Ormskirk St Anne's Catholic Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Ormskirk St Anne’s Catholic Primary School Aughton Street, Townend, Ormskirk, Lancashire L39 3LQ

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Outcome

Ormskirk St Anne’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?

Pupils come to school each morning eager to learn. They strive to embody the school values in all that they do. Pupils and staff are proud to be part of this happy school community. Staff form strong relationships with pupils and their families. Pupils feel safe coming into school’s welcoming environment each day.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high aspirations for pupils’ academic achievement. Pupils work hard and develop a love of learning. They leave Year 6 well prepared for secondary school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are polite and extremely well behaved and are positive ambassadors for their school. They are kind and considerate and aim to treat others in the same way that they would like to be treated themselves. Pupils are confident and highly articulate. Older pupils can speak with maturity and are expected to engage in purposeful debates.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from undertaking a wide range of roles and responsibilities. These include acting as school councillors, eco warriors and young school leaders. Pupils are eager to support their local and wider communities. Staff ensure that all pupils, from the early years onwards, learn the importance of serving the community. These opportunities help pupils to become well-rounded citizens.

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

The school’s curriculum is broad, stimulating and ambitious. It identifies the subject content and important vocabulary that pupils need to learn. This content is logically ordered so that pupils can build on previous learning when presented with new ideas. 18 and 19 March 2025

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In the main, the curriculum is well delivered. Teachers have strong knowledge of the subjects that they teach, and they present information to pupils clearly. However, from time to time, staff do not choose the most effective activities to support pupils in learning all that they can. This means that some pupils do not learn to the depth that they could.

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The school works effectively with a range of agencies to identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school provides guidance to staff on how best to support these pupils so that they can access the curriculum successfully. This results in pupils with SEND achieving well.

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The school checks how well pupils learn the curriculum. However, in a small number of subjects, checks on what pupils remember over time do not help teachers to identify gaps in pupils’ knowledge. In these subjects, pupils cannot recall their previous learning confidently.

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Reading lies at the heart of this school. Through the phonics programme, children in the early years gain secure foundations on which to build their knowledge of reading. Staff provide effective support for those children in the early years and pupils in key stage 1 who need extra help to secure their phonics knowledge. This builds pupils’ confidence, helping most to become fluent, accurate readers. Pupils have access to a rich range of books. Pupils spoke enthusiastically about choosing books from the school library, with the help of the school librarian. They described how these books had developed their understanding of the world.

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Staff value the support and guidance that they receive. This enables them to deliver and lead the various subject curriculums effectively. Staff also value the school’s commitment to reducing their workload. This helps staff to fulfil their roles effectively and supports their well-being.

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Pupils’ attitudes to learning are overwhelmingly positive. This starts from the moment that children enter the early years. Pupils are extremely courteous and well-mannered towards each other, staff and visitors. They support each other remarkably well. Most pupils attend school regularly. When this has not been the case for some pupils, the school has been quick to tackle absence levels. As a result, the attendance of these pupils has improved over time.

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Careful thought is given to pupils’ personal development. Pupils are incredibly well prepared for life in modern Britain. They learn deeply about the differences between people. Pupils develop a sophisticated understanding of concepts such as diversity and democracy. The school provides a range of outdoor activities at social times to encourage pupils to develop their physical development, creativity, social skills and resilience. Pupils enjoy attending a variety of lunchtime and after-school activities including choir, sporting clubs and music tuition.

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The school has taken effective action to maintain the standard of education and address the previous areas for improvement found during the last inspection. Governors are 18 and 19 March 2025

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ambitious for each pupil to achieve well at school and into adulthood. They ensure that this vision remains central to the decisions they make.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, teachers’ checks on pupils’ learning over time do not spot gaps or misconceptions in pupils’ knowledge. This means that some pupils find it difficult to recall their previous learning. The school should ensure that it refines the assessment procedures so that pupils have a solid foundation for later learning.  On occasion, the activities that teachers design do not enable some pupils to learn in sufficient depth. This hinders these pupils from building as rich a body of subject knowledge across the curriculum as they could. The school should refine its teaching approaches to ensure that there are greater opportunities for these pupils to apply their knowledge in depth.

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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 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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in December 2019. 18 and 19 March 2025

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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). 18 and 19 March 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Elizabeth Rafferty

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 10 and 11 December 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The current headteacher took up post in January 2025.  This is a Catholic voluntary-aided primary school within the Archdiocese of Liverpool. The most recent section 48 inspection took place in January 2020. The next section 48 inspection will take place in the 2025/26 academic year.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision for pupils.  The school runs a breakfast and after-school club.

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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. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in his evaluation of the school. 18 and 19 March 2025

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 The inspector met with the headteacher and with other school leaders. The inspector also met with governors, including the chair of governors, and spoke with representatives from the local authority and archdiocese.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders and staff; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and around school.  The inspector spoke with pupils, in meetings, at playtime and at lunchtime, about their wider experience of school. There were no responses to Ofsted’s online survey for pupils.  The inspector reviewed a range of documents, including leaders’ evaluation of the

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school’s strengths and areas for improvement and documents relating to pupils’ behaviour and attendance.  The inspector spoke with staff about their workload and well-being. The inspector also considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments.

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Inspection team

James Marsh, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 18 and 19 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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