Alder Community High School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel well cared for in this school. They benefit from high-quality pastoral support.

Some pupils spoke warmly about how staff help them to look after their mental well-being. A culture of care and compassion helps most pupils to feel happy in school.

Pupils are encouraged to make meaningful contributions to the school community.

For example, the student council recently helped to review the school's anti-bullying policy. Pupils have an increasingly strong voice in the school. They value opportunities to work with staff to improve further their educational experience.

Most pupils conduct themselves sensibly. There is little disruption to lesson...s. When pupils' behaviour reflects the 'Alder values', staff give them points to spend in the school shop.

Pupils particularly delight in being rewarded in this way.

Although published outcomes indicate that pupils typically attain well in national tests at the end of key stage 4, weaknesses in the curriculum mean that they do not build a broad and rich body of knowledge within each subject. Recently, the school has increased its expectations of pupils' achievement, particularly of those pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

It has prioritised improving the quality of education that it provides. The school has a comprehensive understanding of what remains to be done.

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

There have been a number of changes in key personnel since the start of this academic year, including the headteacher.

The school has focused on ensuring that leaders at all levels, including the governors, have the expertise and information that they need to fulfil their roles effectively. This has been successful. The school has sharply focused plans in place to develop the quality of education that it provides.

It is implementing these at pace. Governors have reviewed their systems for gathering information about the school. They now have an accurate understanding of its strengths and areas for development.

Governors are working closely with the school to make the rapid improvements that are needed.

The school has ensured that the curriculum is ambitious. Subject curriculums are well organised.

In the main, the school has clearly identified the important knowledge that pupils should learn. Teachers frequently check what pupils have learned. However, at times, these checks do not match the important information outlined in the curriculum.

In addition, some teachers do not use assessment strategies effectively. At times, they are unaware of the misconceptions or gaps that develop in pupils' knowledge.

Teachers are knowledgeable about their subjects.

Typically, they explain new concepts clearly. However, at times, teachers' understanding of how to deliver the curriculum effectively is less secure. This means that on occasions, learning activities do not help pupils to learn what the teacher intended.

This includes strategies designed to help pupils to remember what they have learned over time. Consequently, some pupils' learning is uneven across the curriculum.

Recently, the school has taken swift and effective action to improve its provision for pupils with SEND.

There is now a robust process in place to identify swiftly and accurately any additional needs that pupils may have. However, much of this work is in its infancy. There is variability in how effectively staff adapt the delivery of the curriculum to help these pupils to learn well.

This means that some pupils with SEND do not achieve as well as they should.

The school has a programme in place to support pupils who struggle with their reading. Currently, this is more robust for pupils in Year 7 than for those in other year groups.

The school is in the process of ensuring that pupils of all ages receive highly effective support to help them to read well.

The school ensures that pupils are suitably prepared for life in modern society. Pupils experience a comprehensive programme of personal development which includes learning about healthy relationships and how to keep safe online.

Typically, pupils remember this learning well.

Careers provision is a strength. Pupils benefit from carefully tailored opportunities to help them make informed choices about their next steps.

The atmosphere in the school is calm and orderly. Pupils are respectful to staff. A small number of pupils struggle to regulate their own behaviour.

The school is taking thoughtful action to help these pupils and to ensure that staff are well equipped to support them. Most pupils attend school regularly.

Most staff are supportive of the momentum of change in the school.

Although some have found the pace of this change challenging, others spoke appreciatively of the support that they are given to strengthen the curriculum.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some staff do not check that pupils' prior learning is secure before moving on to new content.

In addition, in some subjects, staff are not sufficiently clear about the knowledge to prioritise when checking what pupils have learned. As a result, some pupils develop misconceptions and gaps in their knowledge that staff do not address. The school should ensure that it supports staff in using assessment strategies consistently well and that they focus these on the key knowledge that pupils should remember.

• Some staff do not have the teaching knowledge to deliver the curriculum as effectively as they should. A lack of understanding of the purpose of some learning activities, including those aimed at helping pupils to remember important knowledge over time, means that at times, pupils do not learn what staff intended. The school should ensure that staff receive training and guidance to enable them to deliver subject curriculums consistently well.

• Some staff do not adapt the delivery of the curriculum effectively enough to support pupils with SEND. This means that at times, these pupils do not learn as well as they should. The school should ensure that staff have the expertise to enable them to meet the needs of these pupils and to help them to achieve well.