Anson CofE Primary School

Inspection of Anson CofE Primary School Main Road, Great Haywood, Stafford, Staffordshire ST18 0SU

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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

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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 Nicola Jarrett. This school is part of The Staffordshire Schools Multi 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, Charlene Gethin, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Kevin Borg and Peter Halifax.

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Overall effectiveness Good

Ofsted has not previously inspected Anson CofE Primary School under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. However, Ofsted previously judged Anson CofE Primary School to be outstanding, before it opened as an academy. 7 and 8 November 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a successful, well-led school, where pupils and staff flourish. There is a warm, family atmosphere, where everyone ‘believes and achieves’ together. Pupils say that the best thing about the school is the caring staff. Pupils are happy and enjoy being here.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has the highest expectations for all. Leaders have created an environment where everyone gets the support they need to thrive. Pupils work hard in lessons and achieve well. Pupils’ behaviour and attitudes are exceptional.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils encourage each other, and relationships are strong. Pupils play happily together in the playground. Pupils feel that school is safe and free from bullying. They know they can share any worries with a trusted adult, who will help them. Pupils agree that there is always someone to look after them. The school values of love, respect and friendship provide powerful and consistent reminders of what is important at Anson CofE Primary.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have many and varied opportunities to contribute to the life of the school and the wider community. They can become monitors or part of various councils. Children in Reception have special jobs in the classroom. Older pupils really care about their younger ‘prayer partners’ and check on them at playtimes.

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better?

The curriculum is broad and ambitious for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school and trust are determined to make the curriculum the best it can be and are constantly refining it. As a result, pupils achieve well at this school.

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better?

Teachers have good subject knowledge and present information clearly to pupils. They check pupils’ understanding and give them clear feedback so that they know how to improve. Teachers regularly refer to previous learning. For example, in mathematics, pupils are encouraged to use their prior knowledge to find their own ways of solving problems and to talk about their thinking. Their understanding builds over time so that they become confident in their use of different mathematical operations. Teachers focus on developing pupils’ subject-specific vocabulary. In Reception, children learn the names of the planets, and in key stage 1 pupils use terms like ‘microbes’ in science lessons.

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better?

The school meets the needs of pupils with SEND effectively, including those with a high level of need. Pupils receive the right support because staff are knowledgeable about strategies to help them learn. Pupils with SEND enjoy school and recognise that the help they receive enables them to make progress.

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better?

The school provides engaging experiences to bring learning to life for pupils. Pupils love their learning. However, in a small number of foundation subjects, while pupils 7 and 8 November 2023

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remember the activities in which they have engaged, they cannot always recall what they have learned. The school is still embedding recent changes in these subjects so that, in future, pupils can make stronger connections between previous learning and new concepts and remember the important knowledge.

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Reading is a priority, and staff encourage pupils to read widely and for pleasure. Teachers use consistent and effective approaches in phonics lessons. This means pupils learn to read with increasing fluency. They have the right books to support them to read confidently. Pupils who struggle to read get the support they need to catch up.

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Pupils have excellent attitudes to learning. They take pride in their work, and books show a high standard of well-presented work. Attendance is positive because pupils want to be in school. The ‘Rainbow room’ provides a calm space for pupils to receive pastoral support or to get extra help with learning.

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Children thrive in the outstanding early years. Relationships between adults and children are warm and respectful. Expert staff provide pupils with well-planned activities that build knowledge across the year so that pupils are ready for Year 1. Teachers adapt learning to meet children’s needs, and there is no ceiling put on any child’s learning. This means that children are exceptionally well engaged.

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The school provides pupils with rich and varied experiences to develop their interests and talents. Activities are strategically planned to supplement and expand on what is being learned in school. Pupils have meaningful opportunities to make a real difference in their local community, such as working alongside landscapers to design a sustainable play area in a local park. Residential trips help pupils to work together and become confident away from home. Pupils develop a deep understanding of equality and diversity. They actively respect and celebrate difference. Pupils learn about current issues and fundamental British values through assemblies and events such as ‘parliament week’. Leaders listen to pupils and allow them to develop their own ideas for clubs and charity events, such as ‘freezer pop Fridays’ and the bee displays, which raised money to buy bee friendly seeds to plant in the school grounds.

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Leadership and management are exceptional. The school and trust benefit from leaders who understand and fulfil their roles very effectively. They challenge each other to ensure that decisions and changes benefit all pupils and staff. Staff feel supported by leaders and are proud to work here. Trustees, governors, staff and parents are part of a close and caring community. They are united in wanting the best for all the pupils. Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the school.

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Safeguarding

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

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school has not yet securely embedded some aspects of the curriculum in a small number of foundation subjects. In these subjects, pupils do not have the depth of knowledge that leaders intend through the ambitious curriculum. The school should continue to embed the planned refinements to support pupils to remember important knowledge and further develop their skills in these subjects.

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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). 7 and 8 November 2023

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School details

Chair of trust Kevin Borg and Peter Halifax

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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 Church of England academy and is part of the Diocese of Lichfield. The school’s last section 48 inspection was in January 2017. The next section 48 inspection will take place within the prescribed period.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.  The school operates a breakfast club and an after-school club.

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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 a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 7 and 8 November 2023

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 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.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, history and science. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, curriculum leaders and the special educational needs coordinator. They met representatives of the local governing body and the board of trustees.  The inspectors examined a range of school documentation, including leaders’ self- evaluation, improvement plans, records of governance, and documentation

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relating to attendance and pupils’ behaviour.  The inspectors took account of responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View, the pupil survey and the staff survey. An inspector spoke informally with parents on arrival to school.  During the inspection, the inspectors met with groups of pupils both formally and during less structured parts of the day.  The lead inspector listened to a sample of pupils in Years 1 to 3 read to a familiar adult.

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Inspection team

Corinne Biddell, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Adam Montague-Clewes Ofsted Inspector 7 and 8 November 2023

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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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