St Anthony's Voluntary Catholic Academy

Overview

The report describes a school with a “warm, calm and supportive ethos” where pupils feel “safe, included and known as individuals.” Leaders are driving “meaningful improvement” in attendance, behaviour, and curriculum design, though recent changes are “too new to show their full impact” on published outcomes.

Strengths

• Attendance has improved significantly through targeted actions like the ‘walking bus’ and breakfast club, moving “close to national figures.”
• Behaviour is “calm, orderly and respectful,” with pupils showing “positive attitudes to learning” and confidence in the ‘Sparkle’ ethos.
• Staff provide effective pastoral support, ensuring vulnerable pupils receive “timely, well‑matched support” and feel “known, supported and able to thrive.”
• The curriculum is “well designed and sequenced,” with a strong focus on early reading and mathematical fluency.
• Personal development is “clear and well‑structured,” helping pupils build confidence, moral awareness, and a “strong sense of belonging.”

Areas to improve

• Leaders should embed recent curriculum improvements to ensure pupils gain the knowledge needed for complex learning and to improve published outcomes over time.
• Expectations for handwriting, spelling, and letter formation must be applied consistently so pupils develop “accurate and fluent writing.”
• High-quality interactions in the early years should be applied consistently to help children develop richer vocabulary.

Safeguarding

The safeguarding standards are met, with leaders establishing an “open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility” and concerns are “actively identified, acted upon and managed.”