Saffron Walden County High School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Key findings

Saffron Walden County High School is an outstanding school providing an outstanding quality of education for all its students.

The sixth form is outstanding with sustained very high retention and achievement. Achievement is outstanding. Students are exceptionally well prepared for the next stage in their lives.

They make outstanding progress in all subjects. Disabled students and those with special educational needs make outstanding progress. GCSE results have been consistently above average over the last three years and rose significantly in 2011.

Achievement in vocational provision is very high. Students gain a range of additional skills that contribute to their outstanding progress..., such as taking responsibility for their own learning. Inspectors observed a very high proportion of good teaching with a significant proportion that was outstanding.

Outstanding leadership of teaching focuses well on improvement and excellent staff development. As a result, teachers plan lessons very well and include a range of activities to meet the needs of students both as groups and as individuals. Marking usually provides excellent feedback to students but in a few cases it is not sufficiently detailed to help students know how to improve their work.

Students are extremely polite. Their behaviour in lessons is outstanding and supports their learning extremely well. They take enormous pride in their school.

Students' behaviour around the school is exemplary and results in a very respectful and safe environment. Leaders and managers work extremely well to establish a culture of continuous improvement, resulting in an excellent learning experience for all students. The school's outstanding curriculum ensures that there is an appropriate pathway for each student to follow.

Strategic planning is excellent and effective delegation of decision making means that staff have the confidence to be innovative in the classroom and their work. The development of students' spiritual moral social and cultural awareness is outstanding.

Information about the school

Saffron Walden County High School (SWCHS) is larger than the average secondary school and has a large sixth form.

The school became an academy in June 2011 and is governed by Saffron Academy Trust, of which there is only one member school, SWCHS. However, leaders decided to continue to refer to it as a school. The proportion of students known to be eligible for free school meals is below that found nationally, as is the proportion who speak English as an additional language.

The proportion of students from minority ethnic groups is low. The proportion of students who are disabled or identified as having special educational needs, and supported by school action or a statement of particular need, is very low. The school meets the government's current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress.

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