St Antony's Catholic Primary School

Overview

Pupils at St Antony’s Catholic Primary School are described as “incredibly polite, courteous and respectful,” conducting themselves with “maturity and confidence.” The school delivers an “ambitious, broad and balanced curriculum” with “exemplary” behaviour and “Outstanding” personal development, though curriculum planning in wider subjects requires strengthening.

Strengths

• Pupils’ behaviour is “exemplary,” with “clear and consistent high expectations” resulting in “calm and orderly” classrooms.
• The curriculum for core subjects like English, mathematics and science is “very established,” with staff possessing “strong subject knowledge.”
• Personal development is “exceptional,” helping pupils become “catalysts for meaningful change” through opportunities in public speaking, debate and community roles.
• Reading is prioritised effectively, with staff quickly identifying and addressing gaps in phonics knowledge so pupils can “keep up.”
• Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) “participate fully in school life” thanks to an “inclusive ethos” and adapted activities.

Areas to improve

• In some wider curriculum subjects, “curriculum thinking is not as developed,” meaning crucial knowledge is not clearly defined and activities are not consistently matched to learning ambitions.
• The governing body is “not as well informed about the impact of the wider curriculum” as it is for core subjects, limiting its ability to hold the school to account.
• Strategic oversight and record-keeping, particularly regarding the single central record and incident logs, are “not as robust” or “systematic” as they could be.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are “effective, but minor improvements are required,” specifically regarding the rigour of checks on the single central record and the systematic nature of incident recording.