St Anne's Catholic Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: St Anne’s Catholic Primary School Wellington Road, Nantwich, Cheshire CW5 7DA

p.1

Outcome

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

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are cared for and loved in the St Anne’s ‘family’. It is a school where all are welcomed and nurtured. Pupils are warmly met by friendly staff. They enter school happily. Staff know the pupils well. Relationships across the school are strong. Pupils have trusted adults whom they can talk to, and they feel safe. Pupils show kindness to others and have exceptional manners. They are incredibly proud of their school.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy their lessons and talking about what they have been taught. The school has high expectations for what pupils will achieve. Pupils rise to these high expectations. They achieve well, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave very well. From the early years to Year 6, pupils are taught how to be good friends, and they learn how to manage their emotions. The children in the Reception Year benefit from strong relationships with their Year 6 ‘buddies’ who help them to settle into school quickly.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils excel through the wider opportunities that are available to them. They play an active role in the school and the local community. Pupils have many responsibilities such as safeguarding champions, eco-councillors and sports ambassadors. Pupils enjoy extra- curricular clubs such as football, choir, drama and yoga. They also benefit from visits to places of interest, such as museums and residential trips. These opportunities help pupils to deepen their knowledge about what they have learned.

p.1

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

The school has designed a curriculum that is ambitious for all pupils. Many subject curriculums are delivered well. This typically helps pupils to remember what has been taught. However, in some subjects, the school has not clarified well enough its 24 and 25 June 2025

p.1

2

expectations for what pupils need to learn. On occasion, this hinders teachers from teaching the most important knowledge. It also prevents pupils from making meaningful connections with their prior learning.

p.2

2

The school carries out effective checks on pupils’ learning. It often provides pupils with responsive support when it is required. This generally helps pupils address their misconceptions.

p.2

2

Children in the early years secure the skills that they need to become writers. For example, they are taught to form letters correctly. However, the school is less successful in helping pupils build on these writing skills as they move through school. This is because some of the school’s writing curriculum is not designed and delivered as effectively as it could be. Consequently, fewer pupils reach the expected standards in writing by the time they leave Year 6.

p.2

2

Pupils learn to read quickly from the Reception Year. They become confident readers in key stage 1. Pupils who find reading difficult catch up quickly because they receive effective support from well-trained staff. The school promotes a love of reading. Pupils speak positively about the range of books that they study, including modern and classic authors. They recently enjoyed a visit to the school by a poet, which encouraged them to read poetry.

p.2

2

The school has provided effective training to staff to make adaptations to the delivery of the curriculum for pupils with SEND. Staff support these pupils to access the same opportunities as their peers. The school’s systems to identify pupils’ needs have recently been further developed. It engages well with external agencies to provide targeted support for the most vulnerable pupils.

p.2

2

Pupils, including children in the early years, conduct themselves well in lessons and around school. They benefit from an exceptional range of activities at lunchtime and play harmoniously together, including in the school’s forest area. Pupils love being in school every day and have positive habits for school attendance. The school is relentless in its efforts to remove barriers to regular school attendance. As a result, most pupils attend as often as they should.

p.2

2

Pupils are very well prepared for life in modern Britain. They learn about acceptance and tolerance through a very well-considered, wider curriculum offer. Pupils know how to keep healthy, including eating well, exercising and managing their own mental health. They are taught about online safety, understand risk and how to keep themselves and others safe. The school has strong links in the community and teaches pupils to be responsible citizens. Pupils make active contributions through fundraising, litter picking and singing to local residents.

p.2

2

Governors and leaders are ambitious for the school. Governors have the necessary skills and expertise to fulfil their roles effectively. They hold leaders to account and have a sharp focus on staff’s workload and well-being. Staff feel appreciated. They value the thought given to their training and development. However, school leaders’, including governors’, insight into how well the curriculum is being delivered, and its impact on 24 and 25 June 2025

p.2

3

pupils’ learning, is not as effective as it could be. Sometimes, this prevents the school from identifying and addressing areas of curriculum implementation that prevent pupils from learning as well as they could.

p.3

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school does not provide pupils with sufficient opportunities to build their writing skills as they progress through the school. Pupils do not achieve as well as they could in writing. The school should ensure that pupils are provided with regular opportunities to master the skills they need to write with fluency and accuracy.  In some subjects, the school has not identified the most important knowledge in the curriculum. Where this is the case, pupils do not build on prior learning and develop a deep understanding of subject-specific content and concepts. The school should further refine its curriculum so it clearly identifies the knowledge it expects pupils to learn.  Sometimes, the school, including governors, does not have sufficient insight into the implementation and impact of the curriculum in some subjects. At times, this hampers them from identifying strengths and areas to develop in the curriculum. At times, this

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

prevents pupils from learning as much as they could. The school should improve how it identifies and addresses areas for improvement in curriculum delivery.

p.3

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.

p.3

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. 24 and 25 June 2025

p.3

4

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in January 2020.

p.4

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.

p.4

How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

p.4

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.4

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). 24 and 25 June 2025

p.4

School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

p.5

School details

Dates of previous inspection 21 and 22 January 2020, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

p.5

Information about this school

 The school is part of the Diocese of Shrewsbury and had its last section 48 inspection, for schools with a religious character, in September 2021. The next section 48 inspection is due in the school year 2027/28.  The school does not currently make use of any alternative provision for pupils.  Since the previous inspection, there have been significant changes to the leadership of the school. This includes the appointment of a new headteacher and chair of governors.

p.5

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 their evaluation of the school.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning 24 and 25 June 2025

p.5

6

and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector listened to pupils read.  The inspector spoke with the headteacher, other school leaders and members of staff.  The inspector met with representatives of the governing body, including the chair of governors. She also spoke with representatives of the local authority and diocese.  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, including records of governing body meetings, the school’s evaluation of its strengths and areas for improvement and documents relating to pupils’ behaviour and attendance.  The inspector met with the leaders who are responsible for attendance, behaviour and

p.6

6

pupils’ personal development.  The inspector spoke with groups of pupils about their experiences at school and observed their behaviour at playtime and lunchtime.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for pupils.  The inspector met with staff. She also considered the views of staff shared through Ofsted’s online survey.  The inspector met with parents at the start of the school day. She took account of the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments.

p.6

Inspection team

Emily Morris, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 24 and 25 June 2025

p.6

7

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.

p.7

7

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.7

7

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open- government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

7

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

7

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7