St Anthony's Catholic Primary School

Inspection Report St Anthony's Catholic Primary School

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117495 Unique Reference Number HERTFORDSHIRE Local Authority 290855 Inspection number 8 November 2006 Inspection date Paul Cosway Reporting inspector

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Croxley View School address Primary Type of school Watford Voluntary aided School category Hertfordshire WD18 6BW 3 °11 Age range of pupils 01923226987 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01923234645 Fax number 251 Number on roll (school) Dr D Callaghan Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs P Wilson Headteacher 15 April 2002 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection date Age group 290855 8 November 2006 3 °11 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by an Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

St. Anthony's Catholic Primary is an average sized primary school serving the west of Watford. The majority of pupils are from White British backgrounds, but there are significant numbers from Asian, Eastern European, mixed and Black African backgrounds. Almost a third of pupils speak English as an additional language. Most children start school with levels of knowledge and understanding that are below and sometimes well below those expected for their age. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is above average. The percentage of pupils who are eligible for free school meals is also above average.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: St Anthony's Catholic Primary School, 8 November 2006

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Grade: 1

St. Anthony's Primary is an outstanding school. Its motto is 'We Grow and Learn with Jesus', and this sums up many of its strengths. Pupils grow in their learning, their confidence and their sense of responsibility, as well as spiritually. They learn in an ethos in which all are valued, guided and supported, so that over their whole time in the school they make outstanding progress. The school has a very special, close family atmosphere. Pupils call their teachers by their first names and look after each other in class and out. The pupils love and respect their teachers and they are loved and respected in return. The many outstanding features include the care, support and guidance for pupils, the teaching, the leadership of the school and pupils' personal development, especially their spiritual development. The school succeeds because it is a place where pupils feel very secure and happy. They enjoy their lessons whilst being challenged to give

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Grade: 1

of their best. They love coming to school and say that they feel part of a team. One girl said that if anything needed to improve it would be up to the pupils to help, 'Because everyone helps each other here.' Pupils' achievement is outstanding. Children achieve well in the Foundation Stage because of the good provision. Many children reach the standards expected by the time they begin Year 1. The teaching is well planned and there is considerable support for the many that need it. The Reception classroom is not large enough and the outside space is inadequate. The school is aware of this and work has begun on a new building. At the end of Year 2 standards are average. As pupils' confidence in literacy and numeracy grows, excellent teaching helps them to build on the good foundations laid in the early years. Their rate of progress accelerates between Years 2 and 6. In the 2006 tests, Year 6 pupils reached above average standards in mathematics and well

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Grade: 1

above average standards in English and science. The school exceeded its targets in 2006 in English and came close to meeting them in mathematics, even though eight pupils joined the school, most with English as an additional language, late in the year. Pupils' overall progress in mathematics was excellent, even though the test results were lower than in English and science because pupils began from a lower starting point. Pupils with special educational needs and those for whom English is an additional language make outstanding progress because of the excellent help and support they receive. Almost all parents responded to the questionnaire and their comments were overwhelmingly positive. 'The school has extremely high standards,' wrote one parent and many commented on pupils' self discipline and respect for others. They rightly praised the teaching. Lessons are very well planned, work meets the needs of pupils

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Grade: 1

of differing abilities and relationships in classes are excellent. Pupils value their lessons and try very hard to do well. They said that their teachers make learning fun and are very helpful. They are full of praise for all that the school does for them. The curriculum is good, with a proper emphasis on basic skills and excellent provision for teaching 2 Inspection Report: St Anthony's Catholic Primary School, 8 November 2006 music and physical education. Pupils' appreciation of world cultures is not as well developed. Pupils' personal development is outstanding. Pupils learn to take responsibility, make decisions and run mini enterprise schemes to raise funds for projects they have initiated. They contribute very effectively to the school community through the school council and contribute greatly to the local community through improvements they make to the area around the school. They also learn how to stay healthy and safe exceptionally

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Grade: 1

well. Excellent leadership and management have brought about significant progress since the last inspection and there is a clear focus on raising attainment further. The school has an excellent capacity for continued improvement and provides outstanding value for money because of the high quality all round education that pupils enjoy.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve the indoor and outdoor accommodation for Reception children. • Develop the curriculum by increasing cross-curricular links between subjects and extending pupils' appreciation of the rich and varied cultures in the world in which we live.

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Grade: 1

Test results and inspection evidence show that pupils' achievement is outstanding. Children achieve well in the Foundation Stage and many reach the standards expected by the time they begin Year 1. By the end of Year 2, results are in line with national averages. In the national tests at the end of Year 6 in English, mathematics and science, results over the last three years have been above or well above average. Pupils' progress and achievement have been consistently high. Pupils are confident when making calculations and solving problems in mathematics and their reading and writing skills are also very well developed. When speaking, they answer questions thoughtfully and articulately.

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Grade: 1

Pupils really enjoy coming to school and attendance is above average. Staff are very good role models and treat pupils with great respect. Consequently, almost all pupils behave extremely well. They are confident, polite and considerate. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding overall, although their understanding of other cultures is less well developed than other aspects. Pupils are very keen to face new challenges. They work hard and demonstrate mature attitudes. Pupils respond exceptionally well to opportunities to make decisions and their views are taken seriously and are acted upon. They have outstanding work skills which will be valuable in the future, developed through excellent teaching of literacy, numeracy 3 Inspection Report: St Anthony's Catholic Primary School, 8 November 2006 and information and communication technology. Pupils also work together exceptionally

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Grade: 1

Teachers plan lessons most thoughtfully and there are clear targets for pupils to reach. Pupils concentrate and work hard because the lessons are interesting and enjoyable. Teachers' high expectations and the pace in the outstanding lessons mean that pupils learn quickly and make excellent progress. The management of pupils is excellent and relationships are very good indeed. The work is pitched at many levels so that all pupils are both challenged and supported in their learning.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good. There are excellent opportunities for pupils to use their skills in reading, writing and number in different subjects. Hence pupils make exceptional progress. There is a particular focus on physical activities to ensure that pupils are healthy and fit. Very good provision for teaching physical education, French and music deepens and broadens pupils' knowledge. The school provides a good range of enrichment and extra curricular activities. Teachers have begun to find ways to link subjects to give greater relevance to the curriculum, for example, by teaching about the Second World War through history, geography and English. This is successful, but it is not done frequently enough. There is a limited range of opportunities for pupils to appreciate the many cultures in the modern world.

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Grade: 1

The outstanding care, guidance and support lead to pupils feeling happy and safe, and pupils are confident that there is no bullying or racial discrimination. They know that any incidents will be dealt with firmly. Close attention is given to health and safety issues. Child protection arrangements fully meet requirements. Teachers and support staff are sensitive to the needs of all individuals. Adults provide pupils with much thoughtful help and guidance in lessons and pupils know their targets well and how they can improve. The care and support for pupils with learning difficulties is outstanding. Parents were almost unanimous in their praise for the school and the care it gives their children. 4 Inspection Report: St Anthony's Catholic Primary School, 8 November 2006

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Grade: 1

Excellent leadership and management have brought about very significant improvements in the effectiveness of the school. The school's analysis of its own performance is of excellent quality and has led to well planned changes in provision to bring about further improvement in, for example, pupils' standards and progress. All teachers share an extensive understanding of the school's strengths and weaknesses and take a full part in the process of school improvement planning and review. The procedures for professional development and performance are excellent. The school has flourishing partnerships with other organisations, for example, that help meet the needs of groups of pupils. The governing body's support and monitoring of the school are excellent. They have been responsible for major improvements in accommodation and safety and in overseeing the excellent progress pupils make. 5 Inspection Report: St Anthony's Catholic Primary School, 8 November 2006

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Grade: 1

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: St Anthony's Catholic Primary School, 8 November 2006

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Inspection judgements

School Overall Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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Overall effectiveness

How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners? How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 2 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 1 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 1 The capacity to make any necessary improvements Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

1 How well do learners achieve? 1 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 1 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 The behaviour of learners 2 The attendance of learners 1 How well learners enjoy their education 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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and interests of learners?

1 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average to below average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low. 7 Inspection Report: St Anthony's Catholic Primary School, 8 November 2006

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and supporting all learners?

How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities Yes Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? No Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 8 Inspection Report: St Anthony's Catholic Primary School, 8 November 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

9 November 2006 Dear Pupils St. Anthony's Catholic Primary School, Croxley View, Watford, Hertfordshire, WD18 6BW Thank you for being so friendly and helpful to me when I visited your school. I enjoyed sharing your lessons and talking to you. You all told me how much you love your school and I agree with you that it is an outstanding school. There are many excellent things about it. You said that everyone is friendly and helps each other. This is one of the reasons that you are so happy and doing so well at school. I was impressed with the confidence you show and how helpful you are to each other. I enjoyed the infants' assembly. You were very well behaved and there was a real sense of a very special occasion, as you applauded those who had done well and joined in prayers. Other good things about your school include: • you work hard in lessons and behaviour is outstanding • you do very well in the tests that you take, reaching high standards in your reading, writing,

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

mathematics and science by the time you leave Year 6 • your headteacher and senior teachers have excellent ideas about ways to improve the school • you are set clear targets and are helped to achieve them • teachers make lessons enjoyable • teachers, teaching assistants and all adults care for you very well indeed • you are helped to be healthy and safe I have asked your school try to make things even better. The most important things are to: • improve the space for Reception children so that they have room to work and play both indoors and out • link subjects together within interesting topics to make your work even more interesting and include more about the rich and varied cultures around the world. Keep working hard and make the most of your time at this very special school. Yours sincerely Paul Cosway (Lead inspector) 9 Inspection Report: St Anthony's Catholic Primary School, 8 November 2006

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