Croydon (Parliament Politics Magazine) – St Joseph’s RC School in Croydon has been praised by Ofsted for delivering an “outstanding” education, offering a private school experience for free.
The report was released in January after inspectors visited the St. Joseph’s RC Federation on Woodend in late 2024, which is home to St. Joseph’s RC Junior School and St. Joseph’s RC Infant School.
In September 2023, Danielle Ashley began attending the school.
Danielle, who is the Executive Headteacher, told Your Local Guardian:
“Both schools are really special.
What I’ve noticed since arriving is that many people don’t even know about the schools, which is really sad as there’s an outstanding school right in the heart of your local community.”
The schools had previously been rated as “Outstanding” in 2018 and “Good” in 2019, but according to external reviews conducted in 2023, standards had declined.
Consequently, a great deal of effort was required to restore the schools to their previous level of quality.
Children can access a wide range of facilities and enrichment opportunities at St. Joseph’s.
She explained:
“We’ve got two outdoor forest areas; we’ve got our own bees and our own honey.
We have over 30 clubs a week. The children do archery, coding club, quiz club, performing arts club, drama, dance, and theatre.
Our students are getting a private school offering for free, and we’re trying to make as many things as free as possible.”
According to Danielle, the children at St. Joseph’s are given priority, and they work to help them discover their talents while emphasizing both the social and intellectual aspects of growing up.
Pupil Premium kids are prevalent at both schools because they are located in high-deprivation neighborhoods.
However, Danielle claims that since they “ensure that all children excel from their starting point,” no one could infer anything from their outcomes.
Danielle said:
“What struck me about the schools when I came was the amount of love in the schools.
The staff really do love and pour that into the children.
There’s a high level of nurture here that’s in our line with our Catholic values.”
Danielle clarified that despite St. Joseph’s being a Catholic school, only 58% of the student body is Catholic.
Students of all faiths are welcome at the institution.
Danielle clarified that during Eid, the school even set up a prayer space for the kids.
On June 14, the school will have its annual Color Run and Celebratory Family Picnic to commemorate their Ofsted report.
Everyone in the neighborhood is welcome to join in the picnics that will be held on the fields.
Students get the chance to take part in thrilling field trips all year long.
Danielle said that they do a Year 4 and a Year 6 residential trip now.
The Year 4s have just been to Merchants Hill, and the Year 6s are going to the Isle of Wight.
Students have been to Brockwell Park for nature and habitat.
There are at least six trips per year for each year group, and that’s something that she enhanced and made sure happens.
They’ve done the Tower of London, London Bridge, they’ve gone on boat rides down the Thames.
They’ve basically done things you wouldn’t normally get to do at a school.
They try to get them beyond London as well to increase the cultural capital.
Danielle says she has seen “huge changes” since joining as Executive Headteacher in 2023.
A lot of “extensive work” had to be undertaken to get them back to outstanding.
She said “wellbeing is at the forefront” of everything that’s done for the staff and the students.
Before becoming the Executive Head, Danielle was a trust leader of nine schools, three of which were in Croydon.
She added:
“I’m one of only five black Executive Headteachers in the country.
80 percent of the children here are from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds, so having senior leaders who reflect them shows that high aspirations are within reach and that they can achieve whatever they set their minds to.”
To give students a voice, Danielle created a senior student leadership team with a head boy and head girl.
Every week, Danielle gets together with them to hear the viewpoints of the kids.
“Love and respect for self and others” are St. Joseph’s basic values, and the school frequently discusses kindness and excellence.
“We don’t have bullying at St Joseph,” she remarked in response to an inspector’s question regarding the school’s bullying problem.
“Everyone is taught to be kind and tolerant,” she continued.
Since joining the teaching profession in 2007, Danielle has witnessed significant transformations.
Danielle, a Manchester native, was brought up by a single mother of four and was allegedly told that she would have a difficult life.
However, she utilizes her experience to demonstrate how “you can break down any barrier and take yourself out of any box” with the right education.
She added:
“We’re making history here.
We’re getting it done, and it’s nice to have other leadership teams that are diverse too.
We’re achieving great things for this community, and it’s about letting people learn.”
In their report, Ofsted inspectors said that pupils are proud to attend this school.
They describe it typically as a friendly and welcoming place to be, where they have lots of friends and staff who help them. Pupils care for each other.
For example, pupil well-being leaders’ check the ‘buddy bench’ in the playground and help others to make friends.
Staff look after pupils well and help them with their emotional and mental health.
How does St Joseph’s school support the development of well rounded individuals in Croydon?
Through a thorough personal development strategy that incorporates intellectual, moral, social, and emotional growth, St. Joseph’s RC School promotes the development of well-rounded persons.
Inspired by Catholic teachings, the school helps students build a strong moral compass and make decent decisions in life by emphasizing values like compassion, honesty, social responsibility, and justice.
In addition to delivering academic success, the curriculum aims to prepare pupils for modern British life by fostering character development, emotional resilience, self-esteem, creativity, and determination.
Students’ social and emotional growth is supported by the structured PSHE classes they receive, which teach them vital life skills like relationships, health, wellbeing, and personal finance.