St Francis' Catholic Primary School, Maidstone

Overview

St Francis’ Catholic Primary School is described as a community that “strives to live out its Catholic mission” and actively celebrates its diverse population. Pupils are “cheerful, behave well” and achieve well academically, with most being “ready for their next education stage.” However, the report notes that early years provision requires improvement, as children are not always sufficiently equipped for Key Stage 1.

Strengths

• The “ambitious curriculum” teaches a broad range of knowledge combined with “immersive experiences” that hook pupils’ interests.
• Pupils “achieve above national expectations” by the end of Key Stage 2, supported by teachers who “demonstrate good subject knowledge.”
• Reading is “actively promoted,” with pupils developing language and vocabulary through “diverse books” and a new phonics programme.
• Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive a “wide range of support” and have their needs identified early.
• Behaviour is managed effectively, with pupils knowing “what to do and how to move about sensibly” and older pupils acting as positive role models.

Areas to improve

• The curriculum in early years lacks precision, meaning children are “not well prepared in some curriculum areas when starting in Year 1.”
• Implementation of the curriculum in some subjects is “not consistently embedded,” with some work failing to help pupils learn planned knowledge.
• The school is “not always clear how well pupils are learning the intended curriculum” due to inconsistent checking of learning in every subject.

Safeguarding

The report states that “the arrangements for safeguarding are effective.”