St Antony's Catholic Primary School

Inspection of St Antony’s Catholic Primary School Upton Avenue, Forest Gate, London E7 9PN

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Inspection dates: 12 and 13 February 2025

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

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The headteacher of this school is Angela Moore. This school is part of Our Lady of Grace Catholic 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 (CEO), Nuala Cashell, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Mick Coleman. 12 and 13 February 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at St Antony’s are incredibly polite, courteous and respectful. They conduct themselves with maturity and confidence. Pupils feel safe because of the warm and caring relationships between staff and pupils. Pupils look after one another and are kind. They play happily with one another at social times.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary. Starting from the early years, there are clear and consistent high expectations for pupils’ behaviour. Classrooms are calm and orderly. Pupils are keen and focused learners. They support each other to do the right thing.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils rise to the school’s high expectations for their achievement. This is particularly evident in English and mathematics, where published outcomes are consistently high.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a wealth of opportunities that prepare them well for their future. These include developing their confidence as public speakers and debaters. Pupils are active members of their school community. Every pupil has an allocated job. Examples of these include leadership roles such as head boy and head girl or leading assemblies. Pupils proudly represent their school at events, such as performing at Windsor castle and the Globe theatre. They achieve success in national song competitions. There is a vast range of extra-curricular clubs, such as drama, orchestra, cheerleading and a variety of sports. Educational visits provide opportunities to bring the academic curriculum to life and support pupils’ learning.

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

Pupils experience an ambitious, broad and balanced curriculum. Starting in the early years, the school has mapped out what it wants pupils to learn and when. The curriculum for the core subjects of English, mathematics and science is very established. Staff have strong subject knowledge. Pupils’ learning builds effectively over time because the precise knowledge and skills that they need to learn have been defined and are then emphasised in teaching. Gaps in pupils’ knowledge are quickly identified and addressed. As a result, pupils achieve well in these areas.

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

In some wider curriculum subjects, curriculum thinking is not as developed as it is in the core subjects. The crucial knowledge that pupils need to know and remember is not as clearly defined. As a result, the activities pupils complete are not consistently well matched to the school’s ambitions for pupils’ intended learning. In these subjects, this reduces the impact of the curriculum on what pupils learn and remember over time.

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

Children in the early years get off to a good start. From the provision for two-year-olds upwards, the school focuses on developing children’s communication and language skills as well as foundational knowledge across the different areas of learning. Children enjoy the range of activities available to them. These are designed to support their successful learning across the curriculum. Through the school’s clear and established expectations and routines, children are also well supported to grow in their independence. 12 and 13 February 2025

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The school prioritises the teaching of reading. Pupils benefit from the routines and expectations of phonics sessions, where they have lots of opportunities to practise and recall the sounds that they have learned. Staff quickly identify and address any gaps in pupils’ phonics knowledge to help everyone to keep up. Extra support is promptly put in place where needed. Pupils read books that are appropriately matched to the sounds that they know. Pupils’ reading journeys continue past the phonics programme through a curriculum that focuses well on developing specific reading skills.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) participate fully in school life. The school’s inclusive ethos ensures that pupils’ individual needs are swiftly identified. Leaders work with families and other agencies to plan and get extra support where this is needed. Staff adapt activities effectively so that pupils with SEND are able to learn well alongside their peers.

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The school’s exceptional quality of provision for pupil’s personal development plays an integral role in pupils’ excellent conduct and behaviour. Beginning in early years, children develop an understanding of right from wrong. They know that everyone has the right to be treated equally. Pupils learn about different faiths and visit places of worship. The wealth of opportunities available complements the school’s vision for pupils to see themselves as ‘catalysts for meaningful change’. This approach supports the development of pupils’ character. Pupils are helped to explore their feelings and emotions. They learn how to keep physically and mentally healthy.

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The trust and governing body are committed to the school community. They make decisions to secure the best possible outcomes for pupils. There are clear approaches in place to make sure that the trust and governing body have oversight of the school’s work. However, the governing body is not as well informed about the impact of the wider curriculum on pupils’ learning as it is for the core subjects. This means it is not able to fully hold the school to account for its impact on pupils’ outcomes across the whole curriculum.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, but minor improvements are required.

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Safeguarding

Aspects of the school’s oversight of its record-keeping are not as robust as they could be. The school’s checks on its single central record are not rigorous enough to ensure that all required information is recorded. Records of incidents and concerns are not as systematic as they could be so that information is easily accessible and available, when this becomes necessary.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 For some of the wider curriculum subjects, the precise knowledge and skills that pupils need to learn has not been identified. As a result, the activities pupils complete do not 12 and 13 February 2025

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support pupils to learn the curriculum as intended. The trust and school should ensure that all curriculum areas have the same impact on pupils’ learning as seen in the core subjects.  Some aspects of the school’s work have greater strategic oversight than others. For example, the governing body’s understanding of the school’s work in the wider curriculum is not as strong as it is for the core subjects. The school should develop and implement approaches to strengthen oversight of all aspects of the school’s provision, including the way that necessary information is recorded.

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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). 12 and 13 February 2025

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School details

Website www.stantonyscatholicprimary.co.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 3 and 4 July 2023, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use any alternative provision.  This is a Roman Catholic school in the Diocese of Brentwood. The last statutory inspection of its denominational education and collective worship, under section 48 of the Education Act 2005, was in June 2018. The next section 48 inspection will take place by 2026.  The school has provision for two-year-old children.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade. 12 and 13 February 2025

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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The lead inspector spoke with members of the local governing body, including the chair and vice-chair of governors. She also spoke with the CEO of the trust.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher and other members of the senior leadership team.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, geography, science and computing. 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 pupils’ work. Other subjects were also considered as part of this inspection.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors: reviewed the single central

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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.  Inspectors spoke with staff about their workload and well-being. They also took account of the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff.  Inspectors looked at a range of policies and documentation relating to pupils’ welfare and education. They observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and around school.  Inspectors took account of the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments.  Inspectors spoke with groups of pupils about their experiences at school and considered the responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Julie Wright, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

David Worrall Ofsted Inspector 12 and 13 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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