Aims & Ethos

“The place fosters individuality, but also awareness of others”
Good Schools Guide 2018/19

Mission Statement

St. Anthony’s aims to provide high quality education in a caring, supportive and Catholic environment, infused by Christ’s Gospel, in order that each of our pupils is able to develop fully as an individual, well-adjusted to the wider community.

School Aims

• To promote the teaching of the Catholic faith and to provide an understanding and respect for the beliefs of others.
• To provide an informal, yet structured, happy environment where each member of the community is valued and secure and where there is a commitment to encouraging individual development.
• To promote high standards in all areas of school life.
• To encourage self-discipline, self-motivation, self-respect and respect for others.
• To provide a broad and balanced curriculum which encourages children to realise their potential.
• To foster a lively and varied learning environment.
• To work in partnership with parents encouraging regular dialogue in the best interests of the child.

St. Anthony’s has existed for one hundred and twenty five years. In 2009, the Patton family decided that the future of the school would be best secured and nourished by St. Anthony’s joining the highly respected Alpha Plus Group. Its reputation for excellence and its commitment to nurturing and fostering diversity, cohered with the school’s own vision. Alpha’s values, enunciated below, have supported the school in its latest exciting and vibrant phase. Since joining the group, the school facilities have been developed, refurbished and upgraded; Ongoing recruitment of excellent staff has also been a priority.

The Alpha Plus Gold Standard

We know that parents choose Alpha Plus schools because of our commitment to provide the best education and the best possible start in life for the children in our care. Our schools share aims and values, yet each has its own distinctive ethos. All Heads and their Senior Management Teams receive expert training and ongoing support to maintain strong leadership.

To ensure we meet the highest standards and can measure achievement, we set out the essential components of excellence in education that we insist on seeing in every one of our schools and colleges.

This Gold Standard of Education includes:

• High aspirations and expectations for all pupils and staff
• Outstanding leadership at all levels
• Working closely in partnership with parents
• A focus on high quality teaching and learning
• A commitment to self-review and continuous improvement

Staff and pupils are given access to cutting edge technology and provided with modern learning environments to ensure standards are met. The curricula we offer are regularly reviewed to guarantee their relevance and their potential to enable all our pupils to obtain first choice placements into destination schools and Higher Education institutions when they leave us.

Our success largely lies in our ability to appoint and retain top quality school leaders, committed teachers and dedicated support staff. Teachers are attracted to work for Alpha Plus because of our reputation in providing excellent professional development and opportunities for advancement.

There is strength in diversity too and, although each of our schools and colleges are signed up to delivering this Gold Standard, we also celebrate the fact that each of our schools also retains its own individual ethos and identity. We are very proud of the diversity you will find in our schools.

St. Anthony’s continues to develop and react imaginatively to the changing landscape and pressures of an evolving and often complex and challenging education landscape. We believe it is possible to combine academic excellence with the pastoral values which have been the heart and soul of the school and which foster such loyalty and affection from its pupils and parents. One mum recently wrote:

All the teachers have left a lasting impression. This is not just about learning the material and doing well in exams, but most importantly how to enjoy school, how to develop emotions and how to grow up. My son started Year 1 as a reserved and quiet child: he has matured into a person who is comfortable in his skin and is confident in his relations with his peers.’

Another family, contributing to the schools bursary appeal, wrote

 ‘We will be forever grateful for the kindness and moral and academic guidance shown which has given him such a fabulous start in life…He has been shown a set of values that we hope he is proud of and will understand more and more as he grows older.’

An old Antonian wrote:

Dear Paul,

It’s been three years since I left St Anthony’s and as another busy school year gets under way, I wanted to spend a moment to say a tremendous thank you to everyone at St Anthony’s whose work has gone into getting me to where I am today.

Having taken my GCSEs last summer I was thrilled to receive A* grades in all 11 of my subjects, including Geography, Greek, Italian, RS and Art in addition to the core subjects. While the fantastic teachers here have clearly been instrumental in allowing me to achieve these results, I consider it paramount that I do not forget the crucial role played by all those who taught me during my six years at St Anthony’s. I am not only talking about the efforts that went into getting me here but also the inspirational work that permanently moulded my attitude to school and learning, stimulating me to apply myself to the maximum in everything that I do, to appreciate the value of study and to strive for virtue.

It is difficult to capture the day to day ethos of a school and, once stated in words one tempts fate and the danger of complacency lurks. We were reassured by the latest visit of the Good Schools Guide. The whole community was particularly touched by two observations:

• ‘A school for all-comers, all types, and for all seasons. The sense of children at ease around the place is emphasised by the way they wear their uniform – a green and grey affair, which sits comfortably on them. The effect is to suggest an identity, and it’s easy to see it’s worn with pride – but, mercifully, without swagger. A big emphasis on kindness and tolerance. We heard teachers talking to classes and individual pupils, quite unaware that anyone was around, and the tenor was consistently one of calm benevolence. The payoff is obvious – the children seem remarkably patient and tolerant of one another. Very strong sense that the care of the children is anchored by affection and good sense. ‘

• ‘A very likeable school. Conscious of its individuality, but not in thrall to it. ‘A nice balance of informality and old school,’ said a parent. Smack in the middle of north London, it is championing values more abiding than merely those of fame and fortune. It achieves considerable success, but not by stepping over the bodies of others.’

St. Anthony’s continues to flourish and the bubbling laughter on the gates, at the beginning and end of the day, speaks more eloquently than dry texts ever can.

We hope than any visitors will see our aims realised in practice and we certainly have governors, staff, parents and pupils committed to preserving them for each generation to come.