Notre Dame Catholic Girls' School

Notre Dame Catholic Girls' School is a smaller-than-average Roman Catholic girls' secondary school in London, part of St Oscar Romero Catholic Academy Trust. It has a high proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals and has seen a significant decrease in pupils on roll. This full section 5 inspection found that safeguarding standards are met and that pupils belong to a supportive, orderly community where they feel safe and behave well. Personal development and wellbeing is a relative strength, with a broad programme, strong careers advice, a wide range of clubs and effective wellbeing support. However, several core areas need attention. Achievement varies across the curriculum, with some national examination outcomes below national averages and gaps in pupils' knowledge. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are particularly affected: their achievement is inconsistent and depends too much on teaching quality and attendance, with poor attendance leading to unaddressed knowledge gaps. Attendance for pupils with SEND has declined over three years, and while leaders have recently acted, the impact is not yet evident. Support for reading, writing and numeracy is also not consistently timely for pupils beyond the earliest stages of reading. Curriculum and teaching are broad but not consistently embedded; some teachers do not check learning well or adapt for additional needs, so pupils' experiences vary. Inclusion systems are not securely embedded, and staff training has had variable impact. Leaders have accurately identified priorities such as attendance, inclusion and teaching quality, but weaknesses have persisted, and governors and trustees recognise more work is needed. Disadvantaged pupils and pupils who speak English as an additional language are supported more precisely and often achieve well, which is a notable positive. Next steps focus on identifying needs promptly, embedding agreed teaching approaches, improving SEND support and attendance, and securing sustained improvement.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met and pupils feel safe.
• Personal development and wellbeing are a relative strength, with a broad and meaningful programme.
• High-quality careers advice and employer encounters help pupils make informed next-step decisions.
• Pupils benefit from a wide range of clubs, trips, charitable events and extracurricular activities.
• The 'Reading for Meaning' club supports pupils who speak English as an additional language.
• Pupils have trusted adults and access to counsellor, Chaplain and learning mentors for wellbeing support.
• Disadvantaged pupils typically achieve well and outperform their peers nationally.
• Pupils are polite, respectful and courteous, and lessons are calm and orderly.
• Suspensions are rare and proportionate, and bullying or discriminatory behaviour is uncommon.
• Early phonics teaching is highly effective for pupils at the earliest stages of reading.
• The curriculum is broad and appropriate, and leaders understand where improvement is needed.
• Teachers have secure subject knowledge and teach effectively in some subjects.
• Leaders are open and supportive, consider staff workload and wellbeing, and provide valued professional learning.
• Governors fulfil statutory roles and provide support and challenge, with trust support through a school improvement partner.
• Destinations after 16 are strong, with 97% of pupils staying in education or employment.
• Support for disadvantaged pupils and pupils who speak English as an additional language is more precise.

Areas for Improvement

• Achievement varies across the curriculum, with some subjects below national averages.
• Gaps in pupils' learning remain because teaching and assessment are inconsistent.
• Pupils with SEND achieve variably, depending too much on teaching quality and attendance.
• Poor attendance among pupils with SEND has created unaddressed knowledge gaps.
• Some pupils who struggle with reading, writing and numeracy are not identified, tracked or helped quickly enough.
• Attendance for pupils with SEND has declined over the past three years.
• Leaders' recent attendance actions are too new to show impact for persistently absent pupils.
• Agreed pedagogical approaches are not consistently embedded across all subjects.
• Some teachers do not consistently check what pupils know or close knowledge gaps.
• Some teachers do not adapt teaching effectively to remove barriers for pupils with additional needs.
• Pupils' needs are not always identified quickly or accurately enough.
• Systems for planning, implementing and reviewing SEND support are not securely embedded.
• Staff training has had variable impact, and some teachers lack expertise to adapt teaching.
• Weaknesses in attendance and inclusion have persisted over time.
• Younger pupils have less detailed knowledge of fundamental British values and diversity.
• Governors and trustees know more work is needed to improve outcomes and experiences.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Notre Dame Catholic Girls' School attended 91.4% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 27.0% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 5.8% of pupils at Notre Dame Catholic Girls' School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 2 pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Notre Dame Catholic Girls' School had 13.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 4.3% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 4.2% of pupils at Notre Dame Catholic Girls' School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 5.4% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Notre Dame Catholic Girls' School received £12,271 and spent £11,017 for each of its 445 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,149,000 (£2,582 per pupil).

Across all 16 schools of St Oscar Romero Catholic Academy Trust, income was £8,412 and spending £8,501 per pupil.

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

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All schools in Southwark · Southwark local authority: places and applications

Notre Dame Catholic Girls' School is part of St Oscar Romero Catholic Academy Trust, which runs 16 schools. The nearest others:

• St Joseph's Catholic Primary School London
• St Anthony's Catholic Primary School London
• Notre Dame Catholic Primary School London
• St Mary's Catholic Primary School London
• St Thomas More Catholic Comprehensive School London
• St Vincent's Catholic Primary School London
• St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Bromley
• Coloma Convent Girls' School Croydon
• St Peter and St Paul Catholic Primary School Orpington
• St James' Roman Catholic Primary School Orpington

What is Notre Dame Catholic Girls' School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Notre Dame Catholic Girls' School is Needs attention, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Notre Dame Catholic Girls' School last inspected by Ofsted?

Notre Dame Catholic Girls' School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Notre Dame Catholic Girls' School have?

Notre Dame Catholic Girls' School has 354 pupils on roll.

What age range does Notre Dame Catholic Girls' School cover?

Notre Dame Catholic Girls' School for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Notre Dame Catholic Girls' School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 44.4, and 32% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Notre Dame Catholic Girls' School?

Notre Dame Catholic Girls' School is at 118 St George's Road, London, SE1 6EX.