St Paul’s Catholic School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school Leaders are effective because they have taken the right steps to improve the school. They show clear leadership and are well supported by staff. Governors have made significant changes to the way they work.

As a result, they are very knowledgeable about the school so they successfully challenge leaders and hold them to account well. Teaching is good across all key stages because : staff are committed to continually improving their practice. The specialist provision for pupils who have special educational needs or disability is good.

Consequently, these pupils make rapid progress and are seamlessly integrated into the wider school. Pupils ...are making good progress in most subjects in the school. The gaps in achievement between disadvantaged pupils, pupils who have special educational needs or disability and others are closing quickly.

Pupils are extremely supportive and caring of each other. They are fiercely proud of their school and live up to the school's inspiring values and ethos. Consequently, pupils' behaviour is excellent.

In the sixth form, learners make good progress as a result of good teaching and effective leadership. It is not yet an outstanding school because : The most-able pupils, especially in mathematics, do not yet make the same amount of good progress as other pupils because teachers do not stretch and challenge them enough. Pupils' progress in science, modern foreign languages and geography is not as good as in other subjects.

Leaders are taking effective steps to improve the impact of middle leaders but some are new, so have had less time to raise standards in their subjects. Teachers in subjects other than English do not develop pupils' writing and reading skills sufficiently so that pupils can attain the highest grades. Full report

Information about this school

The school is much larger than the average-sized secondary school.

There is a wide range of pupils from different ethnic backgrounds in the school, the largest groups being White British and Black African. The proportion of pupils whose first language is not English is well above the national average. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is broadly in line with the national average.

The pupil premium is additional government funding given to schools for those known to be eligible for free school meals and for looked after children. The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs or disability is significantly above the national average. The school has specialist provision in three departments that supports pupils who have hearing impairment, pupils with visual impairment and pupils with autistic spectrum disorder.

There are currently 47 pupils in the specialist provision. The headteacher is chair of the Stephenson Trust, which includes the Stephenson Academy and the Bridge Academy. The school is a member of the Denbigh Teaching Alliance, a group of schools in Milton Keynes that provides initial teacher training and support for teachers.