Mount Carmel Roman Catholic High School, Hyndburn

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe and happy at this welcoming school. They enjoy learning and spending time with their friends. Pupils value the support and care that they receive from staff.

They are confident that adults in school will listen to them if they have any worries or concerns.

Teachers have high expectations for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This is reflected through the ambitious curriculum that leaders have designed for pupils.

Staff encourage pupils to participate in clubs and activities, such as the eco-club, the school council and charity fundraising in the community. These opportunities help pupils to... be responsible, more confident and independent.

Pupils understand leaders' behaviour systems and consider them to be fair.

Pupils behave well. Mostly, corridors around the school are calm. Pupils told inspectors that staff will deal with any rare incidents of poor behaviour quickly and effectively.

Leaders, staff and pupils have created a respectful environment where bullying is not tolerated. Most pupils say that if any bullying happens, it is dealt with quickly and it stops. Pupils said that they rarely hear discriminatory language in school.

They told inspectors that they aim to live up to the school's motto of 'a family of faith and learning'.

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

Leaders have ensured that the curriculum is suitably ambitious for all pupils, including pupils with SEND. For example, more pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND, in Years 10 and 11, study a range of academic subjects than previously.

More older pupils now opt to study a modern foreign language at GCSE than before.

Subject leaders have developed detailed curriculum plans that enable pupils to build on their prior learning well. For example, in mathematics, pupils combine their secure knowledge of number facts and methods in more complex activities.

Most teachers ensure that pupils revisit earlier learning regularly. This helps pupils to remember important knowledge over time and achieve well across the curriculum.

Leaders have effective systems to check on how well teachers deliver the planned curriculum.

However, in a minority of subjects, subject leaders do not use these checks well enough. This means that, from time to time, some teachers do not select the most appropriate activities to help pupils to learn important subject content.

Teachers use assessment strategies effectively to check whether pupils understand important concepts.

Teachers use information from these checks well to adapt their teaching and address pupils' misconceptions. This helps pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those pupils with SEND, to overcome their mistakes and deepen their learning.

The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) uses appropriate and effective strategies to identify individual pupils' needs.

The SENCo provides staff with detailed information so that they can help pupils with SEND to access the planned curriculum.

Leaders promote reading well across the school. Pupils read widely across subjects.

They benefit from regular reading lessons to develop their vocabulary. However, leaders have not ensured that staff can support those pupils who struggle the most with reading. As a result, these pupils do not get sufficient appropriate support to develop their reading fluency and accuracy.

Leaders have ensured that staff use behaviour systems consistently well. During lessons, pupils can learn without distraction. They work hard and listen attentively to their teachers.

Leaders provide pupils with many opportunities to become well-rounded citizens. For example, pupils discuss and debate topics such as challenging gender stereotypes in their personal, social and health education lessons. Pupils also benefit from appropriate guidance to prepare them for the next stage of their education, employment or training.

Governors are ambitious for the school. They have challenged leaders' work to improve the quality of education and pupils' behaviour rigorously. Staff are extremely proud to work at the school.

They value leaders' careful consideration for their well-being and workload.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff receive regular safeguarding training.

They know how to identify and report any safeguarding concerns. Leaders refer any concerns quickly to external agencies when needed.

Pupils understand the risks that they may face.

This includes potential risks that leaders are aware of outside the school. For example, pupils learn about dangers of joining gangs and how to stay safe online. Pupils feel safe in school and they are confident that they can get help from an adult if they have any worries.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• A minority of subject leaders do not check effectively enough how well teachers deliver curriculum plans. This means, in some subjects, teachers do not always select the most suitable pedagogical approach to help pupils to learn and remember important knowledge. Leaders should ensure that subject leaders check on how well teachers deliver the curriculum so that leaders can support teachers to develop their subject and pedagogical knowledge.

• Leaders have not ensured that staff are trained to support those pupils who have gaps in their phonics knowledge. This means that a small number of pupils are unable to read with accuracy and do not access the curriculum as well as they should. Leaders should ensure that their plans to train staff appropriately are realised so that those pupils who need additional support with their phonics knowledge are identified and supported to catch up quickly.