Biddenham International School and Sports College

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school Leaders and governors monitor the school's work closely and take well-judged actions to tackle any areas of weakness. As a result, teaching is typically good.

Pupils enjoy their learning. They appreciate their positive and productive relationships with their teachers and each other. Pupils show respect for the beliefs and lifestyles of their peers in this diverse school community.

Teachers often use questioning well to identify what pupils know and who needs more help. Teachers develop pupils' thinking skills well. Current pupils are making good progress in many subjects, including English and mathematics, within the school's very broad c...urriculum.

Pupils usually behave well. Leaders and teachers help individual pupils who find it difficult to manage their behaviour so that they can improve it. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported.

As a result, these pupils usually make good progress from their individual starting points. The school is an inclusive community. Effective support helps individual pupils who join from other schools with previous poor patterns of attendance, behaviour or progress to move forward in their learning.

Pupils are safe and feel safe at school because : they are well looked after. The curriculum gives pupils a very secure understanding of how to minimise different risks that they might face. Current students are making good progress in the sixth form overall, and particularly strong progress in their vocational courses.

A high proportion of students go on to university. Sometimes, subject leaders do not ensure that effective teaching techniques are adopted as quickly as they could be by their departmental colleagues. Some pupils' extended writing skills are insufficiently well developed.

Teaching does not enable pupils to apply their mathematics knowledge to problem-solving activities with enough confidence. A few teachers do not respond effectively enough when a small minority of pupils engage in low-level disruption to learning.

Information about this school

The school is an average-sized secondary school.

A higher than average proportion of pupils are from minority ethnic groups and speak English as an additional language. The extent to which pupils join and leave the school outside the normal points of transition is above average. The proportion of pupils who are disadvantaged is above average.

The proportion of pupils with SEND is below the national average. A small number of pupils who remain on the school's roll are educated off-site in alternative provision within Bedford, at KWS Educational Services, E-Spired Centre of Excellence and Greys Education Centre. The number of pupils in key stage 3 is increasing as a reorganisation of education in Bedford is leading to the closure of middle schools.

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