Maria Fidelis Catholic School FCJ

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school. All students make good progress and some make outstanding progress. Students' attainment by the time they leave school is often above average.

Additional revision, booster lessons and individual support programmes help students to learn and achieve well. The already good teaching is improving through the relentless drive and determination of the recently appointed headteacher, who is ably supported by her senior leaders and the governing body. The school's ethos and its promotion of cultural, social and moral diversity permeate all aspects of the school community.

The school's award-winning gospel choir are ambassadors of this. Students'... behaviour is good in and out of lessons and they feel safe. The outstanding headteacher sets clear direction and has high expectations of leaders and managers.

Recent new appointments have strengthened leadership at all levels so there is a shared ambition to raise students' achievement through improved teaching. Increased support and challenge by the governing body and effective support from the local authority have improved all the issues identified in the last inspection and raised students' achievement. The sixth form is good.

Students benefit from partnerships with other local providers, enabling a wider range of courses to be offered, which are matched well to students' differing needs. Consequently, students' achievement is good and improving in most subject areas. It is not yet an outstanding school because : Teachers do not always use performance information to plan lessons that challenge and meet the learning needs of all students or show students their next steps in learning when marking their work.

Students' academic standards and progress are not consistently good in all subjects.

Information about this school

Maria Fidelis Roman Catholic Convent School FCJ is smaller than the average-sized secondary school. The school is situated on two sites, with Years 7 to 9 on the lower site and Years 10 to 13 on the upper site.

The proportion of students who are from minority ethnic backgrounds is well above average. The proportion who speak English as an additional language is also well above average, with a small proportion of these students being at the early stage of learning English. The largest ethnic group of students is Black African.

Approximately two thirds of students, which is much higher than average, are eligible for the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for looked after children, pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and children of service families. The proportion of disabled students and those with special educational needs supported through school action is below average. The proportion of students supported through school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is lower than average.

Provision in the sixth form , which admits boys, is delivered through a partnership of one other school and a further education college. The school uses alternative provision for five students in Year 11 who mainly study vocational courses at Westminster Kingsway College. The school meets the government's current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for students' attainment and progress.