Franciscan Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Franciscan Primary School 221 Franciscan Road, Tooting, London SW17 8HQ

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Inspection dates: 17 and 18 January 2023

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Outcome

There has been no change to this school's overall judgement of good as a result of this ungraded (section 8) inspection. However, the evidence gathered suggests that the inspection grade might not be as high if a graded (section 5) inspection were carried out now. The next inspection will therefore be a graded inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff look after pupils well here. Pupils feel safe and happy in this nurturing environment. They spoke about how much they like school. They appreciate how much staff help them, both with learning and if they have any worries.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well. They pay attention in class and are keen to learn. Staff encourage pupils to work hard and keep trying whenever they make mistakes. The ‘value of the month’ introduces pupils to concepts such as consistency and helps them to think about how they should behave and respond to a range of situations.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn about the importance of respect. This underpins the school’s ethos and is woven through the curriculum. Pupils know that bullying is never tolerated. Staff are quick to sort out any problems or friendship issues between pupils.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have happy memories of the various educational trips they have been on, including to museums, theatres and local parks. Pupils enjoy weekly ‘singing assemblies’ and opportunities to perform in concerts.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have not ensured that all subjects are planned carefully. This means that in many subjects, pupils do not build secure knowledge. Some pupils who struggle with reading are not helped effectively to catch up quickly and they fall behind in their learning.

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

Leaders have recently started to review and plan an ambitious curriculum. Pupils study a wide range of subjects, including music, computing and French. However, many subjects are at an early stage of development. Leaders have not considered carefully what pupils 17 and 18 January 2023

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in each year group need to know and remember in each subject and in what order knowledge and skills should be taught. This leads to gaps in pupils’ knowledge.

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In some subjects, the curriculum is well planned and sequenced. In mathematics, for example, staff know exactly what to teach and when. Leaders have broken down learning into small steps, building on what pupils have learned before. Teachers make sure that pupils recap previous learning and apply this to new learning. For example, pupils in Year 5 used their learning on place value in Year 3 and decimal numbers in Year 4 to help them work out decimal fractions.

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In subjects which are well planned, teachers check pupils' understanding regularly and help pupils with any misconceptions. In other subjects, staff are unclear about the best way to check whether pupils have learned and understood what was intended. This is because leaders have not set out exactly what knowledge they want pupils to learn. At times, pupils struggle to remember essential subject content. For example, pupils enjoyed dressing up and eating dried fruits for ‘Roman Day’ but could not remember important facts and dates about ancient Roman civilisation.

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Pupils like reading and enjoy choosing books to read from the school’s library. In the Nursery and provision for two-year-olds, children enjoy listening to rhymes, songs and stories. This helps them to get used to the sounds in words. Staff in Reception and Year 1 follow a structured phonics programme to teach reading. Through regular checks, staff know which pupils have gaps in their phonics knowledge. They give additional support to these pupils. For some pupils, including some pupils with special education needs and/or disabilities (SEND), this is not helping them to catch up quickly in their reading. By the end of Year 6, too many pupils leave school not having attained the expected standard in reading.

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Leaders identify pupils with SEND accurately and at an early stage. Staff have regular training on how best to support the needs of pupils with SEND. This helps them to consider the best ways to adapt teaching for individual pupils. Staff use a range of strategies to support pupils effectively. However, some pupils who are weaker readers struggle to access the curriculum fully because they have not built up reading fluency.

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Classrooms are calm and orderly. Pupils know how they are expected to behave. Staff deal with any low-level disruption, so that learning the curriculum can progress without interruption. Leaders organise a wide range of extra-curricular clubs and activities for pupils. They make sure that all pupils have an equal opportunity to attend these. Leaders are ambitious to raise pupils' aspirations for the future. For example, selected older pupils learn about careers in medicine through a project in partnership with the local hospital. Pupils have opportunities to take on roles of responsibility. The ‘eco-council’, for example, takes a lead in helping the school community with recycling reusable items.

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Staff enjoy working here. They said that leaders support them with their well-being and have taken steps to reduce staff workload. Leaders have organised staff professional training and built links with other local schools that help staff to develop their practice in some subjects. However, new subject leaders need more support and training to help them develop their subject areas. 17 and 18 January 2023

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that staff have regular training in safeguarding. This helps staff to understand and follow the school’s safeguarding procedures. They know the importance of logging any concerns, even if they seem minor. This helps leaders to identify potential risks to pupils. Leaders follow up any concerns with appropriate and timely action. They work closely with external agencies to ensure pupils and their families get the right support. Leaders offer a range of therapeutic and pastoral support to help pupils.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn about keeping themselves safe, including online safety. For example, pupils know not to share personal information online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Additional support for pupils who struggle with reading, including some pupils with SEND, is not helping them to catch up quickly, grow in confidence and read fluently. As a result, they struggle to access the curriculum fully. Leaders should ensure that weaker readers are supported effectively to help them catch up quickly.  In many of the foundation subjects, leaders have not considered carefully what pupils need to learn and in what order they should learn it. Teachers are not routinely clear about the essential component knowledge they need to teach and assess. Pupils do not build up knowledge in these subjects securely over time as a result. Leaders should ensure that the foundation subjects are planned and sequenced coherently. They should identify the specific knowledge and skills that pupils need to know and ensure that teachers check that pupils understand and remember key subject content.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Subject curriculum thinking is not securely in place in all subjects. Leaders need further support to help them to organise and develop the curriculum in their subject areas. Senior leaders, including trustees, should continue with their plans to develop subject leaders’ expertise, so that they can carry out their roles effectively. 17 and 18 January 2023

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called an ungraded inspection and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Franciscan Primary School, to be good in May 2012.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, 'disadvantaged pupils' refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 17 and 18 January 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10255431 Type of school Primary

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School details

Website www.franciscan.wandsworth.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Franciscan Primary School converted to become an academy school in September 2018. When its predecessor school, Franciscan Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good overall.  The school is part of The Graveney Trust.  The school leadership team was restructured in 2018 when a deputy head teacher and three phase leaders were promoted from the school staff.  The school has provision for two-year-olds, offering part-time places.  The school runs a breakfast club.  Leaders do not use any alternative provision for their pupils.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in her evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher and other school leaders, including those responsible for SEND and behaviour. A meeting was held with the trust’s chief executive officer, one trustee and the chair of the local governing body. 17 and 18 January 2023

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 The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The inspector listened to a sample of pupils read.  The inspector reviewed curriculum documentation for history, computing and French, spoke to pupils and leaders about a range of subjects and sampled pupils’ work.  To inspect safeguarding, the inspector looked at the single central record of staff suitability checks. She met with the leaders responsible for safeguarding and sampled pupils’ files and other documentation. The inspector talked to pupils and staff about the safeguarding arrangements in the school.  The inspector reviewed the responses to Ofsted’s online survey of parents’ views, Parent View, and the online staff survey.

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Inspection team

Jude Wilson, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector 17 and 18 January 2023

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regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children's services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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