Felixstowe School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are benefiting from being part of this improving school. The school has high aspirations for its pupils and they are cared for by the staff. This means that most pupils are happy and feel safe in this school.

Although pupils have not achieved as highly as they could have done in the past, they are now making good progress in most subjects. There is a new, ambitious curriculum in many subjects. Pupils now enjoy more challenging lessons with teachers who better support them to learn more.

Leaders have raised standards for pupils' behaviour and conduct. This means that pupils are now able to learn without disruption in their lessons. Most pupils are keen to learn ...and try their very hardest in lessons.

Pupils receive guidance that raises their expectations of what they can achieve in their future.

Pupils can take part in a wide variety of opportunities, including robot construction and podcasting clubs. They can also take part in the orchestra or a range of sporting activities.

Pupils learn about why respect for difference and tolerance are important. This means that they benefit from a wide variety of experiences that build their understanding of the world.

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

The school's curriculum is broad and balanced.

Leaders have ensured that the curriculum is now more challenging so that pupils can achieve better. Pupils study a range of subjects. More pupils are taking and passing GCSEs in the group of academic subjects that comprise the English Baccalaureate.

This means that they are well placed for a range of future study or career options.

In many subjects, teachers are knowledgeable about their subjects. They provide clear explanations and regularly check on what pupils know.

In a few subjects, teaching is not as consistently effective. This is because of temporary staffing arrangements or where teachers need to develop their practice further. Where this is the case, leaders give the guidance and support that those teachers need to improve.

The quality of education is improving. Pupils now make better progress in most subjects but the school recognises that there remains more to do to ensure this is consistently the case.

Sixth-form students benefit from teachers with strong subject knowledge and teaching that is focused on individual needs.

This means students are making better progress than they have done in the past. The behaviour and attitudes of sixth-form students are consistently positive. Students are highly supportive of each other.

The curriculum is adapted well for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The school takes great care to ensure that a small number of pupils are provided with relevant alternative learning placements that suit their needs better.The school has focused on improving pupils' reading.

Those who struggle to read are provided with support to help them improve. For a small number of the weakest readers, the school does not give precise enough support, so they do not make improvements in their reading fluency. This means that these pupils are not able to make the progress that they should.

The school has increased the expectations of pupils' behaviour both in lessons and around the school. In most lessons now, the pupils listen carefully and are ready to learn. However, the attendance of some pupils is too low.

This affects the progress that these pupils make. The school is taking effective action to reduce the levels of absence but there is still more to do to ensure that all pupils attend school as often as possible.

There is a well-planned programme for personal, social, health and economic education.

Pupils learn about the world around them and how to make a positive contribution to society. There is strong guidance around careers throughout the school. In the sixth form, leaders have carefully considered how to raise aspirations by providing students with bespoke support that develops their understanding of how to achieve their goals.

As a result, many more students are now going on to study at some of the most academic universities.

The trust provides highly effective support to the school. The trust has strengthened leadership, which has helped accelerate the pace of improvement.

School leaders consider the well-being of their staff carefully when making decisions. This means that more teachers are choosing to remain at the school, and pupils benefit from their teaching.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some pupils do not attend school as often as they should. This means that these pupils are not achieving as highly as they could because they miss out on learning. The school needs to continue its work to identify and address the barriers that prevent some pupils from attending regularly so that persistent absence reduces further.

• Some teachers do not consistently implement the curriculum as the school intends. As a result, in these subjects, pupils do not secure important knowledge as well as they do elsewhere. The school should ensure that the curriculum is taught consistently well in all subjects.

• Support for the weakest readers is not always closely matched to what they need to learn. As a result, a small number of pupils do not learn to read well. The school should ensure that all pupils get the right help to improve their reading skills.

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