The Academy of St Francis of Assisi

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school The school is a vibrant multicultural community. Leaders have developed a culture in which all pupils are valued and supported to become thoughtful, considerate of others and hard-working.

The trust shares leaders' values. The trust, the two dioceses and the local governing body work well with leaders to drive improvement across the school. Pupils benefit from high-quality teaching across a range of subjects.

Teachers have high expectations of pupils' learning. They ensure that teaching caters effectively for pupils' wide-ranging needs. Leaders have ensured that teaching has improved in all subjects.

However, pupils are not provi...ded with routine opportunities to apply their problem-solving and reasoning skills in mathematics. The curriculum is broad and balanced. Leaders personalise the curriculum to meet the needs of the diverse population.

Pupils are immensely proud of their school. They value their education and the support that they receive from teachers. They demonstrate this through their very positive attitudes to learning.

The quality of personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education is strong. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe and understand the importance of British values. Attendance has improved steadily over the last three years.

Attendance is now in line with historical national averages for all groups of pupils. The proportion of pupils who do not attend school regularly has reduced considerably. However, this is still slightly higher than the national average.

The published outcomes for GCSE examinations are very low. However, all groups of pupils, including the disadvantaged and most able, are now making considerably stronger progress than in the past in this highly inclusive school. There is a strong culture of safeguarding across the school.

All staff work towards creating a safe and caring environment for all the pupils.

Information about this school

The school is slightly smaller than the average secondary school. The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is much higher than the national average.

The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is much higher than the national average. The proportion of pupils with SEND is higher than the national average. A large number of pupils join the school at times other than the start of an academic year of key stage.

Many of these pupils are new to the country. Others join the school following permanent exclusion or to prevent permanent exclusion from another school. The school uses a number of alternative providers: Harmonize Academy, Everton Free School, Progress Schools Toxteth, Peregrinate Limited, Assess Education, Prudentia Education, NexGen Academy, North Liverpool Award Centre, IMPACT, Aspire Centre, and Sandfield Park School.

The school is a member of the All Saints Trust. The trustees are responsible for the core governance functions of setting the school's direction, holding the headteacher to account and ensuring financial probity. The scheme of delegation sets out clearly which powers have been delegated to the local governing body and executive officers.