Christ The King College

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils are happy at Christ the King College and report that school is a safe place to be. Older pupils describe the many positive changes to the school since the last full inspection in 2018.

The school offers a wide range of subjects.

Many pupils achieve well because subject leaders have raised expectations by setting out exactly what pupils should learn. However, some pupils have gaps in their knowledge and skills. This is because in some subjects there are differences in how well teachers implement these plans to meet the needs of all pupils.

Pupils appreciate how the new behaviour system of consequences and rewards has helped to improve behaviour. Bu...llying happens much less now than it did in the past. Pupils say that there are trusted adults who they can turn to should they have any concerns.

Pupils show tolerance and respect towards one another and enjoy opportunities to learn about life in modern Britain. Some are frustrated and upset by the limited knowledge of a minority of their teachers when discussing diversity and equalities.

Pupils enjoy the many trips and visits linked to their study and the opportunities to get involved in the sporting clubs and drama productions that the school offers.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Senior leaders have successfully raised expectations across the school. In addition to improving the security and safety of the school, they have brought about significant improvements to behaviour and enhanced the quality of education.

The school offers a broad, academic curriculum and leaders are in the process of making this more ambitious for all pupils.

The curriculum is well planned in many subjects, including English, science, geography and history. Here, subject leaders know what they want pupils to learn and in what order, and most teachers explain subject matter and check pupils' understanding well. This strength of practice is also seen in the sixth form, enabling students to achieve well in their chosen subjects.

In some subjects, such as modern foreign languages and personal, social and health education (PSHE) the curriculum is at an earlier stage of development. In others, such as physical education (PE) and mathematics, teachers' delivery of what has been planned is variable. In particular, assessment does not always focus on checking that pupils have learned the important knowledge and skills that have been taught.

Where this occurs, not all teachers have consistently high expectations of what all pupils can achieve.

Leaders are increasingly ambitious for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), disadvantaged pupils and the most able pupils. They have provided teachers and teaching assistants with information to support pupils' learning in the classroom.

However, not all staff put this into practice well enough to support different groups of pupils.

Work to improve pupils' reading skills is ongoing. Leaders have introduced new approaches and resources to support improvements to reading.

Teachers now have better information to support pupils' reading within their subject. While leaders have a real passion to upgrade provision, the impact of new initiatives has been adversely impacted upon by the pandemic.

The school's new approaches to behaviour management ensure that pupils' behaviour has much improved and is now typically good across the school.

Effective communication and sharing of information between the leaders of behaviour and attendance have led to improvements in both areas. Pupils are typically keen to learn and actively engage with the tasks set by their teachers.

Leaders have recently updated and broadened provision for pupils' personal development.

Pupils in Year 11 and Year 13 were supported with preparation for their next steps beyond school before they left. In the sixth form, teachers support students to develop a good understanding of relationships, British values and mental health and well-being. This is not yet consistently the case across the rest of the school.

Not all staff have the knowledge and language they need to deliver or discuss aspects of PSHE linked to promoting diversity and equalities.

Governors have a clear understanding of the strengths of the school and the further improvements required. Through their engagement in training and access to information they are able to offer better challenge to leaders.

Staff value the improvements made to the school. Most staff reported that while this has been a very challenging year, they appreciate leaders' attempts to reduce workload where they can.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The new school site is secure, and leaders have clear procedures in place to keep pupils safe. All necessary checks are made in order to ensure that staff are suitable to work with pupils. Leaders provide all staff with regular and appropriate safeguarding training.

Staff are vigilant to any signs that may suggest a pupil is at risk of harm and know what to do if they are concerned. Strong communication and systematic record keeping within school ensure that leaders are well informed about vulnerable pupils. Leaders work well with external agencies to secure any additional support needed for pupils.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The degree to which teachers deliver curriculum plans and use strategies to support the needs of pupils with SEND or those who are most able as intended varies between subjects. This means that some pupils have gaps in their knowledge and skills or do not achieve as well as they could. Leaders should ensure that there is more consistent practice to build all pupils' learning in each subject.

• Teachers' assessments of pupils' learning are not always sufficiently focused on what pupils should know and be able to do. Where this happens, the information gained is not used to inform future learning. Leaders should ensure that ongoing assessment is focused on checking that pupils are learning and remembering what has been taught.

• Some teachers lack the knowledge and confidence to teach about protected characteristics, diversity and equality effectively. This is having an adverse impact on some pupils' engagement in lessons and their respect for these teachers. Leaders must make sure that all staff are equipped with the knowledge they need and are able to use appropriate language to deliver the PSHE programme.

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