Boldon School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Boldon School is improving.

It is a school that is working in a context that provides many challenges. These include the ongoing impact of the pandemic and a number of changes to leadership in recent years. Consequently, this has hindered the school's plans for improvement, and pupils have not achieved as well as they should.

However, recently-appointed leaders are skilled and committed to the school. They have provided stability and increased expectations for pupils' achievement.

The school provides its pupils with high-quality pastoral care.

Staff care deeply for pupils, and they support them well. Parents and carers appreciate this. Pupils are saf...e and happy here.

Most pupils behave well. However, some pupils cause disruption, and this impacts on the learning of others.

Pupils enjoy the opportunities to develop their interests and talents.

They take part in sports teams and a range of clubs, such as creative writing, first aid and gardening. The 'Pride Collective' is a supportive group for pupils who identify as LGBTQ+ and their allies. Many pupils contributed to the recent school production of 'Shrek' by performing, making the set and assisting front of house.

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

The school has a broad curriculum. It is sequenced so that pupils build their knowledge and skills over time. Changes to the curriculum in some areas have increased the level of ambition.

The school has high expectations for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), who typically study the same curriculum as their peers.

The delivery of the curriculum is variable. Some teachers do not check closely enough what gaps pupils have in their knowledge, or what they have forgotten.

This limits how effectively these gaps are addressed. Occasionally, learning activities and some teachers' explanations and questions do not secure or promote a deep understanding of the curriculum. As a result, some pupils do not learn and remember the curriculum securely.

This is reflected in the public examination results, which are below national averages.

The school has recently begun to strengthen its work to develop reading. Not all pupils get the support they need.

As a result, they do not access the curriculum as well as they should. Staff have received limited information and training about how to support pupils with their reading. There are some strategies to encourage reading for pleasure.

However, the school's reading culture needs to be developed so that pupils read well, widely and often.

The school identifies pupils with SEND appropriately. It ensures that staff receive sufficient information about how to support pupils with their specific needs.

Inconsistencies in the delivery of the curriculum mean that pupils with SEND do not achieve as well as they should.

Clear routines help to ensure that the school is orderly. There are warm relationships between pupils and staff.

Some pupils and staff told inspectors that some staff have differing expectations and do not apply the behaviour policy consistently. Although they are increasing, the school uses suspensions to address disruptive behaviour appropriately. In lessons, most pupils concentrate.

Some pupils quietly disengage from their work and, at times, staff do not address this. These pupils are not making the progress through the curriculum that they could.

The school is working hard to improve attendance.

It has recently increased the number of staff who work with pupils to address the difficulties they face. Despite this, rates of absence remain too high, particularly for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils. This restricts their achievement because they miss valuable learning.

The school's personal, social and health education curriculum is carefully sequenced. It helps pupils to learn about important topics, such as online safety, in an age-appropriate way. Pupils are proud that their school is tolerant and welcoming.

Pupils enjoy learning on educational visits, such as to cultural sites, universities and sports stadiums. There is a detailed careers programme at the school. This helps pupils to make informed decisions about their next steps.

Leaders have a clear, inclusive vision and plans to improve the school. Staff value the increased focus from leaders on their workload and well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Teachers do not always identify pupils' misconceptions and gaps in knowledge. This means some pupils are not learning and remembering the curriculum as well as they could. The school should ensure that teachers check and address gaps in pupils' knowledge, so they learn and remember key knowledge securely over time.

• The school's reading strategy is underdeveloped. As a result, there are some pupils who are not receiving the support they need to be able to access the curriculum securely, and there is further work needed to embed a wider culture of reading throughout the school. The school should ensure that it quickly identifies and supports all weaker readers and ensure that staff are trained to deliver and embed its reading strategy, both for these key pupils and across the school.

• Despite efforts to improve attendance, levels of absence are high, particularly for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils. These pupils miss significant learning opportunities, which affects their academic progress and wider development. The school should develop the way it tracks and analyses attendance and use this to intensify its efforts to improve attendance.

• Some staff do not apply the school's behaviour policy consistently. When this happens, some pupils disengage from their learning and, in some cases, low level disruption occurs. The school should ensure that all staff receive the support needed to understand and apply the school's behaviour policy consistently.