CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
The Catholic school system for the Nailsea and Clevedon area of the
diocese consists of St. Francis' Catholic Primary School (4 - 11) which
averages 210 pupils on roll, St. Bede's Catholic College, with Science
and PE as their specialisms (11 - 16) accommodating 700 pupils and St.
Brendan's RC Sixth Form College (16 - 18) with approximately 700
students. These three schools originate from the heartfelt desire in the
Catholic parishes and diocese for children to have a broad and balanced
education, enhanced throughout with the values of the Catholic Faith.
There exists excellent liaison between our three schools and children
are achieving the highest of standards. Parents of children at St.
Francis are warmly encouraged to visit St. Bede's Catholic College and
St. Brendan's Sixth Form College when considering an upper school or
sixth form education. St Bede’s, an Ofsted Outstanding secondary school
enjoyed their best GCSE results ever this year, outstripping the state
schools within our catchment area. Further details of our Catholic
Schools are available in the school office.
Press Release following the very
successful Diocesan RE Inspection in March 2010
ST FRANCIS -'A FIRST CLASS CATHOLIC SCHOOL'
Everyone involved with St Francis Catholic Primary School is celebrating
the
latest diocesan report on the school.
The Nailsea school was visited by inspectors from the Clifton diocese in
March this year and they concluded that it is a first class Catholic
school: 'This
is a school which knows itself very well, identifies priorities, secures
improvement and thrives on challenge in all aspects of its work and
mission.'
The report says that the headteacher is 'an outstanding leader who
commands confidence in staff, governors and parents alike. Her
infectious
enthusiasm and commitment act as an inspiration to all. All leaders and
managers are excellent role models who strive to ensure that the
Catholic
nature of the school is clear, consistent and embedded in the mission
statement. The teaching staff are talented practitioners who are ably
supported by excellent teaching assistants.'
A notably refreshing feature of the school, the inspecting team found,
is the
openness of all staff to learn from the children and be prepared to be
awed
and humbled by the spiritual clarity and insight that children often
demonstrate.
The report highlights three areas for the school to improve further:
devote
one full inset day per year to the Catholic life of the school for all
staff and
governors; provide planned opportunities for pupils to study other
faiths in
greater depth; and continue to embed systematic assessment and
evaluation
of RE data to ensure outcomes for pupils are consistently good or
excellent.
Interviews with a range of pupils by the inspector highlighted their
huge pride
and respect for their school and its strong Catholic ethos. A
distinctive feature
is the strong commitment of families from other practising Christian
denominations and other faiths who are strongly supportive of the
school’s
ethos and who bring their own richness and enthusiasm.
The report says that the school’s recent focus on curriculum re-design
has
provided excellent opportunities for staff to further develop more
effective
cross-curricular links between RE and other areas of the curriculum,
with a
particular focus on writing and the development of pupils’ team skills
and
ability to work independently.
The quality of teaching and learning in religious education is
outstanding
resulting in high quality and purposeful learning. Pupils are highly
motivated
because of teachers’ good subject knowledge, enthusiasm and skills in
facilitating excellent learning and progress for all.
Chair of Governors, Martin O’Neill, said: “The Governors are absolutely
delighted with the results of this report which has confirmed St Francis
as an
outstanding school within which pupils are able to thrive and grow in a
caring
and vibrant environment with high expectations. Governors would like to
express their sincere thanks and appreciation to everyone involved in
the
school for their continuing hard work and dedication.”
Head teacher, Caroline Hostein, added: ”We are delighted with the very
positive outcome of this report which reflects the way in which pupils,
staff,
parents and governors all work together for the good of our school
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