St Anne Line Catholic Junior School

Inspection of a good school: St Anne Line Catholic Junior School Wickhay, Basildon, Essex SS15 5AF

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Outcome

St Anne Line Catholic Junior School continues to be a good school. There is enough evidence of improved performance to suggest that the school could be judged outstanding if we were to carry out a graded (section 5) inspection now. The school’s next inspection will be a graded inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

St Anne Line Junior School is a happy and exciting place to learn. Pupils love attending school. They look forward to the interesting learning that teachers provide. Pupils are proud to be part of the school community and welcome visitors with confidence. Leaders set high expectations for all pupils. Pupils work hard and achieve very well in a range of subjects.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are exceptionally well behaved. They are respectful, kind and caring. They know what it means to be a good friend and as a result bullying is rare. Pupils know that the pupil leaders are there to help, especially the anti-bullying ambassadors, who model positive playground behaviour. Pupils are advocates for showing the ‘St Anne Line way,’ which involves behaviours such as being helpful, polite, working hard and always trying their best.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have a wide range of extra-curricular clubs, such as fencing, computing and art club, as well as the school radio. They learn about musical artists with an Artist of the Week focus. This helps pupils to learn about diversity through music. Pupils enjoy the range of school trips, such as the annual theatre trip and residential trips, where pupils can experience outdoor adventure and try new things.

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

Leaders have created a curriculum that inspires pupils and enables them to make connections with other subjects. For example, pupils use their knowledge of monarchs from history to sequence portraits in art. The curriculum focuses on pupils’ needs. Leaders have thought carefully about what they want pupils to learn and do. They have broken down the learning step by step. Leaders have provided direct training and guidance for staff on these expectations. As a result, staff know what to teach and focus on making 23 and 24 May 2023

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adaptations to the curriculum, so that pupils are well supported with learning and achieve well.

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Teachers are highly skilled in teaching the curriculum. They have strong subject knowledge. They use this to target questions that deepen pupils’ thinking. They encourage the use of subject-specific vocabulary and model high expectations when explaining new concepts. Staff know what pupils can do and what they need to work on. They check regularly on pupils’ understanding. Leaders ensure that pupils who need support to keep up with the pace of learning get what they need and achieve well.

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Leaders have prioritised early reading. They ensure that pupils who join the school with low reading skills quickly get the support they need to catch up and keep up with their peers. Leaders have set out an approach to teaching reading that is consistent and enables all pupils to achieve. Pupils are enthusiastic about reading and their love for reading is infectious. They enjoy reading a range of different texts. They talk confidently about the skills needed for being a confident reader, such as skimming, scanning and comprehension.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) access the same ambitious curriculum as their peers. Leaders are quick to identify pupils’ needs and put the appropriate support in place. Pupils with SEND who visit The Beehive, the learning unit, benefit from intense targeted support. This helps them to access the full curriculum successfully.

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Pupils enjoy the growing number of extra-curricular activities on offer. They enjoy trying, learning and developing skills in clubs such as athletics, basketball and cricket. Leaders ensure that pupils’ interests are reflected in the clubs offered, with clubs such as astronomy. Pupils enjoy school experiences that link to their learning, such as the Stone Age Workshop.

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Leaders have high expectations for pupils’ behaviour. Staff model this consistently. Pupils are attentive in lessons by asking questions and sharing their knowledge. Pupils are well behaved and focus on ‘being prepared for challenges’ as part of the school mission.

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Leaders have invested in staff training so that teachers have the skills they need to teach the curriculum as leaders intend. Leaders, including governors, monitor staff workload. They make informed decisions that have a positive impact on pupils and staff, such as changes to school policies.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have systems in place that enable them to identify concerns they have about pupils’ safety quickly. Leaders work well with external agencies. They challenge where they feel the need to do so, to ensure that pupils are kept safe and get the right support. Leaders carry out the necessary safety checks needed on all staff. 23 and 24 May 2023

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Pupils feel safe. They learn about what to do if they have worries or concerns. They learn how to stay safe online. Staff are well trained to support pupils when they need it.

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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 February 2014.

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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.

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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. 23 and 24 May 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10268605 Type of school Junior

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.st-anneline-jun.essex.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 22 November 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 St Anne Line Catholic Junior School was last inspected under section 48 of the Education Act 2005 in April 2018. The school’s next section 48 inspection will be within eight school years.  The school uses one unregistered alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, subject leaders and the special educational needs coordinator. The inspector also met with four governors, including the chair of the governing body.  The inspector met with a representative from the local authority and the diocese to gather information about school support and development.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and art. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with the subject leader, 23 and 24 May 2023

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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. The inspector also looked at other curriculum plans, including for history, geography and science.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector scrutinised a range of documentation relating to safeguarding, behaviour and attendance.  The inspector took account of the 21 responses and free-text comments submitted to the online survey for parents and carers, Ofsted Parent View.  The inspector also took account of the 19 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey and the 201 responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey. The inspector also spoke to pupils during playtimes and lunchtimes and during lessons to seek pupils’ views. She spoke with groups of staff to gather views from a range of staff members.

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Inspection team

Nerrissa Bear, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 23 and 24 May 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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