St Anselm's Catholic Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: St Anselm’s Catholic Primary School Church Avenue, Southall UB2 4DH

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Inspection dates: 25 and 26 February 2025

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Outcome

St Anselm’s Catholic Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a joyful and welcoming school, where pupils are kind and supportive. They work collaboratively with each other to realise the school’s vision, ‘success for all’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is at the heart of its community. Staff know the pupils and their families well. Pupils enjoy attending school and there is a strong sense of belonging.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for the achievement of all pupils, whatever their starting points. From the early years, children develop solid foundations for learning. They make a strong start. This helps pupils to meet the school’s high standards for achievement.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave exceptionally well in lessons and around the school. They are polite and respectful. Pupils know how to stay safe and look after their health and well-being.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy the extra-curricular clubs that are on offer. They participate enthusiastically in sporting and charitable events in the local area and beyond. Pupils experience a range of opportunities that enrich the curriculum and help to prepare them well for life in modern Britain. Their learning is enhanced through trips and visits. For example, pupils enjoy a residential camping trip, as well as visits to places of interest such as religious buildings and Buckingham Palace.

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

The school has redesigned its curriculum to ensure that it is ambitious, broad and relevant to pupils. The curriculum is sequenced effectively so that pupils’ knowledge builds over 25 and 26 February 2025

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time. High-quality training for staff has helped to ensure that they deliver the curriculum well. Staff have good subject knowledge and present new information clearly to pupils. This is helping pupils to learn successfully. For example, in science, pupils can explain the harmful effects of smoking on the circulatory system. However, in some subjects, the school’s approach to checking that pupils remember important knowledge over time is at an early stage. This means that some pupils develop gaps in knowledge over time that are not addressed as swiftly as they could be. This hinders how well pupils are able to link new learning to what they already know.

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Reading is a priority across the school. From the early years, children enjoy lots of rhymes and stories. The school’s phonics programme is delivered consistently well. Staff expertly model the phonics sounds that they want pupils to learn. Staff make sure that the books pupils read match the phonics that they are taught. This helps pupils to use these phonics skills effectively in their early reading and writing. Pupils who are struggling are given effective support to catch up. A new approach to the teaching of reading is developing pupils’ inference skills. Pupils enjoy reading and are encouraged to read books from a diverse range of authors and genres. The new school library is an inspiring space, which promotes the enjoyment of reading for pleasure.

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The school places high importance on developing pupils’ spoken language and vocabulary. Pupils are explicitly taught the important vocabulary that they need to know in each subject. This helps pupils to develop their knowledge and improve their communication skills.

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The school quickly identifies any additional needs that pupils may have and makes sure that everyone receives the support that they need. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) learn the same curriculum as their peers at an appropriate stage for them. Staff provide effective support to enable these pupils to learn successfully, such as additional resources. Strong working relationships have been developed with external agencies, who offer advice and support that is implemented well.

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Pupils have high attendance. The school monitors attendance closely and provides effective support for families and pupils. This helps to ensure that pupils attend school regularly.

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The school provides very well for pupils’ personal development. Pupils learn about important values and the importance of social justice. Pupils take on leadership roles with relish and are proud to be part of the school council and the sustainability team. Pupils like to help the community. For example, they take part in fundraising events to help the homeless and to support the training of guide dogs. This helps pupils to develop a sense of altruism and improve their confidence and social skills. In turn, this prepares them well for later life. A range of educational trips, visitors to school, clubs and events help bring learning to life and expand pupils’ cultural experiences.

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Staff feel extremely well supported by the school and are proud to be part of a strong team. They value the professional development that they receive, and how this helps them to teach the curriculum well. Governors understand the local community and the 25 and 26 February 2025

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school. They share the school’s high expectations. Governors provide support and challenge effectively to ensure that the school continues to improve for the benefit of its pupils.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, the school does not have an overview of how well pupils are learning the intended key knowledge over time. This means that, sometimes, pupils are not developing a deep understanding and are unable to connect their prior knowledge to new learning. The school should ensure that approaches to assessment accurately identify where pupils need to revisit prior learning, so that pupils retain key knowledge and build upon their learning over time. 25 and 26 February 2025

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024, graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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 for overall effectiveness in May 2016.

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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’ 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). 25 and 26 February 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.stanselmscatholicprimaryschool.co.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 13 and 14 November 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The interim executive headteacher joined the school in September 2023 and is also headteacher of another local school. A new headteacher has been appointed to start in September 2025.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school is part of the Diocese of Westminster. The school’s last section 48 inspection took place in February 2024. The next section 48 inspection is due to take place in the academic year 2028 to 2029.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection that the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in his evaluation of the school. 25 and 26 February 2025

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 To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: 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 inspector spoke with members of the governing body. He also spoke with a representative of the local authority.  The inspector took account of the responses to the online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and around school. Additionally, the inspector spoke to pupils to discuss their views about the school.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.

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Inspection team

Nicholas Cornell, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 25 and 26 February 2025

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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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