St John Fisher Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 6 November 2024

Pupils come to school happily each day. They are eager to learn and have very positive attitudes to school life. The many pupils who arrive from other countries are quickly welcomed. Pupils who speak English as an additional language are supported to learn well. The school has high expectations for every pupil, whatever their starting point. Pupils rise to these expectations and achieve well across the curriculum. St John Fisher is a caring school, where the 'behaviour bees' of 'be ready, be respectful, be safe' guide pupils to behave well. Pupils are friendly and polite. They respect each other, the adults and the culture of learning that pervades the school. Pupils develop a sense of responsibility and leadership skills through roles such as librarians, school chaplains or house captains. School councillors are elected from the Reception Year through to Year 6. They engage in fundraising activities and school improvement projects. This gives them a taste of democracy in action. Themed weeks, trips and workshops enrich pupils' learning. There is a wealth of places of interest nearby for pupils to visit. For example, trips to a local cathedral, museum and theatre help to bring learning to life and provide memorable experiences for pupils.

What the school should improve

• The school's systems and processes for checking how well the curriculum is working are less well developed in some subjects. Consequently, in those subjects, the curriculum does not support pupils' learning as well as it does in others. The school and trust should ensure that the systems that lead to curriculum improvements are used consistently well, so that the curriculum in all subject areas supports pupils to achieve the school's high expectations.
• The standard of pupils' writing in subjects other than English is variable. Teachers do not always give pupils opportunities to apply their writing skills in subjects such as history, geography and science. As a result, pupils do not regularly get the writing practice they need to achieve the school and trust's high ambitions for them. The school and trust should ensure that teachers provide pupils with more writing opportunities, to apply their skills across the curriculum, so that pupils achieve as well as they can.

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