St Anne's Catholic Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 30 November 2022

St Anne's Catholic Primary School is a happy, caring and inclusive community. Pupils said that being part of this school is like 'being in one big family'. Leaders and staff set high standards of how they want pupils to learn and behave. Pupils happily rise to these standards. Pupils' behaviour is exemplary. They are polite and courteous. Pupils treat each other with the utmost respect. They often hold doors open for each other and adults. Because of the respectful relationships, pupils say that bullying does not happen. Pupils are confident that staff would deal with any incidents of bullying quickly. Leaders have ensured that their Catholic values thread through every aspect of school life. A strong community atmosphere is underpinned by the virtues that pupils learn about, including respect, generosity and kindness. Pupils live out these virtues in their day-to-day lives. For example, inspectors observed older pupils helping the younger children during lunchtime. Pupils enjoy participating in a wide range of educational activities that broaden their horizons. Year 4 and Year 6 pupils enthusiastically spoke about their residential visit to 'Halton Gill' and an overseas trip to Paris. Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the school. One parent, whose comments were typical of many, said, 'My child is thriving here. This is an amazing school.'

What the school should improve

• The school's PSHE curriculum is Leaders have not precisely mapped the important knowledge not sufficiently well planned and sequenced. that pupils will learn and when. Pupils do not consistently learn important content in a sensible order. Some pupils do not remember what they have been taught previously. Leaders should work with teachers to identify the key knowledge that they want pupils to learn in PSHE from the early years through to Year 6.
• In foundation subjects, assessments systems are at varying stages of development. A small number are not sharply focused enough on checking the important knowledge that pupils should know. In these subjects, leaders do not have an accurate view of how effectively pupils are learning the curriculum. Leaders should ensure that they have a clear and accurate picture of what pupils know and remember over time in all subjects in order to identify any gaps in pupils' learning.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)