St Anne's CofE VC Primary School

Inspection of St Anne’s CofE VC Primary School Wyre Hill, Bewdley, Worcestershire DY12 2UQ

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 24 and 25 June 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are safe and happy at this welcoming and nurturing school. The school’s motto, ‘You are the light of the world’, shines through every aspect of school life. Staff take great care to get to know each pupil and their family. Pupils develop warm relationships with adults. They know the staff care passionately about their physical and emotional well- being. This means that pupils are confident to talk and to offer their views, for example if they have concerns. In turn, staff provide pupils with the help that they need.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious for the achievement of its pupils. Pupils respond well to this and work hard to reach this ambition. This is seen in their enthusiasm for learning. Pupils enjoy attending clubs, where they learn new skills. These include choir, photography and gardening. Pupils take on roles such as sports leaders and members of the ‘Faith Crew’. This helps to build their confidence.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Pupils understand and follow the school’s ‘ready, respectful, safe’ rules. School is a calm and orderly place, where learning typically proceeds without disruption. Parents and carers are positive about the school.

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

There is an ambitious curriculum at this school. The school has clearly identified the key knowledge and skills that pupils should gain and by when. This supports pupils to build on their learning successfully as they move through the school. However, in a small number of subjects, this essential learning is not as clearly identified. This means that some pupils struggle to retain knowledge and vocabulary, which can lead to gaps in their understanding.

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

The two-year-olds in school have an effective start. Staff skilfully focus on developing children’s language and helping them to master basic skills. These include letter recognition and counting. The youngest children quickly develop confidence because of the high standard of care that they receive. Children in the early years take part in well- planned activities. This means staff can direct their talk and support precisely to meet pupils’ needs. This develops and enhances learning across all areas of the early years curriculum.

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

Reading is a high priority. From the early years, phonics is taught effectively. Pupils are keen to show off the sounds that they know. In key stage 2, a well-planned guided reading curriculum is in place. This enables pupils to develop their confidence and fluency in reading. Teachers read to pupils regularly to encourage them to have a true love of reading. This is further enhanced by the new school library.

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

The school successfully identifies and supports pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Necessary adaptions are made for these pupils to enable them to successfully access the curriculum alongside their peers. 24 and 25 June 2025

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The school uses checks to identify accurately what individual pupils know and can do. This enables teachers to adapt the learning appropriately. However, in a small number of subjects, these checks are not thorough enough. As a result, the essential learning pupils need to move forward is not always identified clearly. This limits the progress they can make.

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The school’s published outcomes in 2024 were below national expectations in mathematics and writing. To improve outcomes, leaders have focused on staff’s subject knowledge and teaching methods. As a result of this, pupils do learn well and make effective progress, both in lessons and over time. Evidence for this was seen in a wide range of subjects across all key stages. In mathematics, however, this has been less successful. Teachers are still not always clear about the key knowledge pupils need to learn or how it should be broken down. This means that there are still sometimes gaps in pupils’ understanding, which then impacts on the progress that they can make.

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Classrooms are calm and focused places in which to learn. Clear routines and consistent expectations support positive behaviour. As a result, pupils show high levels of engagement and enthusiasm during their learning opportunities. Pupils want to attend school and, as a result, absence from school is low.

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Staff teach pupils about different cultures and faiths. Pupils contribute to the school in many leadership roles. School councillors are currently working on upgrading the toilets. Pupils learn to be good citizens by engaging with the local community and visiting the local church.

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Effective leadership and improved governance have strengthened the school. Leaders at all levels know the school and its community extremely well. Staff morale is strong. They value the support from the school and how it considers their workload and well-being. They describe themselves as a ‘family’. The local authority and the diocese provide a wealth of expertise for the school to access. This includes support for curriculum development and governance.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The curriculum in some subjects is not yet fully developed because the specific knowledge that leaders want pupils to learn is not defined clearly. As a result, pupils are not always able to build securely on what they already know, which limits their progress over time. The school should continue to develop the curriculum and set out the exact knowledge it wants pupils to learn. 24 and 25 June 2025

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 In mathematics, teachers are not always clear about the key knowledge pupils need to learn and how this should be broken down to enable pupils to learn it well. This means that there are sometimes gaps in pupils’ understanding, which limits the progress that they make. The school should ensure that teachers are clear about the important knowledge that pupils should learn and how this knowledge should build in a logical and well-ordered sequence.

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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). 24 and 25 June 2025

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 7 and 8 February 2023, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has a provision for two-year-olds, as part of their maintained Nursery.  The religious character of the school is Christian, and the last section 48 inspection took place in June 2025.

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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.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 24 and 25 June 2025

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 Inspectors spoke with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher and subject leaders as part of the inspection.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, physical education and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors listened to pupils read with a familiar adult.  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.  Inspectors gathered the views of parents informally in person and formally through responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text responses.

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 The views of staff were considered through the staff survey and through meetings with them.  Pupils’ views were considered through pupil meetings.  Inspectors spoke with representatives from the local authority, the diocese and the governing body.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in classes, and during breaktimes and at lunchtime.

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Inspection team

Paul Newby, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Janet Lewis Ofsted Inspector 24 and 25 June 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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