St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary School was opened as a new school, on the site of the former junior school, in September 2013. It has a religious foundation and very strong Christian ethos.

The school is located on a large, open site, on the outskirts of Norwich city centre and caters for boys and girls aged 4-11 years of age. We typically have 420 children on roll.

A great deal of building work has been carried out in recent years, resulting in a school which is well-designed and welcoming.

Reception children are taught in a roomy open-plan classroom, entered via a covered outdoor classroom, with an impressive verandah. They have their own enclosed outdoor play area, which includes plenty of space for them to ride on their bikes and trikes, as well as a grassed area for play and gardening.

Year One children are situated in two light and airy classrooms, with new interactive whiteboards and purpose built cloakrooms. They also have access to their own outdoor play area.

Year Two children are taught in classrooms that open onto a quiet, courtyard area. New doors open out into this courtyard from the main entrance and it is decorated with some clay sculptures, made by children in the former infant and junior schools. The school plans to further develop this space.

Most Key Stage 2 children are taught in upstairs classrooms. The school is undertaking a rolling programme of updating redecoration and furnishings in these rooms.  During the building work the school invested funds in improving ICT and wireless provision for these classrooms.

We have a brand new ICT Suite and library, a very large hall and studio for indoor PE and performing arts, as well as a proper stage. We have new boys and girls changing rooms, which are also used for after-school clubs. The kitchen has been completely refurbished so that we can cook out own dinners on site and the dining room has been newly decorated. Most recently we have completely refurbished our Food Technology kitchen, which is used by children in KS1 and 2.

The school is set in pleasant grounds with a large field, a new amphitheatre, a spiritual garden and lots of opportunities for adventurous play.

Class teachers are responsible for the children’s welfare and delivery of the curriculum. Work is planned jointly, in Year Teams of two or three teaching staff with close liaison, communication and support from our teaching assistants. During planning, Year Teams share the preparation of work, drawing on different experiences, knowledge and expertise to ensure learning is relevant and well matched to meet the needs of the children.  Work is assessed and moderated, progress is tracked and next steps in learning identified together. In this way, we are able to utilise the strengths of a large staff team and enhance the quality of learning and teaching here at St Francis.