St Anne's Church Primary School

Inspection of a good school: St Anne’s Church Academy Bristol Road, Hewish, 1 Scot Elm Drive, Weston Super Mare, Somerset BS24 6RT

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Outcome

St Anne’s Church Academy continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

St Anne’s Church Academy is a happy and welcoming school. The school’s ethos, ‘learning without limits’, is woven through everything that the school does.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are wonderful ambassadors for the school. They are polite and respectful and behave exceptionally well. Pupils understand routines, and there is a buzz of purposeful activity wherever you go.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thoroughly enjoy school and are keen to succeed. Staff have consistently high expectations of pupils. As a result, pupils listen carefully and work hard. Pupils chat enthusiastically about exciting learning experiences, such as the trip to the SS Great Britain. Pupils enjoy learning about differences between their lives and those of their friends in the Traveller community.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff know pupils and their families well. Adults care deeply about pupils and want the best for them. Staff are sensitive to pupils’ needs and form friendly and supportive relationships with them. Pupils feel safe because they trust adults to look after them. Pupils confirm that bullying is rare. They say there is always someone to turn to if they are worried.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The overwhelming majority of parents are very pleased with the school. Typical comments include, ‘I could not be happier with the school,’ and ‘Our children thrive here.’

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

The school is well led and managed by ambitious and dedicated leaders. Staff are motivated and hard-working. They are well supported by leaders in the school and The Priory Learning Trust.

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

The school provided remote learning during the periods of lockdown. However, leaders are acutely aware that the pandemic has had an impact on pupils’ mental health. Staff 4 and 5 May 2022

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work closely with pupils and parents to support pupils’ well-being. They also provide extra teaching, which is helping pupils to catch up on learning they have missed.

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The school has designed a rich, broad curriculum. In most subjects, teachers use assessment effectively. This enables them to plan and teach well-sequenced lessons which build pupils’ knowledge and skills.

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Children in Little Learners Nursery get off to a flying start. They take great delight in exploring the stimulating activities adults plan for them. They are well prepared for the start of Reception.

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In mathematics, children in the early years enjoy finding out which pairs of numbers make 10. Year 5 pupils use their knowledge of place value and times tables facts to multiply decimal numbers.

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Leaders inspire pupils to develop a love of reading. Children begin reading as soon as they start school. Pupils choose from a wide selection of high-quality books, and read regularly. Pupils enjoy listening to stories that adults read to them. For example, younger pupils enjoy joining in with the story of ‘Superworm’.

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Pupils in the early stages of reading have regular phonics lessons. However, pupils’ reading books do not consistently match what they are learning. This limits how well they can practise and consolidate their skills in phonics.

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Pupils are developing their knowledge and skills in geography. For example, Year 2 pupils use maps and compasses when they go orienteering. Year 5 pupils use world maps to locate countries and identify rainforests. They learn about the impact of climate change and deforestation on these regions.

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In a small number of subjects, leaders have not yet precisely identified what they want pupils to learn. Therefore, sequences of learning do not consistently build on what pupils have learned before. As a result, pupils have some gaps in their knowledge.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported by knowledgeable leaders. Staff understand pupils’ needs and provide targeted teaching and pastoral support. This helps pupils to concentrate on their learning and progress through the curriculum.

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The school supports pupils’ broader development and well-being effectively. For example, ‘Jill Dando reporters’ develop their communication skills when they interview people, such as the Prime Minister and Fiona Bruce.

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Pupils thoroughly enjoy activities such as sewing, cooking and gardening. Pupils relish taking on positions of responsibility when they join the school parliament or eco committee. 4 and 5 May 2022

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is a strong safeguarding culture at the school. Leaders make the necessary checks to ensure that adults are safe to work with children. They provide training for staff. Staff understand that everybody is responsible for keeping pupils safe. They can explain how to refer concerns. Leaders work closely with families and outside agencies to support vulnerable pupils. Leaders maintain detailed records, and regularly check that they are making a difference. Pupils learn how to stay safe. For example, they learn about drug awareness and keeping safe online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school currently uses a mixed approach to the teaching of phonics. This is because leaders are in the process of adopting a new phonics programme. As a result, pupils’ reading books are not closely matched to what they are learning in phonics. This limits the extent to which pupils are able to practise, develop and consolidate their reading skills. Leaders must implement and embed the new phonics programme, and check its impact, so they can assure themselves that phonics teaching is consistently strong.  Leaders are still improving the curriculum in a small number of subjects. In these subjects, leaders have not yet precisely identified what they want pupils to learn, and by when. As a result, pupils have some gaps in their knowledge. Leaders must develop well-planned sequences of lessons, which consistently help pupils to build on what they have already learned, so that they know and remember more.

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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 or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, 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 deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the predecessor school, St Anne’s Church of England Primary School, to be good in October 2017. 4 and 5 May 2022

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How can I feed back my views?

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.

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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. 4 and 5 May 2022

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 St Anne’s Church Academy converted to become an academy school in April 2018. When its predecessor school, St Anne’s Church of England Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good overall.  The school is part of The Priory Learning Trust.  The school is located on two sites, West Wick and Hewish. Little Learners at West Wick has provision for children aged two to four years old.  The school is a Church of England school. Its last Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools (SIAMS) took place in March 2016.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 4 and 5 May 2022

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 Inspectors held several meetings with the headteacher. The majority of these were also attended by the head of primary education for the trust. An inspector also met with the special educational needs coordinator.  An inspector held a meeting with the chair of the academy council and a trustee.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at some samples of pupils’ work.  An inspector had a meeting with the subject leader for art, which was attended by the deputy headteacher. They discussed curriculum plans and reviewed a sample of pupils’ work.  Inspectors checked the school’s single central record and reviewed the school’s safeguarding records. They discussed safeguarding arrangements with the headteacher

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and pastoral team. Inspectors also spoke to pupils and adults about safety.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour at different times of the day, including breaktime.  Inspectors spoke to pupils, staff and parents to gather their views. They reviewed 105 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, along with 65 additional free- text comments. Inspectors also took account of 73 responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey and 44 responses to the staff survey.

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Inspection team

Catherine Beeks, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Hilary Goddard Ofsted Inspector 4 and 5 May 2022

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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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