupils join the school at different times during the school year. New pupils and their families are made to feel welcome. These pupils settle in well. Any potential needs are quickly identified and assessed, including for those pupils with SEND. Staff use this information well to identify any specialist support that pupils need.

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The school is calm and orderly throughout the day. Leaders’ high expectations for behaviour are established right from the start. There is effective support for those pupils with SEND who need additional help to manage their behaviour. The youngest children in Nursery Year help to tidy up, and take turns and share. They too learn and behave well.

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Pupils are proud to represent their school in sporting and musical events. They are keen to improve their local community. Last week, the local Member of Parliament visited the school in response to a letter from pupils setting out their concerns about the local internet service.

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Recently, the governing body has recruited new members with relevant expertise. The governing body has also restructured its meetings. Governors are now appropriately challenging some of the curriculum decisions that leaders have made.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

All staff undertake regular safeguarding training. Staff understand their roles and responsibilities. Staff understand how to implement leaders’ policies and procedures for keeping pupils safe. All staff are trained well to identify and support pupils who may experience peer-on-peer abuse.

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Safeguarding

Staff make sure that they record and report any safeguarding concerns in a timely manner. Leaders make sure that these concerns are followed up appropriately. 12 and 13 October 2021

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Leaders work well with external agencies to ensure that pupils and their families get the help that they need.

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Pupils receive appropriate support to stay safe and healthy through the personal development programme. This includes how to stay safe online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some subject curriculum plans do not set out precisely the knowledge and skills that pupils should be taught and the order in which these should be learned. This is because some subject leaders have not had the training and support needed to design well-planned curriculums that build from early years through to the end of key stage 2. Pupils, including some pupils with SEND, do not achieve as well as they should in these subjects. Senior leaders and governors should ensure that subject leaders have the training and support that they need to plan effective curriculums.  In some subjects, leaders and governors do not routinely check that teachers are delivering the school’s curriculum as intended. Added to this, leaders do not ensure that pupils are developing the subject knowledge and skills expected. Nor do they ensure that curriculum plans are adapted well for pupils with SEND. Consequently, pupils, including those with SEND, experience a varying quality of

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

education across subjects. Senior leaders should make sure that they have appropriate systems in place to check how effectively pupils, including those with SEND, are learning the intended curriculum.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you are the school and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school. 12 and 13 October 2021

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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 and 13 October 2021

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School details

Inspection number 10204405 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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Website

https://stanns-warrington.secure- dbprimary.com/warrington/primary/stanns

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Date of previous inspection

29 September 2016, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school had its most recent section 48 inspection in June 2017.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. This was the first routine inspection the school had received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders, and have taken that into account in their evaluation.  During the inspection, inspectors held meetings with senior leaders, middle leaders and class teachers. They spoke with representatives of the local authority and the Diocese of Liverpool. Inspectors also met with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors.  Inspectors considered the responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, including the free-text responses. They also considered one 12 and 13 October 2021

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response received by email from a parent. Inspectors also spoke to several parents and carers at the start of the school day.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff survey and the responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey.  Inspectors met with those responsible for safeguarding at the school. They scrutinised a range of documentation in relation to safeguarding. Inspectors spoke with staff, parents and pupils about safeguarding.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and at playtimes. They spoke with pupils about bullying, behaviour and leaders’ expectations of pupils’ behaviour.  As part of this inspection, inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics, history and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, reviewed curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, met with teachers, spoke with pupils about their learning, and reviewed samples of

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pupils’ work. Inspectors also listened to pupils read.

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Inspection team

Pippa Jackson Maitland, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Sarah Price Ofsted Inspector 12 and 13 October 2021

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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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