The Academy of St Francis of Assisi Review 2026: A joint-faith secondary shaped by inclusion and an environmental specialism

A solar atrium, roof gardens and an on-site weather station are not decorative flourishes here, they are part of a deliberate environmental specialism that is used as a learning resource across the school. In a city neighbourhood where many pupils arrive with very different starting points and, for some, very limited English at first, the school’s identity leans heavily into belonging, clear routines and an explicit values framework.

The most recent Ofsted inspection (24 April 2024) judged the school Requires Improvement overall, with Personal Development graded Good, and safeguarding confirmed as effective. Since that inspection, the school’s published leadership information lists Ms T Bleasdale as Headteacher.

For families, the key question is fit. This is a state, mixed secondary for ages 11 to 16, with a faith character that prioritises Catholic and Church of England applicants when oversubscribed, but which also welcomes applications from families of all faiths and none.

The school’s distinctive element is the blend of joint-faith identity with a strong inclusion narrative. The language used across published materials repeatedly emphasises respect, ambition and pride, and the faith dimension sits alongside a practical message: students come from many backgrounds; the expectation is that everyone can belong and contribute.

A defining feature is mobility in the intake. The latest inspection describes pupils joining at different points in the academic year, including some who speak little English when they arrive; the welcome and settling-in work is treated as core business rather than an add-on. The school’s prospectus also describes a high proportion of bilingual learners (around 50%) and highlights structured support for international new arrivals, including targeted work on academic English for those who need it. For parents, the implication is straightforward: if your child is new to English, or has had an interrupted educational journey, this is a setting that expects that reality and plans for it.

The second atmosphere-shaper is the school’s behaviour reset. Current messaging talks about routines, punctuality and a culture where learning time matters. The inspection picture is nuanced: classrooms are generally calm and orderly, behaviour is improving, yet a small group still causes disruption and attendance remains a challenge for too many pupils. In practice, that usually means leaders are trying to make expectations more consistent across subjects and year groups, so pupils experience the same standards wherever they are in the building.

On FindMySchool’s GCSE outcomes ranking, the school is ranked 3,637th in England and 41st in Liverpool (FindMySchool ranking based on official data). This places performance below England average overall, within the lower-performing band nationally.

At GCSE level, the published performance indicators in your dataset point to significant improvement work still in progress. Attainment 8 is 33, and Progress 8 is -0.76, a measure that indicates pupils make less progress than pupils with similar starting points nationally. EBacc indicators are also low, with an average EBacc APS of 2.81 and 5.1% achieving grade 5 or above across the EBacc.

What matters for families is how the school responds to that reality. The inspection narrative describes curriculum work that is uneven across subjects: in some areas, key knowledge is identified and sequenced logically; in others, curriculum development is earlier-stage, so pupils’ achievement varies. This is the kind of issue that can improve quickly when staffing stabilises and subject leadership is secure, but it does require disciplined follow-through because pupils experience the curriculum subject-by-subject, not as a single overall plan.

If you are comparing schools locally, FindMySchool’s Local Hub pages are useful for viewing GCSE indicators side-by-side, so you can judge the scale of difference between nearby options and not just a single headline grade.

The school frames teaching through a broad curriculum offer in Key Stage 3, including English, mathematics, science, religious education, physical education, computing and a creative strand. The important question is not whether these subjects exist, but how well pupils accumulate knowledge over time.

The most recent inspection points to a mixed position. Staff subject knowledge is described as a strength, and teachers check what pupils have learned, but assessment information is not always used effectively to close gaps. The implication is that pupils who fall behind can remain behind unless the next lesson actively re-teaches the missing building blocks. If your child needs frequent, precise feedback and re-teaching to stay confident, it is worth asking, at an open event or meeting, how departments identify gaps and what happens next.

Reading is a specific priority area. The inspection describes early-stage work to support pupils who struggle with reading, with Year 7 pupils more consistently identified and supported than older year groups. In practical terms, that can matter a great deal at Key Stage 4, because weak reading limits access across every subject, not only English. Families with children who have literacy gaps should ask what interventions are available in Years 9 to 11 and how progress is checked.

A distinctive feature of the school’s educational model is the environmental specialism embedded in the building. The prospectus describes the school as a learning resource with a solar atrium, rainwater collection, Year 7 gardens, a weather station and roof gardens. The implication is that science, geography and wider curriculum themes can be anchored in real site-based examples, which can be particularly effective for pupils who learn best through concrete reference points rather than abstract textbook descriptions.

As an 11 to 16 school, the main transition point is post-16 rather than university. The school is linked within its trust structure to All Saints Sixth Form College, presented as the post-16 pathway for many leavers.

For families, the best way to interpret this is as a planned progression route rather than a guarantee. If your child is likely to remain in education after GCSEs, ask early about the typical routes students take, including sixth form, college-based technical pathways and apprenticeships. The inspection notes strengthened careers provision and guidance intended to support informed decisions about next steps.

Year 7 entry is coordinated through Liverpool City Council. For September 2026 entry, applications open on 1 September 2025 and close on 31 October 2025; National Offer Day for Year 7 is 2 March 2026.

This is also a faith school for admissions purposes, with oversubscription criteria that give priority to Catholic and Church of England applicants when applications exceed places, while still permitting applications from families of all faiths and none. The admissions process also expects families to complete both the local authority application and a school supplementary form, so the school can apply its faith-based criteria where relevant.

Demand, based on your dataset for the main entry route, is meaningfully higher than places. For the latest available cycle in your dataset, there were 326 applications for 172 offers, a subscription proportion of 1.9, and the school is recorded as oversubscribed.

Because last offered distance is not provided families should focus on the published oversubscription criteria and the practical reality of competition. A sensible approach is to use the FindMySchoolMap Search to understand how your home location sits against the likely priority categories, then verify details with the local authority admissions guidance and the school’s policy documents.

Published materials put significant emphasis on structured pastoral support, and the inspection highlights a coordinated approach that brings together safeguarding, attendance, behaviour and additional needs information to maintain a whole-child picture.

Attendance is treated as a core driver of outcomes. The school publishes explicit punctuality routines, including an arrival window that starts with a free breakfast from 8:10am and an expectation that students are on site by 8:40am for registration at 8:50am. For families, this matters for two reasons: it sets a predictable start to the day, and it reduces the stress some students feel when mornings are chaotic.

SEND support is described through both general inclusion statements and specific facilities. The prospectus references a dedicated area known as the Hive, including a sensory room, counselling space, small teaching space and a sensory circuit. The inspection view is that needs are identified quickly and accurately, and expectations for pupils with SEND have been raised, but classroom adaptation is not yet consistent across staff. If your child relies on reliably differentiated teaching rather than occasional targeted interventions, you will want to probe how the school supports teachers to translate plans into everyday classroom practice.

The school makes a strong case that enrichment is linked to both personal development and academic progress, with an emphasis on practical skills such as time management and organisation alongside social skills such as debate and reconciliation.

Specific examples matter more than broad claims. The most recent prospectus lists activities including Table Tennis, Netball, Basketball, Board Games and Chess. It also names Debate Mate, Gospel Choir, a Chaplaincy group and a Feminism Club, plus Duke of Edinburgh Bronze and Silver participation. The implication for families is that there are both low-barrier clubs (good for confidence and routine) and higher-commitment strands (good for leadership and CV-building).

Trips and visits appear to be used strategically rather than as occasional rewards. The inspection describes pupils valuing the range of visits and specifically references subject-linked experiences such as a university visit to enhance computing learning. For students who struggle to connect classroom learning to real-world goals, that kind of exposure can be a turning point, particularly when linked to careers guidance.

The published school day runs from morning registration at 8:45am to 9:00am, through five teaching sessions, finishing with “Restoration Time” from 2:50pm to 3:05pm. The school also publishes an early arrival option, with free breakfast available from 8:10am, supporting punctual routines for families who need it.

As a secondary school serving Kensington, Liverpool, travel patterns are likely to be a mix of walking, public transport and family drop-off depending on distance and sibling logistics. Because admissions are competitive and criteria-driven, practical travel time should be weighed alongside admissions priority categories, especially for students who may find long commutes tiring.

• Ofsted grade profile and improvement journey. The most recent inspection (24 April 2024) judged the school Requires Improvement overall, with several areas also graded Requires Improvement. Families should look for evidence of momentum, including stable staffing, clearer curriculum sequencing across subjects and consistent classroom expectations.

• Attendance and disruption still affect the experience. The inspection picture is that behaviour and attendance are improving but not yet consistently strong for all pupils. If your child is easily distracted, ask how classrooms are kept orderly and how persistent disruption is handled.

• Faith-based oversubscription criteria. Priority is given to Catholic and Church of England applicants when oversubscribed, and the supplementary form is an important part of the process. Families outside those faith categories should read criteria carefully and be realistic about probability.

• Reading support is uneven across year groups. The inspection indicates stronger identification and support in Year 7 than in older years. Parents of students with literacy gaps should ask what targeted support exists for Years 9 to 11.

This is a school with a clear identity: joint-faith, explicitly values-led, and shaped by a strong inclusion mission and an environmental specialism that is built into the site itself. The current priority is consistency, across curriculum sequencing, classroom practice and routines that protect learning time. Best suited to families who want a community-oriented school where diversity and belonging are treated as central, and who are prepared to engage with a school that is actively working through an improvement phase, rather than one already at peak performance.