Blessed William Howard Catholic School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school. Achievement is rising rapidly, and the 2012 results were the school's best ever. Disabled students and those who have special educational needs do well because of increasingly good support and guidance.

Teachers convey high expectations. They keep a careful check on students' progress and set challenging targets for them. Students are safe and bullying is very rarely an issue.

Behaviour and attendance are good. Good leadership ensures that the whole school community shares a strong and clear vision for its future. In the main school, the way leaders check the quality of teaching and follows this up with training has had a good impact on ...rising standards.

The governors support the school's leaders well in bringing about improvements in teaching and achievement. It is not yet an outstanding school because : The sixth form requires improvement. Despite the successes elsewhere in the school, some students still struggle at AS level, and too few gain top grades at A level.

Leaders do not have sufficient information to keep a close check on the quality of education for sixth-form students, particularly when they are taught on other sites. Teachers do not always give students enough opportunities to develop their own thoughts and ideas in lessons, and this sometimes restricts their achievement.

Information about this school

The school is smaller than the average-sized comprehensive school.

The proportion of students supported at school action is above average, while the proportion who are supported at school action plus or by a statement of special educational needs is below average. The proportion of students who are known to be eligible for the pupil premium is below average. Students from minority ethnic communities form a smaller proportion of the total than that found typically, and the proportion who speak English as an additional language is low.

The school meets the current government floor targets, which set the minimum expectations for students' progress and achievement. Sixth-form education is provided as part of a borough-wide consortium that includes the other high schools and Stafford College. The school is designated as a specialist arts college and has been awarded the Artsmark Gold award three times for 'outstanding contribution to arts education' by the Arts Council.

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