Antony Church of England School

Antony Church of England School

Address: Antony, Torpoint, Torpoint, Cornwall, PL11 3AD Unique reference number (URN): 141622

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

Leaders are dogged in making sure pupils attend school regularly and on time. They develop successful, supportive relationships with parents and carers, promoting the importance of coming to school. These effective processes begin as soon as children join the Nursery class. Leaders use well-thought-out systems to closely monitor the attendance of pupil groups and individuals, with the right support offered at the right time. As a result, there are high levels of attendance.

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Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

Positive behaviour and conduct are deeply rooted in the values of the school. Pupils are highly motivated to meet the expectations that leaders and staff have of them. Pupils show admirable levels of self-control and commendable commitment to their learning. This creates a positive, calm and respectful environment across the school. In rare circumstances where these high expectations are not met, leaders and staff carefully support pupils. Pupils talk with kindness and consideration towards others. Good manners are commonplace. Any form of bullying or discrimination is not tolerated. Strong relationships are born from mutual respect and a secure feeling of belonging among pupils.

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Early years Strong standard

Children get off to a flying start in Nursery. Staff's high-quality interactions with children successfully enable children to understand and use important words. Children play with their friends harmoniously, alongside 'Steve the duck'. They grow in independence, which enables them to be very well prepared for their transition into the Reception Year. These transitions are carefully considered through effective partnerships with parents and carers. For example, staff share engaging video recordings and exciting activities to prepare children to join their ‘Antony bear’ in Reception.

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Early years Strong standard

Leaders are highly knowledgeable about the early years. They ensure the curriculum is ambitious and builds in difficulty over time so that children are very ready to continue their learning in key stage 1. Children enjoy reading books with adults and singing songs and rhymes. As soon as children start in the Reception Year they learn phonics, where staff ensure that children quickly develop important reading and writing skills.

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Early years Strong standard

Pupils learn very well with staff but also through their independent play. They are encouraged to explore and develop their knowledge and skills through carefully planned activities, which help them to think. Staff provide care and timely support in a nurturing manner.

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Achievement Expected standard

Pupils typically learn well across the curriculum. This begins with strong foundations in the early years. Pupils acquire appropriate knowledge and skills to be ready for their next steps in education. They take pride in the work they produce. In some subjects, pupils develop more detailed knowledge. For example, pupils make links between subjects to talk in depth about volcanoes and tsunamis as part of their work on natural disasters. Disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities learn well, alongside their peers.

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Achievement Expected standard

Pupils attain above-average outcomes in their reading, writing and mathematics at the end of key stage 2. Pupils also attain very well in the phonics screening check, as a result of leaders' pinpoint focus on reading. Leaders know that pupils do not currently attain as well as they should in the multiplication tables check and are taking steps to address this.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders use what they know about the curriculum and teaching to make positive improvements to the school's work. For example, recent changes to the mathematics curriculum are supporting pupils to strengthen their number skills. Leaders have worked with the trust to refine the curriculum and teaching in many wider curriculum subjects. These subjects include highly ambitious vocabulary for staff to teach pupils and concepts staff use to extend and build on what pupils already know.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Teachers gain the subject knowledge they need to teach these subjects well. There is regular checking of what of pupils know and remember, such as through effective ‘quizlets’. Pupils' misconceptions are generally addressed in a timely way. In some subjects, further curriculum development is now underway.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Reading is the linchpin of the curriculum. Pupils quickly learn the sounds that letters represent to access ambitious vocabulary and texts across the curriculum. They talk excitedly about what they have read and are insightful when making recommendations about books. Leaders prioritise the teaching of wider, essential knowledge across the curriculum, including spelling and handwriting. On the whole, teaching broadens pupils’ knowledge and skills. However, sometimes decisions on what to teach, and how, are not fully effective for some pupils with barriers to their learning.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders identify pupils’ needs in a timely way, including those who join the school at different times. For example, leaders build a clear picture of pupils' strengths and what will help them to learn best at school. Leaders understand and act on the barriers that pupils, such as pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), may face. Leaders engage positively with other professionals to get pupils the help they need, particularly for pupils known or previously known to social care. For pupils with SEND, leaders are tenacious in seeking support from external agencies to ensure that pupils get any help they need. Leaders develop effective relationships with families in support of pupils' learning.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders are ambitious in what they want all pupils to learn and be able to do. Staff's support for individual pupils is carefully planned to reduce barriers to pupils' learning and wellbeing. For example, high-quality phonics teaching is supporting pupils to catch up and read with fluency and accuracy. Typically, the support pupils receive helps them to be successful in their learning of the curriculum, particularly for disadvantaged pupils. This is because leaders ensure that extra funding to support disadvantaged pupils is spent well.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders prioritise professional learning for staff on inclusion. Recent training has further developed staff’s understanding of the cycle of assess, plan, do and review when supporting pupils with SEND. Most pupils who need extra support from staff have appropriate small steps to support their needs. However, sometimes adaptations to teaching in the classroom require refinement because they are less well matched to pupils' needs.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The vision of the trust and school drives leaders’ commitment to school improvement. They are highly ambitious for all pupils, both academically and personally. There is a positive school culture about what pupils can achieve. Leaders' thoughtful and considerate approaches to their work allow staff to feel valued and to share their successes.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Typically, leaders identify the right priorities for improvement. They take appropriate action to implement these improvements, so they have lasting impact on pupils. Leaders understand where there is still more to do and have suitable plans to consistently establish this work across the school. They consider the best interests of all pupils.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Trustees, alongside local governance, have effective oversight of the work of the school and ensure that the agreed, long-term direction for the work of the school is fully enacted. They make routine checks to ensure that their statutory duties are met. Staff value leaders' focus on their wellbeing. To help make staff's workload manageable, leaders ensure that staff only do what will make the biggest difference to pupils' wellbeing and achievement.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Staff engage in well-thought-out professional learning, which sufficiently develops their expertise to ensure that school priorities are implemented in their classrooms. For example, recent training sessions linked to the support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities in different subjects were timely, helping staff to begin to consider what to teach and how, to support pupils’ needs.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Through leaders' and staff's work, there are highly positive and constructive relationships with parents and carers and the local community. Parents are effusive about how well staff know and understand their children. Parents, pupils and staff are proud to be part of the ‘Antony school family’.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

The personal development programme is built extensively on wider enriching opportunities and experiences, which all pupils access regularly. Pupils take part in a range of exciting educational visits and residential experiences, which opens their eyes to the world around them. For example, outdoor adventure experiences allow pupils to take part in activities such as skiing, mountaineering and fishing. For all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, these experiences provide opportunities for them to shine.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders carefully embed the ethos of the school to support pupils to develop an understanding of spirituality and morality. They have regular opportunities to learn about the beliefs of others, as well as space to develop their own.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders ensure that there is a suitable taught curriculum for personal, social, health and economic education, which begins in the early years. This includes important aspects of relationships and sex education that pupils need as they get older. Pupils develop their knowledge of healthy relationships and how to keep themselves safe, both online and offline. They also learn about how to maintain their mental health and reduce any anxieties. Pupils typically learn what they need to be prepared for their next stage of education.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils develop appropriate knowledge of fundamental British values and how people's unique characteristics are protected by law, through regular assemblies that teach them about current affairs. Leaders are making well-considered changes to their curriculum to deepen pupils' knowledge and understanding of diversity beyond their rural location, to fully represent life in modern Britain.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders are proud of the pastoral support and care they provide for their pupils. They know these pupils and their needs very well, meaning they can offer timely and effective support.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils are happy and confident. They attend school each day with a beaming smile and an eagerness to learn. Pupils embody their school vision to ‘bring it’. For example, they develop kind friendships and respect for each other. Bullying is rare, and issues are thoughtfully and sensitively resolved by leaders and staff. Pupils celebrate each other’s successes through their ‘shining star’ awards and support each other with a deep sense of care. Pupils, parents and carers alike agree they feel part of a family at the school.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils feel safe in school. This is because their trusted adults provide a warm and calm environment for them to flourish in. Leaders and staff encourage pupils to be creative, enabling their talents to blossom and be celebrated. Pupils are proud to be displayed on their ‘bring it boards’, recognising the achievements and contributions they make to the school and local communities.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils are well prepared for their next steps in education. They learn effectively through a carefully considered curriculum. Typically, teaching supports pupils to develop secure knowledge across the curriculum. For example, in key stage 1, pupils talk knowledgeably about the history of different monarchs in England. In key stage 2, pupils link their knowledge of rivers with their immediate locality. Leaders' and staff's support for pupils who have barriers to their learning or wellbeing is typically timely and well thought out so that these pupils learn effectively with their peers. Pupils display a deep sense of belonging. They take pride in their school, behave with integrity and embody the school's values. Pupils have positive relationships with everyone they encounter, welcoming visitors with genuine kind-heartedness. Pupils’ regular sporting opportunities and outdoor adventure challenges develop their courage to try new things and

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

learn more about themselves. They make long-lasting school memories that help them to prepare for later life.

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Next steps

• Leaders should make sure that teachers consistently make highly effective choices about what to teach, and how, considering pupils' needs so that barriers to success are swiftly and effectively addressed. • Leaders should continue to further develop the content of some wider curriculum subjects so they are of consistently high quality for pupils to achieve detailed knowledge and skills.

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About this inspection

This school is part of St Barnabas Church of England Multi Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Sean Powers, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Steve Bulmer.

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About this inspection

Inspectors carried out this full inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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About this inspection

Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty's Inspectors (HMIs) or Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with the head of school, the trust early years phase leader, the trust key stage 1 phase leader, the trust key stage 2 phase leader, the special educational needs coordinator and the trust inclusion lead. They also spoke with the chief executive officer, the chair of the trust and one other trustee, the chair of the local governing board, a virtual school headteacher, staff and pupils during the inspection.

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About this inspection

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the school:

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About this inspection

This school is registered as having a Christian religious character. The school’s denominational education and collective worship was last inspected under section 48 in December 2022.

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About this inspection

The school does not currently use alternative provision.

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About this inspection

The school also, under the same registration, runs nursery provision for children aged 3 and 4 years.

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About this inspection

The school provides breakfast club and after-school club provision.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The data was used by the inspector(s) during the inspection. More recent data may have been published since the inspection took place.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils currently at this school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils who can attend the school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan. This covers pupils with more support than is available through special educational needs support.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with reported special educational support needs at the school.

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What does this mean?

Based on the English Indices of Deprivation (2019) and the school's location, we have calculated whether the school is located in a more or less deprived area.

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What does this mean?

Whether school has Resourced Provision or SEND unit (if applicable).

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standards in a combined reading, writing and mathematics measure.

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing.

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average

2023/24 (final) 75% 72% Close to average

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after.

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mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher- assessed writing.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

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average

‘S’ in the table above indicates the data has been suppressed, which is usually due to small cohorts. The suppression rules applied by the DfE when publishing the data have been mirrored and applied in the report card.

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance gap

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after. The school disadvantage gap is the difference between the performance of the school's disadvantaged pupils compared to the performance of all non-disadvantaged pupils nationally.

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mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics, including the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading and the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher- assessed writing and the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics and the disadvantaged gap.

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gap

‘S’ in the table above indicates the data has been suppressed, which is usually due to small cohorts. The suppression rules applied by the DfE when publishing the data have been mirrored and applied in the report card.

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Overall absence

The percentage of all possible mornings and afternoons missed due to absence from school (for whatever reason, whether authorised or unauthorised) across all pupils.

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Persistent absence

The percentage of pupils missing 10% or more of their possible mornings and afternoons.

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other schools can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The school reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The school is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The school needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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 .

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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

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