Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School

Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School

Address: The Limes Avenue, London, N11 1RD Unique reference number (URN): 102040

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Early years Strong standard

Leaders know the early years provision very well and are continually finding ways to improve the already excellent offer. Leaders ensure that the curriculum for early years is meticulously designed across both the Nursery and Reception years. It helps children to become fully ready for the transition to Year 1. Staff identify any children with additional needs as swiftly as possible and put in place highly effective support.

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Early years Strong standard

There is a clear focus on building children's communication and language skills. Staff prioritise and effectively model appropriate language and vocabulary. As soon as children enter Reception, they are introduced to learning phonics. Staff check their progress carefully and offer extra support where needed. Children learn to read and write confidently.

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Early years Strong standard

Children's learning throughout early years is of a high quality. Children are engaged and focused. Routines are clearly established and children follow them happily. The activities and learning opportunities, both guided and free-flow, are wide ranging, interesting and linked well to each other. Staff skilfully support learning and help children to develop rich language. They engage children in high-quality interactions, encouraging children to further explore and expand their learning. Staff carefully track children’s progress and keep parents and carers informed. Parents are also invited in for ‘partnership mornings’, when they can join in with activities to support their child's learning.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

The personal, social and health education curriculum runs from early years to Year 6, building on pupils’ knowledge as they move through the school. Pupils learn how to take care of their bodies and their health, including age-appropriate relationships education. The school ensures that parents and carers are suitably informed about the relationships curriculum and the resources used. Leaders are readily available to discuss any concerns that parents may have. Leaders ensure that pupils with additional needs are supported to access the learning and the wider experiences across the school.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Pupils can talk about how the school helps to build their characters and appreciate how staff support their wellbeing. Pupils demonstrate fundamental British values in the way they talk and behave. In lessons, they build up secure and detailed knowledge about issues such as discrimination and sexism. Pupils engage in meaningful debate about a range of issues and ideas. For example, pupils in Year 6 look at the work of the suffragette movement and debate whether women were right to use acts of protest to achieve their aims.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

The school invites visitors to enrich pupils’ learning. These include first aid workshops and the different emergency services teaching pupils how to stay safe. Pupils are very well prepared for life beyond school. The school community supports with this. For example, parents are invited in to talk about their jobs, and former pupils provide filmed clips showing what they have achieved since they left the school.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Pupils are proud of their caring school and offer help to others in the school and the wider community. Pupils can become school councillors, where they help represent the pupil voice

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Expected standard

or be a reading buddy and share books with younger pupils. Pupils raise money for different charities and bring donations to support the local food bank. At Christmas, pupils enjoy visiting a nearby care home and a local dementia sufferers’ group to sing carols. Such activities help pupils to develop empathy and a sense of responsibility.

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Expected standard

Pupils learn the importance of equality and diversity and respect the differences between people. For example, the school holds an ‘international day’ when pupils learn about different countries. They enjoy a food-sharing session, which parents and other family members attend.

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Achievement Expected standard

Pupils at the school generally achieve well. They typically develop key foundational knowledge in English and mathematics that supports their learning as they progress through the school. Pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, achieve well in national tests at the end of key stage 2. Their attainment at the expected standard is typically above the national average. Learning across the curriculum in certain areas is not as secure. Pupils do not develop a depth of knowledge as well as they could. This is reflected in the lower proportions of pupils who attain at greater depth in national tests.

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Achievement Expected standard

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities progress well through the curriculum from their starting points. The support for some pupils with other barriers to learning is sometimes not so effective. This hinders how well these pupils achieve. Despite this, the majority of pupils do leave well prepared for the next stage of education.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Pupils' attendance is broadly in line with national averages. The school uses appropriate systems to monitor, track and promote attendance. Leaders identify pupils at risk of persistent absence at an early stage and swiftly liaise with parents and carers to prevent this. They also work with families to identify barriers to attendance and give support to overcome these. For instance, the school offers places at breakfast club when needed. Expectations for attendance are regularly communicated to families, including through newsletters, emails and face-to-face conversations where necessary. Pupils understand that it is important to attend school regularly.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Behaviour in the school is a delight to see. There is a friendly and caring atmosphere as you move around the school. Pupils show kindness and respect to each other and to adults. They are polite when spoken to and love to talk about their learning. Staff are encouraged to praise and reward pupils for showing positive behaviour, which helps motivate pupils to behave well. Pupils enjoy and strive for these different rewards, including house points. If there are any behaviour issues, staff deal with them swiftly and effectively. Pupils know that bullying and discrimination will not be tolerated and will be quickly dealt with.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have a clear understanding of the quality of the curriculum and teaching. They continue to take effective action when there are areas that need further development. Leaders have constructed a well-sequenced and ambitious curriculum with clear goals for pupils to achieve. There is a successful focus on ensuring that pupils acquire the basic skills they need in reading, writing and mathematics before moving on to more complex learning.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders ensure that staff have the training they require to present learning effectively. Staff show clear subject knowledge and use resources well. In some subjects in the wider curriculum, teachers do not design learning activities that develop pupils' knowledge and skills as well as they could. Pupils who complete tasks quickly are not consistently provided with additional opportunities to deepen their learning.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

During lessons, staff typically check pupils’ knowledge effectively to identify and correct any mistakes. Leaders have introduced a new system for assessing pupils' learning at the end of a topic or section of learning in the wider curriculum to check what pupils can recall. This is still being embedded and the full impact is not evident.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

In the main, staff adapt learning well for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This enables these pupils to learn successfully alongside their classmates. There is more work needed to ensure that support for pupils with other barriers to learning is consistently effective.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders have clear systems for identifying pupils’ needs when they join the school. They typically use this information well to plan support for pupils with additional needs, including special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders regularly check support plans and the extra help in place to determine how effective these are. Plans and support are adapted where required.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders provide suitable training for staff to help them support pupils with SEND and those who are disadvantaged. External professionals have worked with staff to provide expertise and advice. This has had a clear impact on support for pupils with communication and language needs.

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Inclusion Expected standard

There is an inclusive culture at the school. Additional funding, such as the pupil premium grant, is used to remove any barriers to access for pupils attending trips and clubs. It is also used to pay for one-to-one tuition for targeted pupils requiring extra support.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders are ready to listen to any concerns parents and carers have about their children. Leaders run sessions for parents to hear from experts. Parents appreciate access to a support network of parents whose children face similar challenges.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The school has gone through some changes over the last few years, including opening a Nursery class. Through all of this, leaders have maintained a clear plan for improvement. They know their school well. Leaders recognise areas of strength and aspects that still require more work. Leaders carefully plan how to address any weaknesses and take effective action to ensure that improvements take place.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders and governors have the best interests of all pupils at the heart of their work, including those pupils with additional needs. Governors know the school well. They fulfil their statutory duties and ensure they both support and challenge leaders as needed.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the school. They praise the caring staff and the ‘family feeling’ that surrounds the school. They appreciate the support offered in different ways, both for their children and for themselves.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Staff are proud and happy to work at the school. They appreciate the wide range of professional training that leaders provide that helps them to support pupils and understand their needs well. Staff find leaders approachable and always ready to help. They know that their workload and wellbeing are considered by leaders when making decisions.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils have a strong sense of belonging at this warm and nurturing school. Parents and carers value the close school community that ensures all pupils feel welcome. Pupils feel safe and are kept safe. They can name a member of staff they would go to if they had a concern. Bullying is very rare and pupils trust staff to deal with any concerns swiftly and effectively. They can talk about how staff have helped to support their learning and wellbeing.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils typically achieve well in reading, writing and mathematics. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who are disadvantaged. Staff typically provide effective support that helps to reduce pupils' barriers to learning so they make progress from their starting points. Pupils leave the school well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils are well behaved. Children in early years quickly learn the school's routines. They follow these readily. Across the school, pupils benefit from warm relationships with staff and with each other. Pupils work collaboratively in lessons. Children in early years are eager to share their learning. Pupils of all ages play together happily at playtimes. They demonstrate tolerance and learn about the importance of kindness in everyday life. Pupils attend school regularly. They value their learning and enjoy their lessons.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Leaders make pupils’ personal development and wellbeing a priority. Pupils make the most of the wide range of experiences provided by the school. They attend a variety of clubs, such as chess, multi-sports and drama. Pupils’ learning is enriched by visits to different museums and historical buildings and a residential trip to Norfolk for older pupils. Leaders ensure that all pupils are supported to access these wider experiences.

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Next steps

Leaders should continue to develop and embed approaches to assessment across the wider curriculum subjects and ensure that any gaps in learning are identified and addressed. Leaders should ensure that all pupils are supported and challenged to achieve across the curriculum, including through suitable adaptations to learning. Leaders should ensure that the learning activities given to pupils more precisely support and encourage the knowledge leaders want pupils to know and remember. Leaders should continue their work to improve attendance and lower persistent absence across the school.

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About this inspection

The chair of the board of governors in this school is Nicola Madigan.

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About this inspection

Inspectors carried out this full inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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About this inspection

Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMIs) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with the headteacher, senior leaders and subject leaders. They also held meetings with members of the local governing body and a representative from the local authority during the inspection.

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About this inspection

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the school:

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About this inspection

This school is registered as having a Catholic religious character. It is in the Archdiocese of Westminster. Its last section 48 inspection was 28 and 29 September 2023.

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About this inspection

The school currently uses no alternative provision.

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About this inspection

The school has undergone a significant change since the last inspection. In September 2025, the school opened a new Nursery provision.

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Team inspectors:

Laurie O'Brien, Ofsted Inspector Abu Toki, Ofsted Inspector

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The data was used by the inspector(s) during the inspection. More recent data may have been published since the inspection took place.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils currently at this school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils who can attend the school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan. This covers pupils with more support than is available through special educational needs support.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with reported special educational support needs at the school.

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What does this mean?

Based on the English Indices of Deprivation (2019) and the school's location, we have calculated whether the school is located in a more or less deprived area.

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What does this mean?

Whether school has Resourced Provision or SEND unit (if applicable).

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standards in a combined reading, writing and mathematics measure.

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average

2023/24 (final) 69% 61% Close to average

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

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average

2023/24 (final) 78% 74% Close to average

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing.

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after.

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mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics.

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national average

2023/24 (final) 50% 46% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

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average

2023/24 (final) 70% 62% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher- assessed writing.

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average

2023/24 (final) 70% 58% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

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average

‘S’ in the table above indicates the data has been suppressed, which is usually due to small cohorts. The suppression rules applied by the DfE when publishing the data have been mirrored and applied in the report card.

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance gap

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after. The school disadvantage gap is the difference between the performance of the school's disadvantaged pupils compared to the performance of all non-disadvantaged pupils nationally.

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mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics, including the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading and the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher- assessed writing and the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics and the disadvantaged gap.

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gap

‘S’ in the table above indicates the data has been suppressed, which is usually due to small cohorts. The suppression rules applied by the DfE when publishing the data have been mirrored and applied in the report card.

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Overall absence

The percentage of all possible mornings and afternoons missed due to absence from school (for whatever reason, whether authorised or unauthorised) across all pupils.

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national average

2024/25 (3 term) 5.2% 5.2% Close to average

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national average

2023/24 (3 term) 5.4% 5.5% Close to average

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national average

2022/23 (3 term) 5.2% 5.9% Close to average

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Persistent absence

The percentage of pupils missing 10% or more of their possible mornings and afternoons.

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national average

2024/25 (3 term) 15.8% 13.0% Close to average

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other schools can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The school reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The school is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The school needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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