St Ann's Primary School

Inspection of St Ann's Primary School St Leonard's Road, Eastwood, Rotherham, South Yorkshire S65 1PD

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Inspection dates: 20 and 21 September 2023

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Overall effectiveness Good

The headteacher of this school is Lee Rowan. This school is part of James Montgomery Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, David Silvester, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Martin Harrison. 20 and 21 September 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

St Ann’s Primary school is built on strong relationships. Pupils say that they feel safe because they know that staff care about them and will help if they have a concern. Pupils show thoughtful acceptance and understanding of others. They value and embrace difference and, as a result, new pupils are warmly welcomed into the school. One pupil said that ‘equality is important here, nobody misses out.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations of pupils’ achievements and behaviour. Pupils value recognition of their successes, taking pride in seeing their work displayed around the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Classrooms are calm and it is very rare for learning to be disrupted. Staff are skilled in addressing and supporting the behaviour of pupils with additional needs. They do this very effectively, through their knowledge of, and positive relationships with, individual pupils. Pupils say that bullying rarely happens. Nonetheless, they trust staff to address it quickly and effectively should it occur.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Breakfast club provides a social and relaxed start to the day. There is a warm welcome for pupils and parents alike. There are other opportunities to deepen learning in the wider curriculum, such as visits that are linked to pupils’ topics, different school clubs and charity events.

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better?

The school has recently adopted an effective curriculum, including in the early years. Subject content is set out clearly and is well ordered. The curriculum resources help to support teachers to assess pupils and address any misunderstandings. Pupils’ knowledge in mathematics and reading is secure. Pupils know how teachers help them improve in these subjects and know what to do if they get stuck with a question.

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better?

Pupils can talk about their current learning in the wider curriculum subjects confidently but struggle to talk about their previous learning. This is because the wider curriculum is not as firmly established as core subjects. School improvement planning shows that this is the next priority.

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better?

The school prioritises teaching pupils to read. From the early years, children enjoy reading and listening to a rich variety of stories and rhymes. Staff have been well trained to teach phonics. As a result, the phonics programme is taught with precision, so pupils secure the sounds they need to read accurately. They read books that are matched closely to the sounds that they are learning. Pupils who struggle to read are supported quickly with a well-focused and effective catch-up programme.

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better?

There is an ambitious early years provision. The curriculum is planned methodically and delivered through carefully selected activities. There is a strong emphasis on 20 and 21 September 2023

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developing children’s vocabulary and communication skills in conjunction with fostering their early language and mathematics skills. Children’s self-confidence and independence are developed very effectively. This ensures that when they move into Year 1, they are ready to learn what comes next in the curriculum. However, learning activities in the outdoor provision are not as well considered as the activities indoors. This limits opportunities for children to develop their knowledge and skills outside.

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This is a highly inclusive school. Classrooms are calm and joyful. Staff manage pupils who have complex needs well. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) work successfully alongside their peers in lessons. This is because teachers think carefully about pupils’ needs and how best to support them. Pupils work well with the adults who provide extra help. Teachers check closely whether pupils with SEND have grasped the key knowledge they need.

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Adults are working hard to improve outcomes for pupils. Progress through the curriculum is strong. Some pupils’ achievement is slowed due to low attendance. Leaders have implemented a new system to check that all pupils are attending school as they should and, as a result, attendance is improving.

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Pupils are proud of their school value ‘RESPECT’ and know that every child has a voice. Pupils learn about respect and tolerance through a planned programme of assemblies, trips and clubs. They know why it is important to learn about difference and respect other cultures. They are proud of the 35 languages spoken in school.

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Trustees, governors and leaders from the trust share a clear vision for continual improvement and have high ambition for the school. They know the school well. Staff are proud members of the school community. They feel that the trust and school leaders manage their workload and consider their well-being effectively.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Pupils knowledge of the wider curriculum subjects is not as secure as mathematics and reading. Pupils can talk about their current learning but struggle to remember the content they have been taught previously. This is because the curriculum has recently been adopted and needs further time to embed. The school needs to ensure that pupils know and remember the key knowledge in the wider curriculum and use this to make connections to prior learning.  Learning activities in the outdoor learning areas in the early years are not as carefully considered as those indoors. There is limited opportunity for children to develop their knowledge and vocabulary. The school needs to ensure that adults 20 and 21 September 2023

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provide more meaningful opportunities for children to learn, play and interact when using outdoor areas.

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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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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, 'disadvantaged pupils' is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school's pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 20 and 21 September 2023

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School details

Chair of governing body Christine Peters

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School details

Website https://www.stannsrotherham.co.uk/

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School details

Dates of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school became part of the James Montgomery Academy Trust in October 2020.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school has a breakfast club for pupils and parents.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of the school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 20 and 21 September 2023

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 During the inspection, the lead inspector held meetings with the headteacher and the two deputy headteachers. She also met with the chair of the local governing body, the chief executive officer, school improvement lead and a trustee.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics, history and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of work.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  An inspector observed children in early years and pupils in key stage 1 reading to

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a trusted adult.  The inspectors spoke with members of staff about their workload and well-being.  The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school.  The inspectors considered the responses, including the free-text comments, to Ofsted Parent View. An inspector also spoke to parents and carers at the beginning of the school day.  Inspectors looked at a range of documentation provided by the school. This included information about the school’s self-evaluation and school improvement priorities. They also looked at school policies, curriculum documents, SEND records, behaviour records, attendance records and minutes of meetings held by the governing body.

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Inspection team

Rebecca Clayton, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

David Roundtree Ofsted Inspector 20 and 21 September 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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