Ashton-on-Mersey School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school Pupils' attain highly. The proportion of pupils who achieve a standard pass, or strong pass, in English and mathematics is above the national average. Across both key stages 3 and 4, pupils make consistently good progress across a wide range of subjects.

Lower-ability pupils make particularly strong progress. Provisional data for 2018 highlights that the progress made by disadvantaged pupils, including children looked after, has improved significantly. Nevertheless, these pupils can and should make even better progress.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) make good progress from their starting points. The curr...iculum is well planned at both key stages 3 and 4. There is a good balance between academic and vocational subjects.

An above average and increasing proportion of pupils follow the English Baccalaureate route. The trust, the local governing body and the executive headteacher have a strong vision for further improvement. They are highly skilled and dedicated to excellence.

School improvement planning is sharply focused on the key actions that will further improve the school. However, plans do not contain sufficient detail to ensure that trustees and governors can measure the impact of leaders' work. Teachers receive good-quality ongoing training.

They have increasingly high expectations of their pupils. However, the most able pupils, including the most able disadvantaged pupils, are not consistently challenged to excel. Teachers have excellent questioning skills.

They use this expertise to develop pupils' oracy skills, to address misconceptions in learning and to enable pupils to demonstrate and apply their knowledge. Pupils' behaviour is good. They are diligent and committed to their learning.

Pupils show respect for each other's points of view and they have the utmost respect for their teachers. Pastoral support is a key strength of this school. Pupils say that they feel safe and that bullying is extremely rare.

Safeguarding in this school is highly effective. There is a strong commitment to equality and diversity. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is excellent.

Overall, pupils' attendance is above average. However, despite improvements, some disadvantaged pupils do not attend school regularly enough. Students in the sixth form make striking progress from their individual starting points.

This is because of high-quality teaching, students' excellent attendance and behaviour, and strong, effective leadership.

Information about this school

Ashton-on-Mersey School is larger than the average-sized secondary school, with a small, predominantly vocational sixth form. The school is part of the Dean Trust multi-academy trust.

The Dean Trust comprises nine schools and academies in both the primary and secondary sectors, across four local authorities. At Ashton-on-Mersey School, the board of trustees is accountable for the school. An executive team supports and advises the trustees.

Trustees delegate some powers to the local governing body. The local governing body provides regular reports to the trustees. In 2011, the school became a teaching school.

It also secured school-centred initial teacher training status (SCITT) in 2014 to provide initial teacher education. The proportion of pupils with SEND is much higher than that found nationally. The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is lower than that found nationally.

However, the school has a high number of children looked after on roll. There is a higher proportion of boys on roll. A small proportion of pupils are educated at alternative providers.

The school makes use of: The Trafford Medical Education Service; Trafford High School; Gorse Hill Studios; NT&AS Education and Vision Education. From September 2018, leaders took the decision that Ashton-on-Mersey School's sixth form would be a provider of predominantly vocational 16 to 19 study programmes in response to local needs. Several students join the sixth form from other schools in the local area.