All Saints’ Catholic Voluntary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Key findings

This is a good school, with a good sixth form. It has improved significantly since the last inspection as a result of outstanding leadership at all levels. Despite some excellent features, is not yet outstanding because the quality of teaching and academic guidance is not yet consistently high enough across the school to ensure that students make outstanding progress in all subjects and age groups.

Achievement is good. It is outstanding in the key areas of mathematics and English, where students make rapid and sustained progress, and reach high levels of attainment by the end of Year 11. It is satisfactory in science.

In the sixth form, students make satisfactory progress in Year 12, but make ...greater progress in Year 13. The quality of teaching is good and improving rapidly. There are many examples of inspirational teaching where learning tasks are skilfully designed to meet the differing needs of students, but this is not always the case and the feedback given to students does not always show them exactly how to improve their work.

Behaviour and safety are good. In lessons, behaviour is often exemplary because learning tasks are fun, challenging and absorbing for students. Bullying of different kinds is rare but dealt with effectively where it does occur.

In corridors and around the school during lunchtime and breaks, behaviour is good. Students have a good awareness of how to keep themselves safe. Led by the inspirational headteacher, leaders at all levels have taken an uncompromising stance to quickly improving the quality of teaching and in turn raising achievement.

The outstanding curriculum provides memorable and varied learning experiences for students of all ages and abilities. Central to the school's successes has been the first-rate leadership of teaching and the rigour with which performance is managed.

Information about the school

This is an average-sized secondary school.

The proportion of students known to be eligible for free school meals is below the national average. Fewer students than average belong to minority ethnic groups, and fewer than average speak English as an additional language. The proportion of disabled students and those who have special educational needs is average.

The school meets the government's current floor standards, which set minimum expectations for students' attainment and progress. Three staff have joined the senior leadership team over the past year. The school has been acknowledged by the Department for Education as one of the 100 most improved schools in 2011.