St Anne's CofE (VC) Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: St Anne’s CofE (VC) Primary School St Anne’s Vale, Brown Edge, St Annes Vale, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire ST6 8TA

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Outcome

St Anne’s CofE (VC) 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?

St Anne’s CofE (VC) Primary School lives by its Christian values. Pupils thrive, and there is a strong sense of community. The school works closely with parents and carers, who greatly value what the school offers.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There are high expectations of what all pupils can achieve. The school’s curriculum is broad and challenging. Pupils really enjoy their learning, and across the school they learn well. Pupils are very well prepared for the next stage in their education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Starting in the early years, staff forge strong relationships with pupils. The school provides high-quality care. Pupils know there is always an adult to turn to who can resolve any issues. This helps them to feel safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school expects pupils to meet a high standard of behaviour. Pupils behave very well in lessons and at social times, and the school is a calm and purposeful place. They attend well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Visitors and trips out of school contribute well to pupils’ learning. Pupils can take up a wide range of responsibilities, such as reading ambassadors, school councillors or house captains. They contribute to school decision-making. Pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, benefit from taking part in several different clubs after school.

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

The school reviews its performance effectively and has enhanced the curriculum since the last inspection. In particular, in each subject it has clarified the knowledge that pupils should acquire and has made sure that learning flows smoothly from one key stage to the 29 and 30 April 2025

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next. Staff believe that leaders are considerate of their workload and ready to listen to their views. Governors provide the school with very effective direction and oversight.

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Reading is a very high priority. Pupils follow a structured phonics programme. They learn sounds and letters in a logical order. Staff use the programme’s resources in a consistent way. Books for younger pupils are carefully matched to their phonics knowledge. The school gives skilful support to any pupils who are at risk of falling behind. As a result, they learn to read quickly and fluently. Across the school, pupils enjoy reading and develop a personal taste in books.

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Pupils study all subjects in the national curriculum. Leaders have designed learning so that it builds well on what pupils already know. For each unit of work, they set out the key vocabulary for pupils to learn. Teachers plan the day-to-day activities for pupils so that they meet the longer-term aims of the curriculum. Learning in subjects such as religious education contributes especially well to pupils’ moral and social development.

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Teachers have secure subject knowledge. They explain new knowledge clearly, and they mostly choose the right activities and resources to help pupils to learn best. The school enables pupils to remember the key knowledge in the longer term. For instance, Year 4 pupils know several differences between living locally and living in New York.

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The school identifies the additional needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) effectively. Staff draw on guidance to ensure that these pupils’ needs are well met. As a result, pupils with SEND make strong progress through the full curriculum.

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At the end of each unit of work, staff check on what pupils have learned. They use this effectively to plan for pupils’ future learning and to adjust the curriculum. In class, however, misconceptions are occasionally not spotted as quickly as they might be. There is a secure understanding of how subject leaders should check on how well the curriculum is working in the classroom. In core subjects such as mathematics, this is strong, and staff receive clear guidance. However, in some foundation subjects, practice is not as well developed.

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Staff implement the school’s behaviour policy fairly. Rewards are good motivators so that sanctions are rarely needed. Children in the early years follow well-established routines and learn important social skills. Pupils collaborate well in class and generally take pride in their work.

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Pupils follow a planned programme of personal development that teaches them about healthy relationships and how to stay safe. They learn about cultures and traditions other than their own, for example through visits to non-Christian places of worship. An exceptional range of opportunities to take responsibility enables pupils to help others, and to reflect on and develop their own skills of leadership. For example, pupils are able to discuss teamwork and how to ‘take charge without taking over’. They have chosen charities supporting mental health and well-being for which to raise money. The school 29 and 30 April 2025

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teaches pupils how to articulate their views, and they see that leaders then listen to their views.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In lessons, pupils’ misconceptions are sometimes not identified promptly enough. As a result, pupils repeat errors or are unsure how to approach a task. The school should ensure that pupils’ understanding is checked more consistently and carefully so that staff can address any misconceptions at the earliest opportunity.  In some foundation subjects, monitoring has not refined the implementation of the curriculum as sharply as it might. Sometimes, pupils do not learn the key knowledge as easily and as fully as they could do. The school should ensure that staff who lead subjects have the expertise and the opportunity to further develop classroom practice.

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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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in October 2019. 29 and 30 April 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). 29 and 30 April 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Co-chairs of governing body Mrs Lynne Bennett Dr Sarah Rose Headteacher Edward Hobson

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School details

Website www.st-annes-brownedge.staffs.sch.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 1 and 2 October 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is a Church of England faith school within the Diocese of Lichfield. The school was inspected under section 48 in June 2023.  The school runs a breakfast club and an after-school club.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.

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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 school leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher and other leaders, including the special educational needs coordinator. Three representatives of the diocese met with the inspector. They spoke by telephone to a representative of the local authority. 29 and 30 April 2025

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 Both the co-chairs of the governing body and three other governors met with the inspector.  The inspector spoke with pupils at social times and with groups of pupils more formally.  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 reviewed a range of documents. These included the minutes of governing body meetings and information about pupils’ behaviour, attendance, the school’s curriculum, self-evaluation and improvement planning. The website was also checked.  The inspector took account of responses to Ofsted Parent View, including free-text comments. He met with parents on the playground at the start of the second day of the inspection. The inspector also considered responses to Ofsted’s surveys for staff.

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 The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of their work.

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Inspection team

Martin Spoor, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 29 and 30 April 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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