St Anthony of Padua Catholic Primary School

Inspection of a good school: St Anthony of Padua Catholic Primary School Sands Road off Elmsley Road, Mossley Hill, Liverpool, Merseyside L18 8BD

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Outcome

St Anthony of Padua Catholic Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This school is at the heart of the community. Pupils arrive with big smiles on their faces each morning. Leaders have created a caring and supportive environment where everyone is respected. Relationships between staff and pupils are strong. This helps pupils to feel safe and happy.

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What is it like to attend this school?

On the rare occasion that bullying happens, leaders take it seriously. They deal with it swiftly and effectively.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations of all pupils’ behaviour and learning, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils proudly rise to meet these aspirations. Their behaviour and positive attitudes to learning contribute to their strong achievement.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are also encouraged to develop their talents and are given opportunities to further explore their interests in drama, sports and music. They enjoy attending extra-curricular activities, such as cross-country running, choir and chess.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ confidence and resilience are developed well by taking on various leadership positions, such as school council members and playground buddies. Teachers help pupils to understand the importance of physical and mental well-being. As a result, pupils know how to keep themselves fit and healthy.

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

Leaders have created a curriculum which is ambitious and exciting for children in the early years and pupils in key stages 1 and 2. All pupils, including those with SEND, study the full range of national curriculum subjects throughout their time at the school. Leaders have carefully considered their local context, alongside the interests of their pupils, when designing the curriculum. Pupils achieve well across most subjects. 7 and 8 June 2023

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In most subjects, teachers have the knowledge and expertise that they need to teach the curriculum well. In these subjects, they present new learning clearly, so that pupils can build on prior knowledge and tackle more complex concepts confidently. Teachers also use assessment information well to address pupils’ misconceptions. However, in a small number of subjects, some teachers do not check that pupils have mastered earlier learning before moving on to newer concepts. This means that some pupils develop misunderstandings and their learning is less secure in the longer term.

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In most subjects, leaders check the delivery of their curriculums effectively. They provide staff with helpful feedback to develop their confidence and skills further. However, some leaders are newer to their role. They lack the specific subject knowledge that they need to identify where teachers may need additional support to deliver the curriculum even more effectively.

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Leaders use a range of effective strategies to identify pupils with SEND. Teachers adapt their delivery of the curriculum well so that pupils with SEND can access the same ambitious curriculum as their classmates.

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Leaders ensure that reading is a high priority across the school and staff promote a love of reading among pupils. Teachers immerse pupils in a wide range of high-quality texts. Leaders train staff to deliver the phonics programme effectively and with consistency. Pupils practise reading using books matched accurately to the sounds that they know. Staff provide targeted support for those pupils who need to catch up. In the early years, staff encourage children to develop their awareness of letters and sounds from the start of the Reception Year. Older pupils enjoy the responsibility of reading with the children in the early years.

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Children gain good habits for learning from the start of their time in the early years. Pupils across the school behave well and they listen to their teachers and follow instructions. They engage positively in their learning and contribute well to class discussions. Pupils understand the importance of good attendance and how this helps them as learners. They attend school regularly.

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Leaders promote pupils’ wider development well. Pupils develop a well-informed understanding of fundamental British values. They also learn to appreciate the differences between people, such as ethnicity, religion and gender. As a result, pupils are respectful and well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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Governors are committed to their roles and carry out their statutory duties effectively. They have high expectations of leaders and they hold them to account for their work to continually improve the school. Leaders carefully consider the well-being of staff. Consequently, staff feel valued and supported.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 7 and 8 June 2023

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All staff are well trained to spot the signs that a pupil may be at risk of harm. They know what to do if they have any concerns about pupils’ safety or well-being. Leaders work closely with external agencies to make sure that pupils and their families get the support that they need.

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Leaders ensure that pupils learn to understand how to keep themselves safe. For example, pupils have learned about the dangers of playing games online and the risk of cyber-bullying.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, leaders have not ensured that teachers check that pupils’ understanding of new learning is secure before they move on to new concepts. This leads to some pupils developing misconceptions over time. Leaders should ensure that teachers check pupils’ understanding before moving them on to new learning.  New subject leaders do not have the curriculum expertise that they need to support teachers fully. This means that they are not able to spot when some teachers need extra help to deliver the curriculum more effectively. Leaders should ensure that subject leaders are equipped to evaluate what is going well and what needs to improve in the subjects that they lead.

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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 March 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. 7 and 8 June 2023

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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. 7 and 8 June 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 22 February 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Leaders do not make use of any alternative provision for pupils.  St Anthony of Padua Catholic Primary School is part of the Archdiocese of Liverpool. The school’s most recent section 48 inspection took place in February 2020.

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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 her evaluation of the school.  The inspector held meetings with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher and other senior leaders. She met with representatives of the governing body, the archdiocese and the local authority.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers and teaching assistants, spoke to some pupils about their learning, listened to pupils read and looked at samples of pupils’ work. 7 and 8 June 2023

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 To inspect safeguarding, the inspector looked at the single central record of staff suitability checks. She met with the leaders responsible for safeguarding and sampled case studies and documentation. The inspector met with pupils and spoke to pupils during breaktimes and lunchtimes. She also considered the responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey.  The inspector spoke with some parents and carers as they dropped their children off at school. She also reviewed the responses to Ofsted Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey, including the free-text comments.  The inspector held meetings with members of staff and considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.

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Inspection team

Kelly Butler, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 7 and 8 June 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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