All Saints’ Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils value the warm family atmosphere of the school. They benefit from strong relationships with staff who know them well and care about their well-being.

Pupils show respect for the range of backgrounds and cultures found within the school community.

Pupils' behaviour is improving. The school has successfully identified and tackled some of the underlying causes of poor conduct, which has led to a reduction in behaviour incidents.

However, some pupils, particularly older pupils, do not place sufficient value on their learning. The school has not supported them to develop the motivation and resilience that they need to be successful in their studies.
.../>The school is increasingly ambitious for pupils' achievement.

It has acted to strengthen the curriculum in many areas to improve pupils' learning. However, the legacy of poor curriculum design and implementation, as well as the weaknesses that persist in some subjects, mean that some pupils do not achieve as well as they should.

Pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), benefit from a range of activities to develop their talents and interests such as science club, musical instrument tuition and choir.

Pupil sports leaders help staff to lead an array of sports clubs and teams.

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

The school and multi-academy trust are united in their vision to improve the school. They have brought about changes that are having a positive impact on many aspects of the school's work.

Many of the school's procedures are new, or recently changed. This means that they are not used consistently well across the school.

The school has designed a broad and balanced curriculum.

In many subjects, the school has thought about the knowledge that is most important for pupils to learn. However, in some subjects, work is at an early stage of development. This makes it difficult for teachers to make sure that pupils learn everything that they need to know.

This explains the variation in pupils' achievement across subjects and year groups.

Teachers have secure subject knowledge and benefit from regular opportunities to share expertise with their colleagues. Nonetheless, some teachers are less adept at checking that pupils have learned all that they should.

As a result, some pupils retain misconceptions or gaps in their knowledge that hinder their achievement.

The school swiftly identifies pupils with SEND. It takes suitable action to ensure that these pupils can successfully participate in all aspects of school life.

Nevertheless, pupils with SEND also experience the curriculum weaknesses that impede the achievement of some of their peers.The school has recently begun to strengthen the help that it provides to pupils who struggle with reading. While younger pupils now benefit from effective support delivered by well-trained staff, this is not the case for their older peers.

Some pupils lack sufficient reading expertise to access the curriculum. The school has not provided timely help to enable these pupils to read confidently and fluently.

Staff feel well supported to tackle any instances of poor conduct.

They are highly visible around the school site at social and transition times, promoting a calm and friendly atmosphere. Some pupils told the inspectors that staff have differing expectations of their behaviour and do not apply sanctions and rewards consistently. As a result, pupils' behaviour is not always as positive as it should be.

The school has taken action that has begun to improve rates of attendance. Despite this, too many pupils continue to have high levels of absence from school. This restricts their achievement, because they miss out on learning as well as the wider opportunities on offer.

The school has designed a programme to support pupils' wider development and prepare them for life beyond high school. For example, in form time pupils confidently related the 'word of the week' to fundamental British values such as liberty and the rule of law. The school has recognised that the delivery of some aspects of the programme needs to be strengthened.

Pupils receive useful careers information and guidance, including encounters with local colleges and sixth forms.

Staff enjoy working at the school. They are consulted about changes that affect them.

For example, a working party has been established to discuss the impact of changes to the behaviour policy. This helps staff to feel valued and respected.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, teachers are not clear about what they should teach and how new learning connects to pupils' prior knowledge. Consequently, some pupils, including those with SEND, do not learn all that they should. The school should ensure that it finalises its curriculum thinking in these subjects, so that teachers know what pupils should learn.

• Sometimes, teachers do not check carefully or quickly enough that pupils' knowledge is secure before new knowledge is introduced. Instead, some pupils move on to new learning before they are ready. The school should ensure that teachers are equipped with strategies to swiftly identify and address weaknesses in pupils' understanding.

Too many pupils are absent and persistently absent from school. They miss out on valuable learning which hampers their achievement. The school should ensure that it works with parents and carers to identify and overcome barriers to pupils' attendance.

• On occasions, some staff do not set the clear expectations for pupils' behaviour that the school's policy requires. When this happens, some pupils do not behave as well as they should. The school should ensure that its behaviour policy is enacted consistently so that it has the intended positive impact.

• The school is in the early stages of implementing suitable support for pupils who struggle with reading. This means that some pupils, particularly older pupils, do not have the reading expertise that they need to successfully access the curriculum. The school should ensure that pupils who find reading difficult receive the support that they need to overcome gaps in their reading knowledge.