St Francis Catholic Primary School, Maldon

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school. Pupils make good progress. By the end of Key Stage 2, they reach standards that are above national averages in reading, writing and mathematics.

Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs receive effective support from teaching assistants and make good progress from their different starting points. The executive headteacher, ably supported by other senior staff, provides strong and effective leadership. Leaders have ensured that teaching is good, so that pupils achieve well.

The school provides a broad and balanced curriculum. Attendance is well above average. The school provides very effectively for pupils' spiritual, ...moral, social and cultural development.

Pupils eligible for support from the pupil premium generally attain similar standards to their peers in school. Pupils' behaviour in and around the school is good and has a very positive impact on their learning. They treat each other with respect, showing the positive ethos that pervades the school.

Pupils feel safe in school. They look after each other and have confidence that adults and their friends will take care of them. It is not yet an outstanding school because : Teaching is not good enough to make achievement outstanding.

Outdoor resources and activities in the Early Years Foundation Stage do not provide enough opportunities for children to develop knowledge and skills in some areas of learning. Pupils do not do as well in writing as they do in reading and mathematics. Occasionally, some teachers fail to plan work that provides enough challenge for pupils.

Information about this school

The school is slightly smaller than the average-sized primary school. Most pupils come from White British backgrounds. The numbers of pupils who speak English as an additional language is extremely low.

The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs who are receiving school support is below average. The proportion of those who have a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan is above average. The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium (extra government funding for specific groups of pupils including those known to be eligible for free school meals and children in local authority care) is well below average.

The school has recently been through a period of significant change. The previous headteacher and an assistant headteacher left the school in July 2014. The school has an executive headteacher.

At the time of this inspection, she had only been in post for four weeks. A strategic intervention board, which includes representatives of the local authority and the diocese, currently shares the responsibility for governance of the school with the governing body. The school meets the government's floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6.