Aldercar High School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school The headteacher provides clear, effective leadership. The headteacher and the leadership team ensure that pupils are safe, behave well and make good progress.

Leaders have the determination and capacity to improve the school further. Leaders have begun to use the pupil premium funding much more effectively following the review. For example, in key stage 3, leaders have successfully improved the progress that all disadvantaged pupils make.

The effective middle leaders have a clear understanding of the strengths of the school. Their actions ensure that their teams know what they need to do to improve the school further. As a consequence, pu...pils' progress has improved and continues to do so in Year 10 and in key stage 3.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported. The enhanced resource facility for pupils with hearing impairment provides opportunities for these pupils to be fully integrated into all aspects of the school. The provision for students with SEND in the sixth form provides a secure base for learning.

The students are able to move onto high-quality courses or training in the next stage of their education. The quality of teaching is becoming more consistently good. Most teachers use assessment information to plan lessons to meet the needs of all pupils.

However, some teachers do not always plan lessons that build on prior learning and this can inhibit the progress pupils make. The behaviour of pupils is good. They are polite and considerate of the feelings of other people in the school.

Pupils benefit from high-quality careers advice and guidance. This helps them to make informed decisions about the next steps in their education. Governors now have a clear understanding of the strengths of the school.

They provide challenge and support. Their engagement has helped the school to improve. There is an appropriate programme of personal, social and health education.

However, it is not taught consistently across the school.

Information about this school

The school is a smaller than average-sized secondary school. The school is a community school within Derbyshire local authority.

The school is in an area of above-average deprivation. The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is above the national average. The proportion of pupils with SEND is above the national average.

Pupils are predominantly of White British heritage. Pupil prior attainment was below national average for all year groups. The school uses Amber Valley and Erewash Support Centre (AVESC) and Tailor Made Programmes as alternative provision for a very small number of pupils.