Bacon’s College

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils said that they feel part of a community at this school.

They like the facilities the school has to offer. Pupils make the most of the sporting opportunities available and they enjoy their learning. Leaders create an environment where pupils are supported and safe.

Leaders want the best outcomes for all pupils. Across a wide range of subjects, pupils achieve well. Many progress to the school sixth form and, from there, go on to university and a range of careers.

Leaders want pupils to be ambitious. They arrange for pupils to visit different universities, including Oxford and Cambridge colleges. Pupils, including students in the sixth form, get involved ...in charity fundraising events and a range of after-school clubs and sports.

Leaders have made high standards of behaviour a priority. Pupils know how they are expected to behave. They conduct themselves well around the school.

Pupils understand what bullying is, but they said it is rare in this school. Older pupils are trained to act as 'mediators' when friends fall out. This helps to prevent situations becoming more serious.

If bullying does occur, pupils know who to speak to and it is dealt with swiftly.

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

Leaders have made sure that their aspirations for pupils' learning are realised. Their approach to developing and improving the curriculum has been well considered.

Leaders provide pupils with a wide range of subjects to study. This means all pupils can be successful and are well prepared for life after school. Leaders identified that more pupils could study subjects at GCSE that make up the English Baccalaureate.

They now have an ambitious target to increase the proportion of pupils who study these subjects. To meet this goal, leaders have put in place new arrangements to support pupils in selecting their GCSE options.

Subject leaders consider the key knowledge they want pupils to know and remember.

They plan and think about the curriculum carefully. Important knowledge is sequenced in a way that aims for pupils to use and apply what they already understand when they learn more complex ideas. For example, in physical education (PE), pupils learn a range of sports and the principles and techniques involved.

These are repeated each year in Years 7 to 9. Over time, pupils are taught increasingly complex knowledge and skills so that they become more proficient in each of the sports.

Teachers use a range of techniques to find out what pupils have learned and remembered.

For example, they check pupils' memory of prior learning at the start of lessons and in regular tests. In Years 10 and 11 and in the sixth form, assessment approaches are well embedded. Teachers have established routines to identify what pupils remember, and to ensure that pupils have a fluent recall of their prior learning.

However, in Years 7 to 9, this is less consistent. In some cases, teachers do not check that pupils' understanding of previous learning is fluent and secure before moving on to new subject content. This makes it difficult for pupils to make the next steps in their learning and deepen their understanding in a logical manner.

Pupils achieve well and leaders are ambitious for pupils to do better. Leaders recognise how important reading is to ensuring pupils learn well across the curriculum. They have introduced a programme to develop pupils' reading further.

For example, form tutors read a range of quality literature to pupils on a regular basis. This is helping to widen pupils' vocabulary and introduces them to a broad range of authors.

Leaders are quick to identify the needs of pupils.

They make sure that staff provide appropriate support for those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Subject leaders plan and organise their learning programmes with pupils' needs in mind. They make sure that staff know how to make suitable adaptations so that pupils with SEND can access and learn the full curriculum in each subject.

Pupils have positive attitudes to their learning and they behave well in their lessons. They settle down quickly and focus on their learning. Teachers apply the school behaviour policy consistently.

As a result, disruption in lessons is rare.

Leaders use the school values as the backbone to their programme for pupils' personal development. The aims of this programme are clear and ambitious.

Pupils are taught to respect each other and celebrate differences, for example in terms of race and sexuality. Leaders also ensure that pupils receive appropriate careers advice, including personalised support and guidance about their next steps.

Leaders are considerate of staff workload and staff appreciate the training opportunities they receive in the school.

Subject-specialist advisers from the trust provide further support and training to staff. They have also played a key role in the development of the school's curriculum. Trust representatives and governors regularly visit the school to see the curriculum in action and check that it is working well.

This includes, for instance, visits to lessons and speaking to pupils and staff.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders understand their local community and the risks that their pupils face.

They make sure that staff are trained to identify and report concerns. Leaders keep secure records of all referrals and ongoing discussions with external agencies. They meet regularly with these agencies to secure the best support for pupils.

Pupils are taught to keep themselves safe. For example, staff teach them about healthy relationships and the importance of physical and mental health. Leaders have built a strong team of pastoral leaders, teachers, support staff, counsellors and therapists to ensure that the needs of pupils are identified and supported.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In Years 7 to 9, the focus on ensuring that pupils recall important learning readily and fluently is not as established as it is in key stage 4 and the sixth form. This affects pupils' preparedness to learn the ideas that come next in the curriculum. Leaders should make sure that, across all year groups, the curriculum enables pupils to remember fundamental knowledge and concepts securely, and that pupils are able to draw on their understanding when studying new ideas in a subject.