St Anthony's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 2 July 2024

St Anthony's Catholic Primary School is a happy school where pupils enjoy learning and feel safe. The school's virtues of tolerance, honesty, courage and gentleness are woven through the fabric of the school. Pupils show respectful and tolerant views of others. They enjoy learning about different faiths and cultures. Teachers have high expectations of pupils' behaviour and achievement. As a result, most pupils behave well, achieve well and they have positive attitudes towards their learning. There are warm relationships between pupils and staff. Pupils are confident that staff will resolve any issues or concerns they may have. Pupils enjoy contributing to their school and local community through activities such as 'faith in action'. Older pupils enjoy taking on additional responsibilities. Pupils participate in a range of enrichment activities. For instance, singing at a care home in the locality. Most parents and carers who made their views known during the inspection are very positive about the school. Comments such as 'the school feels like a family' are common. The majority of staff have worked at the school for a long time. They are proud to work at the school. They understand pupils' individual needs well.

What the school should improve

• In the foundation subjects, teachers' assessment of pupils' knowledge and skills is inconsistent. This leads to gaps in pupils' learning and some pupils do not remember what they have been taught. The school should ensure that teachers regularly check for misconceptions and gaps in pupils' knowledge. The school should also ensure that staff check that pupils remember long term what they have been taught.
• The subject-specific vocabulary and key concepts that the school has identified as being important for pupils to remember are not repeated and practised by pupils. This means that pupils do not remember consistently the meaning of these important words and concepts. The school should ensure that pupils use subject-specific vocabulary and key concepts in their written and spoken language more frequently and in different contexts.
• Older pupils do not understand the dangers of radicalisation and extremism. This means that they are not prepared well to manage the risks that they may face outside of school. The school should ensure that pupils are equipped to deal with all of the potential risks that they may face in the local and wider communities.

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