St Anselm's Catholic Primary School

Inspection of St Anselm's Catholic Primary School Roxborough Park, Harrow, HA1 3BE

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Inspection dates: 20 and 21 February 2024

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

The quality of education Outstanding Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Early years provision Outstanding Previous inspection grade Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

Until November 2020, the school was exempt from routine inspection because it was judged as outstanding at its previous inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The school has not been inspected under section 5 of the Act since March 2012. 20 and 21 February 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a school where everyone is valued. Pupils are incredibly kind and polite towards each other. Pupils have been taught the importance of respect and ‘learning together’ which is interwoven throughout all aspects of school life.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe here. They have identified five adults who will listen and help them if they have a worry. Relationships between staff and pupils are positive and nurturing across the school. Pupils feel happy here because adults make learning fun.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ behaviour across the school is exemplary. Staff have high expectations for all pupils. Pupils achieve highly across a range of subjects. Attendance remains a priority for the school. Leaders are taking appropriate action to ensure that attendance remains high.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There are a number of opportunities for pupils to take on roles of responsibility. For example, lunchtime monitors help pupils in the dining hall. Pupils are proud of their roles because they understand the value of helping others.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils speak positively about the range of enrichment activities on offer. Pupils in the choir were given the opportunity to visit Cambridge University and will be performing at St Paul’s Cathedral. These experiences help pupils to develop their talents and pursue their interests.

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better?

The school has a meticulously well-planned curriculum in place. Leaders have identified the most important knowledge that pupils need to learn and remember from Reception to Year 6. Teachers expertly explain new content and emphasise important vocabulary that pupils need to know. For example, pupils in Year 4 confidently describe a science investigation using vocabulary such as, ‘vibration’, ‘decibels’ and ‘volume’. Teachers check that pupils have understood new content before moving on. This means that pupils build detailed knowledge across a range of subjects.

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better?

The reading curriculum is given priority here. Pupils have regular opportunities to visit the school library. Carefully chosen authors share their books with pupils through assemblies and pupils are read aloud to daily. Pupils read widely and often because leaders prioritise reading for pleasure which starts in the early years. For example, children in Reception listen attentively to familiar stories, such as ‘Jack and the beanstalk’ which are delivered with enthusiasm. The children are very curious to learn all about Jack and the giant.

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better?

Teachers and other adults are experts at teaching early reading. They have received effective training so that the phonics programme is taught consistently. Children in Reception are taught to read right from the start of the Reception Year. The school 20 and 21 February 2024

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wants all pupils to read fluently and without delay. Pupils regularly revisit previously taught letters and sounds, which they recall securely. Effective support is in place for those pupils who need help to keep up. Books are carefully matched to the sounds that pupils have been taught. As a result, pupils read with developing fluency.

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Leaders are extremely ambitious for all pupils to achieve well. This includes those pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils with SEND are effectively and accurately identified as early as possible. These pupils achieve well because leaders and teachers understand their needs and make appropriate adaptations to teaching.

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Pupils across the school are highly motivated and show excellent attitudes to their learning. Pupils are well-behaved during lessons and social times. Routines are firmly established, starting from the early years. Learning is not interrupted by inappropriate behaviour.

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The personal, social, health and economic education curriculum is very well structured. Pupils show high levels of respect for people who may be different from themselves. This is because pupils learn about the lives of others from different backgrounds. For example, pupils in Year 6 explained how proud they are to learn about an engineer from Malawi who built a wind turbine to help the people of his country.

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Leaders provide opportunities for pupils to debate and consider the views of others. For example, pupils discuss whether possessions are more important than people. They also debate, according to science and religion, how creation occurred. These experiences help pupils to develop their own ideas and share their opinions.

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Pupils have been taught that families may look different. They also learn about protected characteristics and consent in an age-appropriate manner. Pupils are taught about the possible risks they may encounter both within and beyond the school. They know how to stay safe online, for example, not to share personal information when online.

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Governors know what the school does well. They have effective processes in place to ensure pupils achieve well and ‘learn and grow together through prayer, belief and love’. Staff are overwhelmingly positive about the actions leaders take to consider their workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 20 and 21 February 2024

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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 February 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 7-8 March 2012, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This is a Roman Catholic primary school under the diocese of Westminster. The school’s most recent section 48 inspection took place in June 2017.  The school operates an after-school club.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.

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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. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors held meetings with the senior leadership team to discuss school development.  Inspectors met with representatives of the governing body. They also met with representatives from the local authority and the diocese. 20 and 21 February 2024

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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 scrutinised a wide range of documents, including those related to pupils’ personal development and behaviour and attendance. The inspectors also met with groups of staff and pupils to discuss these aspects of the school’s work.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, art and design and music. For each deep dive, the 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 pupils’ work.  The inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.

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 The views of parents and staff were also considered, including through Ofsted’s online surveys.

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Inspection team

Deborah Walters, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Aliki Constantopoulou His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Alex Hayes Ofsted Inspector 20 and 21 February 2024

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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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