St Francis Catholic and Church of England Primary Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 9 November 2021

All the adults at St Francis share the same determination for all pupils to achieve well, including those who need extra support. Central to this ambition is their successful work to build pupils' confidence and resilience. As a result, pupils are proud of their learning and achieve well in all subjects. Pupils are happy and feel safe at this school. They know that staff expect them to behave well. Staff help them to follow the school rules to be ready, respectful and safe. Pupils say unkind behaviour rarely happens but, if needed, there are plenty of adults who help to sort out any concerns. Staff help pupils learn about their emotions using the 'zones of regulation'. This gives all pupils, including Reception children, the vocabulary and strategies to consider and change how they feel. As one pupil explained, 'This helps us to manage our emotions when we face any daily stresses.' Pupils are proud of St. Francis Academy and like contributing to the school community. Older pupils take their different responsibilities, such as play leader or librarian, very seriously. Pupils think the school is very welcoming for new pupils. They told inspectors that 'everyone is equal, no matter how different you are'.

What the school should improve

• Leaders have broadly identified the knowledge and skills for each subject. However, this is not accurate enough to ensure that staff can precisely build on pupils' prior learning. Subject leaders should identify the most important knowledge and skills they want all pupils to learn and remember in all subjects. Leaders have already taken action to address this weakness over the coming year. For this reason, the transitional arrangements have been applied.
• Leaders of subjects other than mathematics and English have checked that plans have been followed, but they have not monitored how well pupils have learned the intended curriculum. Leaders should equip subject leaders with the skills to check that all pupils have learned and remembered the most important knowledge and skills.

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