Blessed Carlo Acutis Catholic and Church of England Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 25 March 2025

The staff at Blessed Carlo Acutis Catholic and Church of England Academy want the best for pupils, families and the community. There is a strong sense of belonging and unity. Pupils are proud to belong to this vibrant school community where diversity is cherished. The school is warm and welcoming, and pupils are well cared for by staff. As a result, pupils feel safe in school. Pupils endeavour to uphold the school's values. Recently, the school has considerably strengthened its approach to managing unacceptable conduct. Pupils behave well in lessons and around school. They value their friends and the positive relationships that they have with staff. Pupils are happy in school. The school has increased the level of ambition that it has for pupils' achievement. It has made many positive changes to the quality of education that pupils receive. However, it is too soon to see the full effects of these changes on how well pupils achieve. Some pupils do not achieve as well as they should. This is reflected in the most recent published outcomes. Pupils benefit from the extensive personal development offer available to them. They have many opportunities to take part in an increasing number of extra-curricular activities. This includes sports clubs and residential visits. Pupils are keen to take on leadership roles, such as acting as student chaplains, school council members and mentors for younger pupils.

What the school should improve

• Some older pupils have gaps in their knowledge from weaknesses in the previous curriculum. This hinders these pupils from learning all that they should in readiness for the next stage of their education. The school should ensure that teachers identify and remedy these gaps in pupils' knowledge swiftly.
• In some instances, teachers do not check on pupils' learning as effectively as they should. This sometimes leads to misconceptions not being addressed or pupils not moving onto new learning when they are ready. The school should ensure that teachers are equipped to systematically assess pupils' understanding, to help them to revisit or advance their learning as needed.
• A few pupils do not attend school as often as they should. This further exacerbates the gaps in these pupils' knowledge and prevents them from benefitting from all that the school has to offer. The school should endeavour to build on its recent successes and secure further improvements to these pupils' rates of attendance.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)