St Francis de Sales Catholic Infant and Nursery School

Overview

Pupils “love coming to school” and feel safe in a “calm and nurturing” environment where they are treated equally. The school delivers a “broad and ambitious” curriculum with high aspirations, resulting in pupils who “achieve well” and demonstrate secure learning in most subjects. Leaders provide strong oversight, and staff are well supported to maintain a healthy work-life balance.

Strengths

• Pupils are “kind to each other” and “respectful and welcoming towards visitors,” fostering a positive community spirit.
• The curriculum is “carefully ordered” so that pupils “build their knowledge well over time” in the majority of subjects.
• The school effectively supports pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), ensuring they “progress well through the curriculum.”
• Staff are “well trained” to check learning and address misconceptions, while governors provide “strong oversight” of the school.
• The school values its multicultural community, developing “strong, positive relationships with parents and carers.”

Areas to improve

• In a minority of subjects, key curriculum content is not identified precisely enough, leading to gaps in pupils’ learning.
• Support for pupils finding reading difficult does not sufficiently focus on strengthening their ability to “blend sounds together” into words.

Safeguarding

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