St Anne's Catholic Primary School

Inspection of St Anne’s Catholic Primary School Bosworth Drive, Chelmsley Wood, Birmingham, West Midlands B37 5DP

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

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Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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The headteacher of this school is Daniel Linehan. This school is part of the Our Lady and All Saints Catholic Multi Academy Company, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Peter Davis, and overseen by a board of directors, chaired by Paul Bentley.

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Ofsted has not previously inspected St Anne’s Catholic Primary School under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. However, Ofsted previously judged St Anne’s Catholic Primary School to be outstanding for overall effectiveness, before it opened as an academy. Since September 2024, schools have not been awarded an overall effectiveness grade. 25 and 26 March 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

‘Everyone is unique and special at Saint Anne’s’, so say leaders, staff, pupils, parents and carers. Pupils love their school and the amazing opportunities on offer. Trips fully enhance the curriculum, for example to a local farm and the bluebell wood. These help pupils to learn more about their local area. All pupils are expected to participate in at least one of the extensive range of extra-curricular activities, which include an ‘empowering girls’ club and a ‘motorskills’ club.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have very high ambitions for all, and for no pupil to be left behind. This is why pupils excel in their achievement. This includes those who are disadvantaged, pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and pupils who speak English as an additional language.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave exceptionally well and have very positive attitudes to their learning. They show very high levels of respect for others from different faiths or backgrounds. Pupils reflect the school’s values to be a welcoming environment, for example by sending cards to refugees through a local charity. They thrive on leadership responsibilities, such as being digital leaders and prayer leaders. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe and how to respond to the risks of social media. There is always an adult to talk to if needed.

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

The school has designed an exceptionally ambitious curriculum that is expertly taught. This ensures that all pupils, including those with below typical starting points, achieve highly by the time they leave the school. This is reflected in pupils’ very strong outcomes in the Year 6 statutory assessments. As a result, pupils are very well prepared for secondary education.

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

Pupils’ success is achieved by how the school skilfully sequences learning, building on firm foundations in the early years. Key themes and content follow through from early years into key stage 1 and beyond. This enables pupils to revisit content, recall learning and build on what they already know.

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

Leaders are highly knowledgeable and well trained for their roles to oversee their subjects. Highly effective support and training for all staff, including in early years, ensure that they have the necessary subject knowledge and skills to deliver the curriculum very well. Teachers know how well pupils are doing in each subject. This means they know what the next steps are for learning. They are highly adept at picking up and addressing pupils’ gaps in learning.

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

Children in Reception get off to a rapid start to learning to read. Adults consistently teach the phonics programme very well. Highly effective support prevents pupils at an early stage of reading from falling behind. This gives them the skills and confidence to be fluent readers. The school promotes a love of reading exceptionally well, with adults sharing their favourite books with pupils. The school uses dual-language books very well to 25 and 26 March 2025

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celebrate diversity and support reading for pupils who speak English as an additional language.

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All pupils have access to the same learning intentions in each subject. Teachers make skilful adaptions to the curriculum when needed. For example, they provide structured support with early writing, enabling all groups of pupils to achieve very well. The school identifies pupils with SEND quickly in early years. This ensures that the right support is promptly put in place.

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Pupils behave exceptionally well. The school establishes positive learning behaviour right away in early years where children learn to take turns. This is maintained throughout the school. Rates of attendance are high for all groups of pupils, and these are continuing to improve further over time.

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The school promotes personal development extremely well. It carefully plans and sequences its personal, social, health and economic education programme from Nursery to Year 6. Careers run as a thread throughout. In Nursery, children learn about businesses and occupations. Older pupils consider jobs and qualifications. They learn about fairness through their financial literacy topic.

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The school ensures that all pupils feel they belong. This includes through events such as the recently celebrated Polish Heritage Day. Pupils have a very strong understanding of fundamental British values, such as democracy. They get to vote from Reception onwards where they chose which book to read. There is a club for everyone, including chess, dance, bowling and ‘young voices’. Trips, such as those to local sites of historical significance, carefully align with pupils’ learning.

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Leaders look after their staff exceptionally well. Staff’s workload and welfare are top priorities. There are numerous opportunities for training and career development. Governors and the trust know the school very well and hold leaders closely to account for all aspects of the school’s work.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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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. 25 and 26 March 2025

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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

Dates of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school opened as an academy in April 2021. It is one of 14 schools in the Our Lady and All Saints Multi-Academy Company.  The current headteacher was appointed in September 2023.  The school does not currently make use of alternative provision.  The school has a Catholic ethos. The last section 48 inspection took place in September 2019. The next scheduled inspection should take place by July 2026.

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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 and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade. 25 and 26 March 2025

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 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 taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, other leaders and staff.  Inspectors spoke to groups of pupils to learn their views of the school.  The lead inspector met with members of the trust, including the CEO, the chair of directors, and the trust’s improvement leader.  The lead inspector held a telephone discussion with a representative from the diocese.  The lead inspector also met with members of the local governing body, including the chair.  Inspectors considered responses to the online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View. This included parents’ free-text comments. They also considered additional feedback from

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parents. Inspectors reviewed the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff and pupils.  Inspectors considered information on pupils’ behaviour, attendance and personal development.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, English, mathematics, history, physical education and science. For each deep dive, they 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.  Inspectors heard pupils read to adults in the school.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, 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.

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Inspection team

Mark Sims, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Bogusia Matusiak-Varley 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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