St John Fisher Catholic Primary School in Bexley was rated Outstanding at a recent Ofsted inspection in January
Inspectors awarded the school top marks for the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management, while the early years provision was rated as ‘Good’.
This marks a significant achievement for the school, which had previously received a ‘Good’ rating at its last inspection.
The school educates 199 pupils aged 4 to 11 and is led by Headteacher Sarah Griffin.
The school continues to thrive as a mixed-gender setting committed to nurturing academic and personal growth within a strong Catholic ethos.
Pupils also have the opportunity to try a range of clubs and activities that nurture their interests, such as drama, sewing and football.
Inspectors commented on the pupils’ enthusiasm to attend school, writing that they “love coming to school” and that pupils speak with “universal praise” for the school’s welcoming atmosphere.
During the inspection, one pupil summed this up using words displayed in the school hall – ‘Love for all, hatred for none.’
The inspectors said that pupils displayed “exemplary” behaviour, with adults able to trust pupils to take responsibility for their behaviour.
The report also praised the school for its caring environment, with pupils reporting “no concerns for bullying” and being confident in staff’s ability to deal with issues.
The pupils’ work ethos was also praised, with pupils seen to concentrate and work hard during lessons.
Inspectors wrote: “Pupils show resilience and determination to succeed.
“This helps all pupils to achieve highly and produce work to an extremely high standard across the curriculum.”
Parents and carers were also found to praise the school, with both offering “overwhelming” praise for the school and having trust in leaders and staff to educate their children.
One parent told inspectors: “This is an excellent school where children are nurtured and feel loved.’
Pupils at the school achieve high results in national tests, with some achieving “above the standards” for their age group.
Older pupils were also observed to help younger pupils with their reading and to help resolve issues that arise in the playground.
In the report, inspectors also commended the pupil’s sense of community, writing that “pupils understand the importance of charity“ and are “particularly proud” of a recent visit to a local care home to showcase their work.
The school’s approach to learning identifies “precise knowledge and skills” that pupils should learn, with recaps and revisits to help pupils retain information.
Inspectors observed pupils’ “love for reading”, with pupils taught to learn to read very early on in their education at the school.
Inspectors wrote: “Pupils at risk of falling behind their peers are identified quickly and given extra teaching to catch up swiftly.”
Teachers were also praised for their “strong subject knowledge” and their ability to relay information to children in a clear way, along with giving “precise guidance”.
The primary school was also praised by inspectors for having “excellent support” for pupils with additional needs, with their needs “clearly identified” so that staff are able to adapt lessons to them.
For early years, which was rated Good by Ofsted inspectors, the report detailed how younger children were able to “settle and become confident learners”, with adults able to develop children’s early language.
However, the inspectors gave recommendations for the school to ensure that knowledge and vocabulary for younger children to learn should be “precisely identified”, so that all children in Year 1 are able to learn the curriculum.
Staff were also praised for their commitment to the school, with staff commenting that they felt like “part of a family” at the school.
