Bourne Community College

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from an extensive curriculum covering science, technology, engineering and mathematics, including three separate sciences.

They like school and they enjoy learning. Pupils appreciate the wide range of extra-curricular activities. Year 7 pupils enjoyed their week-long residential in London.

Others talk enthusiastically about ski trips and theatre visits, as well as school productions and after-school clubs.

Pupils feel safe because safeguarding arrangements have a high priority. They are proud ambassadors of the school.

Pupils respect one another and appreciate that their opinions are heard and valued. They are enthusiastic advocates fo...r social justice and the rights of children. They respect people from different backgrounds and treat everyone equally.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are eagerly integrated into the school community.

Leaders have high expectations of pupils. Behaviour in class and around school is good.

Pupils look after one another. They say that bullying is uncommon and, if it happens, it is dealt with immediately. Pupils are actively supported to look after their physical, mental and emotional health.

The school has excellent links with several highly regarded colleges locally. Pupils are supported well in their career aspirations through a well-established careers programme. The provision ensures that each pupil makes informed career choices.

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

Leaders have high aspirations for all pupils. They lead the school with purpose and conviction. The curriculum is planned and sequentially ordered.

Governors are well intentioned and well informed. They provide support and challenge to the school. Local authority support is valued.

The curriculum mirrors the national curriculum. Sports, humanities and the arts contribute significantly to enrich pupils' subject choices. Despite leaders' efforts, the take-up of languages is well below national averages.

In addition, the number of boys taking languages is particularly low.

The curriculum is designed to cater and support all groups of students, including higher attainers and those with SEND. Literacy is supported very well across the school.

This has had a positive impact on all pupils. Pupils' oracy skills are enhanced through teachers' deep questioning.

For a small number of pupils, external providers are used to personalise and tailor their curriculum.

Alternative provision is carefully considered and tenaciously monitored. The school checks providers rigorously and receives regular reports. Absenteeism is promptly chased up.

Teachers' subject knowledge is strong. Teachers share strategies to ensure that the curriculum is well taught, and pupils are motivated and engaged. Classroom and corridor displays are used well to create a vibrant learning environment.

Assessment is used well to modify the curriculum and support staff in planning lessons.

The school's rights respecting status advocates fundamental British values and actively supports the moral, social and cultural aims of the school. These areas are also actively promoted through subjects such as personal development and religious education, as well as the assembly programme.

Feedback from the parent view survey was mixed. Most parents said that their child was safe and happy. Many spoke positively about the school and the caring ethos.

However, a small minority felt that behaviour was not good enough and communication was inconsistent. Inspectors found that behaviour and pupils' attitudes to school were good overall.

Staff and pupils are very positive about the school and how it is led.

Pupils feel safe, enjoy their learning and said that teachers helped them to do their best. They also agreed that the school encouraged them to respect other people from different backgrounds.

Almost all staff who completed the staff survey felt that the school has improved since the last inspection.

They said that their professional needs were well supported. Staff appreciate the culture of trust as well as the very strong consideration of their workload by middle and senior leaders.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The safety of all pupils is given a high priority. Staff receive regular training and frequent updates, ensuring a consistent approach to safeguarding. Staff know how to identify risks and what to do if they have concerns.

The single central record is efficiently maintained. Safeguarding leads have a thorough understanding of their roles and responsibilities.

Pupils say that they feel safe, and that they are clear about who to go to with any concerns.

They say that the school has been supportive in raising awareness of issues such as sexual harassment, peer-on-peer abuse, online safety and grooming.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The number of pupils, especially boys, taking a modern foreign language is still well below national averages. This means that some pupils are narrowing their future employment opportunities.

Leaders should continue to promote languages, especially for boys, to ensure uptake at least matches national averages and pupils benefit from the future opportunities that studying a language provides. ? A small minority of parents completing the parent survey were unaware of what their child was learning and felt that their concerns were not always dealt with suitably. Leaders should ensure that parents and carers are more actively involved, informed and engaged with the school, that communication is improved, and that all parents' concerns are dealt with in a timely manner.

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