St Anthony's Catholic Primary School

Inspection of St Anthony’s Catholic Primary School Fordbridge Road, Kingshurst, Birmingham, West Midlands B37 6LW

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Early years provision Outstanding Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 8 and 9 June 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school motto of, ‘Actions speak louder than words’ shines through at this school. Staff and pupils know that they can make a difference, and they do. For example, pupils collected money and goods for children in Ukraine.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending school. They feel safe and know that teachers care for them. Parents agree. They appreciate what leaders do for pupils and say that the school is ‘exceptional’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say that bullying rarely happens. They know that if it did, teachers would quickly step in.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils work hard and listen carefully to teachers. They show good manners and are polite. Older pupils show younger pupils how to behave well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils take part in everything the school does. Opportunities include visiting the reading bus, attending football finals in London and debating in the local council chamber. Pupils are taught not to give up, and that they can achieve highly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have ensured that staff are well trained. They support teachers to be the best that they can be. However, the impact of the pandemic has meant that some of their ideas to make teaching even better have slowed.

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better?

The headteacher is quietly inspirational. Staff share his vision. They work hard to provide all pupils with an extensive range of opportunities. These help pupils develop character and resilience. For example, children in Reception were ‘buddied’ with nursing home residents. They delighted in developing friendships and going on trips with older people from their community. Leaders have made links with local universities and an engineering company. As a result, pupils’ aspirations are raised.

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better?

Leaders nurture pupils’ talents. They support pupils who show potential in sport and drama. Pupils’ sense of community is strong. Pupils themselves initiate events, such as collecting money to plant trees and gaining sponsorship for a sleepover, to support homeless people. Leaders plan events such as, ‘Proud to be a Brummie’ week. This gives pupils a strong sense of who they are.

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better?

All pupils have access to everything the school offers. Nobody is left out. Leaders are quick to identify pupils’ needs. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive well-targeted support across the curriculum. They join in with the many clubs and opportunities on offer. Consequently, pupils achieve well. 8 and 9 June 2022

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Children get off to a strong start in early years. Leaders ensure that children are well prepared for key stage 1. Under the knowledgeable leadership, teachers provide children with a carefully planned curriculum, adapted to meet the needs of all. Children in Nursery learn that letters make sounds. They listen intently and have fun practising sounds. They are ready to start learning to read as soon as they enter Reception.

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Leaders ensure that reading is a priority. Staff are well trained to teach phonics and have the right resources. Leaders have invested in books that match the letter sounds children learn. Pupils also love to choose books from the reading bus. Where pupils are behind, leaders quickly put in effective support to help them catch up.

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Pupils are polite and courteous. One pupil’s comment captured the views of many, ‘We know we should always try our hardest and be respectful and grateful for everything we have.’ In lessons, pupils listen carefully to teachers and each other. From Nursery, children learn routines and how to follow them. At breaktime and lunchtime, pupils show their independence and good manners.

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Leaders carefully plan what pupils learn. For example, in mathematics and art, leaders have thought about what children learn from Reception to Year 6. Children develop their mathematical understanding from Nursery. They build on this in key stage 1, for example by using resources to work out problems involving money. However, teachers do not always make it clear to pupils why they are learning important concepts or skills. This means that pupils do not make connections as well as they could. They do not always know how they can apply what they are learning to what will come next. There are well-embedded classroom strategies used and understood across school. However, not all teachers make the most of these to help pupils remember what they are learning over time.

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Staff feel valued. They are rightly proud of the work they do to support pupils and families. One parent echoed the view of many by saying, ‘I can’t thank them enough for supporting my children with a great start in life.’

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that safeguarding is a priority. Staff know pupils and families well. They understand the challenges and dangers in the community. Leaders make sure that the curriculum teaches pupils how to keep themselves safe, including online.

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Safeguarding

Staff receive regular training. They know what to do if they have concerns about a child. Leaders follow up these concerns quickly and offer support when needed. External support is followed up rigorously.

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Safeguarding

All the required checks on adults in school are carried out and recorded correctly. 8 and 9 June 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have not ensured that all teachers have a precise enough knowledge of how pupils will draw on current learning in future lessons. Consequently, pupils are unable to connect previous learning to current learning and what this is building towards. Leaders should ensure that all teachers securely understand the ambitious end points that pupils are working towards and that pupils remember the essential knowledge and understanding underpinning this.  Leaders have not ensured that whole-school classroom strategies identify what pupils know and understand from new and previous learning. In addition, gaps in pupils’ learning are not always recognised. Consequently, pupils do not always remember, long term, the important knowledge they need. Staff should make sure that the checks on pupils’ work are used to inform subsequent adaptations to the 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.

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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. 8 and 9 June 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10227241 Type of school Primary

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School details

Website www.st-anthonys.solihull.sch.uk/

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school is a member of the Our Lady and All Saints Catholic Multi-Academy Company and has a Catholic character.  A section 48 inspection was carried out by the diocese in March 2022. The school was graded good.  The school offers wraparound care for pupils at the school. It is managed by school leaders and run by non-teaching members of staff.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school has provision for two-year-olds in ‘Tiny Ants’.  St Anthony’s Catholic Primary School converted to become an academy school in April 2021. 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

The inspector(s) carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. 8 and 9 June 2022

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 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.  During the inspection, the inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, art 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 samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also visited lessons and spoke to leaders about other subjects.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher and deputy headteacher, the special educational needs coordinator, governors and members of the multi- academy company.  Inspectors observed some pupils reading to staff. Pupils were observed at lunchtime and on the playground. Inspectors spoke to groups of pupils.

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 To inspect safeguarding, inspectors met with the designated safeguarding lead and the pastoral leader. They looked at the single central record of recruitment checks, safeguarding records, and talked to pupils and staff.  Inspectors considered the views of 32 parents who responded to the Ofsted Parent View questionnaire, and 22 free-text responses. Inspectors took account of 27 responses to the staff questionnaire. There were no responses to the pupil questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Rachel Henrick, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Anne Potter Ofsted Inspector 8 and 9 June 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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