St Anthony's Catholic Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: St Anthony’s Catholic Primary School Dunkery Road, Woodhouse Park, Manchester M22 0NT

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Outcome

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

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Peter Johnson. This school is part of Corpus Christi 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), Sacha Humphries, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Nick Johnson.

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What is it like to attend this school?

St Anthony’s is a happy school. It has a strong sense of community. Pupils embody the school’s vision. They ‘always accept a challenge’ and have a ‘love for learning.’ Relationships between adults and pupils are positive and caring.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils work hard and take part in lessons enthusiastically. They are proud of their work and cooperate well when working together to complete tasks. Pupils move around the school calmly and play safely at breaktimes. They are polite and welcoming.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has an ambitious curriculum. It sets high expectations for pupils’ achievement, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Most pupils achieve well across the curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils take the responsibilities that they hold seriously. They make positive contributions to the life of the school and the local community. For example, they identify charities to support and organise events to raise funds for them. Pupils enjoy the many opportunities to represent the school, and the educational visits linked to the subjects they learn.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have a strong sense of right and wrong. They understand concepts such as prejudice and diversity. Pupils say it is important that everyone should be respected for 25 and 26 March 2025

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

Starting in the early years, teaching fundamental skills in English and mathematics is a priority. Staff model the vocabulary that children need across the curriculum effectively. This helps children talk with confidence about their learning. Children also have frequent opportunities to develop the skills needed to manipulate tools and to form letters accurately. This means they have a secure foundation on which to build when they move into key stage 1.

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

The school and the trust have taken decisive action to address some of the weaknesses which contributed to lower-than-average outcomes in the 2024 published data. The proportion of Year 1 pupils meeting the expected standard in the phonics screening check was below average. In addition, pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6 was significantly below that of other pupils nationally.

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

The school’s improvement work started well before the assessments and tests were completed. For instance, all staff received training to teach phonics and writing. In mathematics, the school has worked effectively with external specialists to develop teachers’ expertise in organising a curriculum that meets pupils’ learning needs. As a result, current pupils are acquiring strong phonics knowledge. The school provides effective support for those pupils who need to catch up, so gaps in learning are closed quickly. As a result, pupils are learning more than they did before, and their achievement is typically strong across different subjects.

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

The school takes every opportunity to promote pupils’ love of reading. Staff help younger pupils to choose books which interest them. Pupils are exposed to a broad diet of texts across the curriculum.

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

The school checks carefully how well pupils progress through the curriculum, especially in English and mathematics. It makes sure that any barriers are addressed swiftly. Teachers are adept at checking that pupils understand the concepts that are taught. They skilfully use this information to reshape lessons and help pupils secure the important knowledge and skills in these subjects.

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

Overall, the curriculum is coherent and interesting. Across most subjects, pupils use subject-specific vocabulary to talk about their ideas and connect their current work to what they have learned previously. They talk enthusiastically about the experiences that enhance their learning in different subjects, for example in history, visiting the Roman ruins in Manchester. However, in some subjects, pupils struggle to recall the important knowledge which underpins new learning. This is because, in a few subjects, the curriculum is not designed well enough. The most important knowledge that pupils should acquire is not clearly identified. When this is the case, pupils do not build knowledge securely over time.

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

There are suitable processes for identifying the needs of pupils with SEND. Staff work 25 and 26 March 2025

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closely with parents and carers and pre-school providers to collect the information needed to support children when they join the early years. Most pupils with SEND access the same curriculum as their peers.

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Staff set high expectations for pupils’ behaviour. Pupils know what is expected of them. When pupils need extra support to manage their emotions, this is provided by skilled staff. Disruptions to learning are rare.

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The systems for monitoring pupils’ attendance are effective. The school works with parents to help overcome any barriers to good attendance. This has resulted in significant improvements for individual pupils.

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Pupils’ personal development is a priority. The school makes sure that pupils understand concepts such as respect and difference. Pupils know how to stay safe when online. They learn about healthy relationships and know there are different types of loving families. Pupils learn how to stay physically and mentally healthy. There is a carefully organised programme of activities to enhance pupils’ interests and talents. This is particularly strong in relation to sports and physical activities, where there is an extensive range of opportunities for all groups of pupils.

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Staff appreciate the support they receive in managing their well-being. They understand that, in recent times, important changes have been introduced to improve pupils’ achievement. Nevertheless, they believe some of these changes could have been spread more evenly across the school year to help make their workload more manageable. The school is making sure this point of view is considered carefully when planning further improvement work.

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Trustees and members of the local governing body have a broad range of expertise. They fulfil their roles and responsibilities well and provide effective challenge and support to the school.

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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 most important knowledge and skills needed as a basis for future learning are not well considered. Consequently, in these subjects, pupils’ knowledge does not build as well as it could. The school should ensure that the curriculum in all subjects is coherent, so pupils learn the essential knowledge they need for future learning. 25 and 26 March 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 February 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 March 2025

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School details

Website www.stanthonysrcprimaryschool.co.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 10 and 11 December 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is a Catholic school in the Diocese of Shrewsbury. The most recent section 48 inspection for schools with religious character took place in June 2022. Section 48 inspections take place every five years and the school’s next inspection is due in 2026/27.  The school is currently being led by an interim headteacher.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school provides wraparound care in the form of breakfast and after-school clubs.

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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 the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have 25 and 26 March 2025

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taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors spoke to the interim headteacher, members of the trust school improvement team, curriculum leaders, teachers, and support staff. This included discussions about the school’s development priorities and the organisation of the curriculum.  Inspectors met with members of the trust board and the local governing body, including the chair of the trust.  Inspectors visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also observed pupils reading to a familiar adult.  Inspectors discussed the school’s approach to behaviour and attendance. They spoke with pupils about behaviour and observed pupils at lunchtime and when moving around the school.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documents, including safeguarding records, behaviour records, attendance records, records of meetings from the local governing body, school

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policies and reports from external services.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text responses, and spoke to parents dropping off their children. They also considered the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for pupils and staff.

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Inspection team

Keith Pullen, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Nicky Parkinson Ofsted Inspector 25 and 26 March 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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