What the school does well

• Teaching at both key stages is good, and a significant proportion is very good.
• Managers have set clear aims for the school and established a good sense of educational
  direction.
• The school has a good ethos, with a strong commitment to high standards of social and
  academic achievement.
• Assessment arrangements are good and are having a beneficial effect on standards.
• The behaviour, attitudes and personal development of pupils are all good.
• Relationships between pupils and between staff and pupils are good.
• Provision for the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils is good overall;
  spiritual and social development have very good provision.
• The Key Stage 3 curriculum is good.
• All aspects of support, guidance and pupils’ welfare are good.
• The school has good links with the local community.
• The capacity for improvement is good.
• The school provides very good extra-curricular activities.
• Key Stage 4 geography has very good teaching and attainment which is well above
  average.
• Attendance at the school is good.

  Where the school has weaknesses

  1. Accommodation is unsatisfactory in both amount and condition.
  2. Resource levels are too low and significantly hinder progress.
  3. Arrangements for provision for pupils with special educational needs are unsatisfactory.
  4. Standards of attainment in information and communication technology (ICT), while much improved since the last inspection, are unsatisfactory compared to national standards.
  5. There are too few staff in clerical support or helping pupils with special educational needs.
  6. The monitoring of teaching and the curriculum is not yet satisfactory.
  7. No appraisal system is in place, nor is there an equivalent system in operation.
  8. Development planning is unsatisfactory in terms of acting decisively on issues and implementing them in a fully co-ordinated way.
  9. The Key Stage 4 curriculum lacks sufficient breadth, especially in terms of vocational educational courses and meeting ICT statutory requirements.
  10. While standards and progress are broadly satisfactory, there remains further scope for
      raising expectations and levels of achievement in many subjects.
  11. There is too little in-service training for staff in ICT and special educational needs expertise.
  12. There are some inefficiencies in staff deployment and teaching group sizes at Key Stage 4.

   

  The school’s many strengths collectively outweigh its weaknesses: this is a secure school with much that is already good and a strong commitment to improvement. The governors’ action plan will set out how the weaknesses identified during the inspection are to be tackled. The plan will be sent to all parents or guardians of pupils at the school.