St Thomas and St Anne CofE Primary School

Inspection of a good school: St Thomas and St Anne CofE Primary School Cruckmeole, Hanwood, Shrewsbury, Shropshire SY5 8JN

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Outcome

St Thomas and St Anne CofE Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are safe and happy in this friendly school. Leaders are approachable and visible. Leaders and staff have high expectations of each pupil. They encourage everyone to do their best and pupils usually achieve well. Pupils’ special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are identified and pupils are supported well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are usually very kind to each other. They behave well in lessons and around the school. Staff show pupils that they care and respect them. This helps pupils to do the same for others. Staff are quick to deal with any bullying. Pupils are keen to live up to the school rules of ‘Be ready, respectful and safe.’ They say that the school is ‘one big family’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff know all pupils very well. Their careful attention to each individual allows them to discover and support the talents of every pupil. In turn, this helps all pupils to shine brightly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from an interesting curriculum. They work well in mixed-age classes as they grow and learn together. They enjoy taking part in a variety of out-of-lesson clubs and activities. Parents and carers are very positive about the school. They value the care and ambition that leaders and staff have for all pupils. All parents surveyed would recommend the school to others.

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

Leaders and staff have created an interesting and ambitious curriculum for pupils. It is well organised and sequenced so that teaching builds progressively on earlier learning. Pupils learn all the subjects in the national curriculum. Leaders and staff set out what pupils should learn and remember in different subjects. Staff check pupils’ learning often during lessons. In addition, they plan plenty of opportunities for pupils to recall and revisit important knowledge, so that they retain it. However, staff do not always check at the end of a topic how well pupils can remember and apply their knowledge. 8 March 2023

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In the early years, children get off to a good start. Staff give diligent care and support to individuals. They routinely model clear spoken language and kind behaviour to each other. Children settle and develop independence early. This is because of frequent contact and strong links with home. Children enjoy carefully organised activities that prepare them well for learning and life in Year 1.

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All pupils begin learning phonics from an early age. This helps them to become confident and fluent readers quickly. Staff give pupils extra help if they fall behind. In mathematics, staff give pupils frequent opportunities to recall and revisit learning. This helps them to remember more over time. Staff challenge pupils to think and use correct mathematical language. They do this well and staff support them to develop reasoning from an early age. Recently, pupils’ achievement in writing dipped. However, a current focus on improving writing is helping current pupils make up ground lost during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Pupils are attentive and hardworking. Teachers and other staff manage minor lapses in concentration without fuss. Disruption to lessons is rare. Pupils usually behave well around the school.

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Leaders and staff work hard to create high-quality opportunities for pupils’ wider development. These include sessions on bringing Bible stories to life, links with a local church and electing pupil house captains. Clubs, trips and visits create memorable experiences for pupils. They enhance learning and give pupils an insight into the lives of others. These include trips to a Roman museum, an outdoor adventure centre and a local theatre. Assemblies, celebration events and regular praise are hallmarks of school life. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is sound.

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The school is a tolerant and inclusive community. Leaders and staff welcome all pupils to the school. The needs of pupils with SEND are identified and supported well.

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Leaders support teachers and other staff well. They help to manage staff workload effectively. In turn, staff are supportive of leaders. There is a palpable team spirit in the school. The governing board is active. Leaders and governors work together to make sure that the school is on a sound footing. Governors discharge their statutory duties effectively.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Regular safeguarding training helps staff to remain vigilant and keep pupils safe. They know pupils and their circumstances well. This helps to identify any safeguarding issues. Staff and pupils know who to speak with if they have concerns. Any concerns are reported and followed through swiftly. Leaders and staff are alert to local, and wider, safeguarding risks.

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Safeguarding

Leaders keep accurate safeguarding records. Leaders and staff work well with outside agencies to ensure that pupils get the help they need. 8 March 2023

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All the required checks are in place when recruiting any new staff. Staff teach pupils how to keep themselves safe, including when online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few foundation subjects, pupils’ learning is not always checked carefully enough at the end of each topic. This means that teachers do not always know if pupils remember their learning or know how to apply it well. Leaders should ensure that there are suitable arrangements for checking on pupils’ learning at the end of each topic, and that staff adapt their teaching according to what these checks show.  Following the disruption caused by the pandemic, pupils lacked writing stamina, and made basic errors, including mistakes with spellings and sentence structure. As a result, their achievement in writing dipped. In order to improve achievement, leaders should continue to check that their current approach is having sufficient impact on improving the writing of all pupils and, if necessary, put in place additional measures to support pupils’ writing.

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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 an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in October 2012.

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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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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school. 8 March 2023

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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. 8 March 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10257022 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 16 January 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school runs a before- and after-school club.  The school makes use of part-time registered alternative provider.  The school’s most recent Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools (SIAMS) took place on 19 March 2018. The next SIAMS inspection has been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with senior leaders, other staff and members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. Inspectors spoke with a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, English, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspector spoke about the curriculum 8 March 2023

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with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, met with teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of work. Inspectors listened to pupils read.  Inspectors talked with pupils about their experiences at school, visited the dining hall at lunchtime and observed their behaviour at play time.  Inspectors reviewed documentation relating to pupils’ behaviour, safety and well-being. The inspectors also reviewed safeguarding information and arrangements for the recruitment of staff.  Inspectors reviewed the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including written responses. The inspectors also reviewed the responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.

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Inspection team

Mike Cladingbowl, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Heather Phillips Ofsted Inspector 8 March 2023

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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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