St Anne’s is a highly-successful 11-16 girls school with a mixed sixth form in the heart of Southampton.
Rated by Ofsted as outstanding in all areas, our Catholic ethos means we pride ourselves on ensuring that staff wellbeing is at the heart of every decision we make. For example, we don’t have burdensome whole-school strategies such as marking policies or planning or seating processes: departments are free to organise these as they see fit, and we trust our professionals in the classroom to know what is best for their children.
Teaching staff teach have an 82% teaching (rather than 90%) timetable with middle and senior leaders reduced comparatively. We run a study hall to cover classes of absent colleagues, reducing the need for us to cover one another. We consult each other regularly on changes to the way we work as a school and invite feedback from everyone on what we could all do better. All staff can take a Wellbeing Day once a year: they can book it and have the day, no questions asked. The learning environment is a fantastic one for both staff and students, making teaching here a joy: 97% of staff in the most recent survey (January 2023) said that St Anne’s “has a culture that encourages calm and orderly conduct and is aspirational for all pupils.”
We have created a bespoke CPD programme to support our teachers be the best professionals they can be, working in teaching and learning coaching communities to work on the areas of practice that each person feels is their next area to master. We don’t chop and change this process; we give staff time to embed the practices they see are most important and allow them to become truly expert in it. This is why in the most recent staff survey 96% of staff say that “leaders use professional development to encourage, challenge and support teachers’ improvement”.
Our results show that our approach leads to positive and successful learning experiences for our pupils. Staff and students often use the word family to describe what it feels like to be part of the school community. That’s why 100% of colleagues told us they enjoy working here, 98% say they are proud to be a member of St Anne’s and 96% of staff say that leaders are considerate of their wellbeing. As a result, 98% of staff said they would recommend working at St Anne’s to others.
Come and join us; we are a place like no other!
“The sense of community within St Anne’s is like nowhere else I have worked.”
“We are an outstanding school - but that’s secondary to being like a family. I look forward to coming into work because I know my colleagues are supporting me to do my job and the students are grateful for the support we give them.”
“There is not a feeling of us and them, just a mutual respect of differing roles within the school.”
“We are respected as thinking professionals.”
“The ethos of our school means that human dignity is at the core of our approach with pupils. We see them as precious young people before we think about grades and levels.”
Travelling to St Anne’s
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