Saint Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary School

Inspection of Saint Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary School Treadgold Street, Notting Hill, London W11 4BJ

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The quality of education Outstanding Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Early years provision Outstanding Previous inspection grade Good 1 and 2 October 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a happy and nurturing school. In line with the school’s values, all staff are committed to helping pupils to experience the joy of learning and the possibilities that education can bring. There is a strong sense of community, rooted in the school’s Christian ethos. Parents and carers speak very highly of the care that staff provide. This supports pupils to thrive both socially and academically. Pupils make excellent progress and achieve highly, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love learning at Saint Francis. They are kind to each other and treat their peers, and staff, with courtesy and respect. Pupils know they are safe here. They behave very well in lessons and around the school. They take pride in their achievements.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school offers a broad range of opportunities and experiences for pupils to extend their learning and develop their talents and interests. Through the ambitious music programme, pupils have many opportunities to perform, including at the Royal Albert Hall, and the annual ‘four choirs’ concert. Pupils experience the rich history of the local area through visits to key sites and monuments. Pupils look forward to their Year 6 residential trip and enjoy ongoing visits from authors, historians, and artists.

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

The broad, well-sequenced and highly ambitious curriculum is well embedded for all subjects. The curriculum precisely sets out the important knowledge that pupils need to know. There are clear connections across topics and subjects so that pupils develop a breadth and depth of knowledge over time. For example, in history, pupils draw on their local study of the Notting Hill Carnival in Year 2 when learning about changing patterns of migration in Year 6. In the early years, children master their understanding of number. This means they can confidently apply their mathematical knowledge across the curriculum.

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

Leaders, including those responsible for governance, demonstrate a continuous drive for improvement. Staff value the opportunity to work jointly with colleagues in other local schools. This has greatly strengthened the school’s curriculum and helped to reduce workload. Pupils’ voices are valued, and they contribute positively to school improvement work. Staff are proud to work here and describe it as a supportive community.

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

The school fosters a warm and nurturing culture where everyone feels included. Skilled staff rapidly identify the individual needs of pupils with SEND. Staff put effective support in place promptly. Consequently, pupils with SEND make excellent progress.

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

Relationships between staff and pupils are very positive. Routines are quickly established when children join the Nursery. High expectations for pupils’ behaviour are consistently upheld. In lessons, pupils settle quickly into their activities and demonstrate their readiness to learn. As they move up the school, pupils develop increasing confidence and independence in their learning. This helps prepare them well for secondary school. 1 and 2 October 2024

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The school is ambitious that every child will become a confident and fluent reader. In the Nursery, children learn how to identify different sounds in their environment. This prepares them to begin learning the letter sounds at the start of Reception. Well-trained staff deliver the phonics programme with consistency. In Reception, children confidently use actions and gestures to help them remember new sounds. Pupils’ progress is assessed at regular intervals. Staff use this information to ensure that pupils who are struggling get the support they need. This includes pupils with SEND who make strong progress from their different starting points. There are high quality texts from a range of genres to help pupils experience the joy of reading. Pupils look forward to voting for their favourite story book and, overtime, develop a small library of their own.

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Mental health is a key priority for the school. Pupils and families have access to a range of therapeutic services to support with this. There is a well thought out and relevant curriculum for personal, social, health and economic education, which helps pupils to make informed choices about their mental health and wellbeing. The school’s Catholic principles support pupils to develop a strong moral awareness and to become well- rounded and conscientious individuals. The school has a comprehensive enrichment programme which ensures pupils are exposed to a breadth of experiences that will support them in later life.

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Pupils attend well. Persistent absence is declining because of the decisive action the school has taken. The school continues to be proactive in addressing barriers to attendance, including ensuring that families have access to specialist support where needed.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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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' is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school's pupil premium 1 and 2 October 2024

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funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 1 and 2 October 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Headteacher Kathleen Williams (executive headteacher) Ailbhe Farrell (head of school) Website www.stfrancisofassisi.org.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 3 and 4 July 2023, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is a smaller than average primary school.  The school run a breakfast and after-school club on school premises.  The executive headteacher leads four local schools.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school has a Christian ethos. Its last section 48 inspection took place in June 2018. The next section 48 inspection will take place within eight school years of its last inspection.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form 1 and 2 October 2024

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provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024, will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school's education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors met with the executive head teacher, head of school, other leaders, and a range of staff. They also met with the chair of governors, and members of the governing body, a representative from the diocese and the local authority.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, history, art and design and music. For each deep dive, the inspector held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning, and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The inspector also considered the curriculum in other subjects.  The inspectors checked the school’s policies and records, including those related to

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behaviour and pupils’ wider development.  The inspectors considered the responses of pupils, parents and staff to Ofsted’s surveys.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspectors spoke with parents and observed pupils’ behaviour across the school, including as they arrived and left school.

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Inspection team

Polly Haste, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Adam Vincent His Majesty's Inspector 1 and 2 October 2024

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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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