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This inspection rating relates to a predecessor school. When a school converts to an academy, is taken over or closes and reopens as a new school a formal link is created between the new school and the old school, by the Department for Education. Where the new school has not yet been inspected, we show the inspection history of the predecessor school, as we believe it still has significance.
This inspection rating relates to a predecessor school. When a school converts to an academy, is taken over or closes and reopens as a new school a formal link is created between the new school and the old school, by the Department for Education. Where the new school has not yet been inspected, we show the inspection history of the predecessor school, as we believe it still has significance.
Main findings
The school's overall effectiveness is outstanding. When students join the school in Year 9, they do so having reached standards that were below national averages in the national tests they took at the end of Year 6. By the end of Year 11, the standards they reach in their work are above average.
That represents outstanding progress. The quality of much of the school's provision is outstanding. Teaching is highly effective because lessons are well-planned and assessment is used, often very successfully, to check that students have understood the work and further explanation is provided if they have not.
The care, guidance and support that students receive are exceptionally strong. This enables... students to settle into school very quickly when they join in Year 9. There is very good support for those who are potentially vulnerable.
Students who are underachieving are quickly identified and effective support is provided. In addition there is very thorough follow-up if the school has any concerns about how well different groups of students may prosper. The parents and carers of one group of students, for example, were less well represented at parents' and carers' evenings than those of the other groups.
The school arranged a meeting with them in the town and as a result their attendance at parents' and carers' meetings improved and the students' attendance at school also improved. The capacity for sustained improvement is outstanding. The school's leaders' understanding of the strengths of the school and the areas that require further development is accurately informed by very thorough monitoring and careful evaluations.
Where improvements are sought, a very good range of approaches is in place to bring them about. The result is that the school has made strong progress since its last inspection. It has made good advances in the areas that were identified at that time as requiring improvement.
Areas which were satisfactory are now developing well, or are strong. An example is the mathematics department which is undergoing a good rate of improvement. Attendance has also risen and is now above average.
Less successful has been the development of the science department, where improvements, while now underway, are slower than those in mathematics. In science lessons, there is less of a focus on students understanding the work and more on simply getting the work done and the work is not always sufficiently engaging. The specialist subjects make a strong contribution to the school's overall effectiveness.
For example, teachers from the subjects concerned have provided training across the school to do with classroom management and different approaches to teaching. They have provided support to middle schools, for example for the teaching of gifted and talented students. The humanities subjects make a good contribution to students' academic achievement and there is a good take up of the humanities in the sixth form.
The governing body is highly supportive and challenging. Leaders are held strongly to account.
Information about the school
The school is of average size.
The majority of students have previously studied at one of four middle schools. The headteacher, at the time of the inspection, had been in post for four weeks. The school is the lead school in the local federation of Catholic schools.
The previous headteacher of the school is now the Executive Principal of the federation. The proportions of students who are known to be eligible for free school meals, and of those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are both in line with the national average. However, there is a lower proportion who have a statement of educational needs than nationally.
More than twice as many students are from minority ethnic groups and speak English as an additional language than is the case nationally. The school's specialist subject area is the humanities. It has received a number of awards including the Most Improved School Award from the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust, the Community Cohesion Gold Award, the Investors in People Award and Leadership Award, the International Award, and Healthy Schools status.
