St Francis Catholic Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

St Francis is a school reborn.

Following the difficulties of the predecessor school and the move into the trust, the school initially stabilised. It now thrives. The school has high ambition for its pupils.

By the end of key stage 2, they achieve well. Pupils are well prepared for their next stage of education.

Pupils are wonderful ambassadors for their school.

They are polite, courteous and eloquent. Pupils speak proudly about sporting success against larger schools. In class, they behave well.

St Francis has a nurturing ethos. Older pupils support their younger peers at lunchtimes. Adults know pupils well, including those with special educ...ational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

They help to adapt their learning as necessary.

The school's work extends beyond the academic. It places a strong emphasis on pupils knowing the importance of contributing to society.

Pupils raise money for a variety of charities. The school choir performs in homes for the elderly. This supports pupils to become empathetic and compassionate citizens.

Relationships with parents and carers are highly positive. All parents who completed the Ofsted Parent View survey would recommend the school. They value the visibility of the leadership team and the well-rounded education pupils receive.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The trust has been the backbone of the school's improvement journey. It quickly identified the key issues such as safeguarding. It tackled them head-on with the necessary urgency required.

In addition, the school has ensured that changes to leadership have been handled smoothly. This has helped to retain the confidence of staff and parents at a potentially tricky time. Staff speak glowingly about the support they have received from leaders.

This has resulted in a strong, shared vision.

The school has benefited from trust support in developing its curriculum. The trust has provided expertise from other schools to support staff to create a well-thought-out, logically ordered curriculum.

The detail in this means staff know precisely what to teach. Ongoing training ensures they implement it effectively. As a result, pupils typically learn well and recall their knowledge across the long term.

For example, pupils can describe the impact of the Roman invasion of Britain. In mathematics, pupils make links to their previous learning. This includes pupils with SEND.

They learn the same broad and balanced curriculum as their peers.Teachers build in opportunities for pupils to recall their knowledge. However, the use of assessment is still in development.

Sometimes staff do not consider well enough what pupils can already do. They give work to pupils that does not sufficiently deepen their knowledge as much as it could.

The implementation of the early reading curriculum has improved recently.

Staff now teach the phonics code with high expectations. Pupils read books matched to the sounds they know. This allows them to practise what they have learned.

Staff accurately and swiftly identify where pupils have gaps in their knowledge. However, a few pupils have gaps caused when phonics was not taught with the same rigour. Additional support means they have now started to catch up.

The school keeps a close eye on pupils' attendance. It forensically analyses any changes and takes action as necessary. Consequently, pupils' attendance is improving and close to national figures.

The school's Catholic ethos permeates its work. However, pupils also experience other faiths and cultures. They visit places of worship and participate in events such as 'International Mass' days.

This helps to prepare them for life in modern Britain. Pupils understand fundamental British values. For example, they know how Parliament passes laws.

Pupils develop their leadership skills through roles such as the school council and the chaplaincy team.

Governors and trustees keep a close eye on the school's performance. They are not afraid to challenge leaders if necessary.

Furthermore, they make regular checks on the school's work. This means they have an accurate view of the school's performance.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• On some occasions, staff do not consider well enough what pupils can already do and provide them with tasks that sufficiently deepen their thinking. As a result, some pupils do not extend their knowledge as much as they are capable of. The trust should ensure that staff are supported to plan work that better considers what pupils can already do and deepens pupils' knowledge fully.

• Historically, the implementation of the phonics curriculum has not been taught with the rigour and high expectations of more recent times. As a result, a few pupils have gaps in their phonics knowledge. The school should ensure that these gaps in knowledge continue to be addressed and ensure pupils catch up quickly.