Cardinal Newman Catholic School A Specialist Science College

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school. • The school provides a good education for its students. This good provision includes their personal development as well as academic achievement.

• Students who need extra help are given good support. As a result, they are making at least as good progress as others and the gaps between different groups are closing. • Teaching is good.

Some is outstanding and no teaching is inadequate. • Teachers have high expectations of their students. They plan challenging and interesting lessons, as a result, students achieve well.

• Students behave well in lessons. Around the school they are very polite, friendly and helpful. They say they a...re safe in school and parents agree.

• Students' results are above average in English and mathematics. The progress that students make in these subjects is better than in most schools. • The sixth form is good.

The programmes that students study meet requirements and they make good progress. • The headteacher and senior leaders have worked hard to improve teaching and raise standards. Subject leaders have key roles in these areas.

• The governing body is effective and shares the school's high ambition. They make sure that staff are held to account for the school's performance and the quality of teaching. It is not yet an outstanding school because : • In a small minority of lessons, progress is • Teachers do not always check that students act slowed because activities are not set at the on the very good feedback their marking right level of difficulty for all ability groups.

provides, so that improvement is made.

Information about this school

• The school is larger than the average secondary school. • Students are of a range of ethnic groups, the largest of which are White British, any other White background and Black African.

• The proportions of disabled students and those who have special educational needs supported through school action, school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs are broadly average. • The proportion of students who speak, or are believed to speak, English as an additional language is significantly above average. • The proportion of students who are known to be eligible for the pupil premium (additional government funding for specific students, including those known to be eligible for free school meals and in the care of the local authority) is below average.

• A small number of students attend off-site provision at Barnfield College. • The school belongs to Luton Futures, a group which includes eight local secondary headteachers, the Thinking Schools Partnership, a national secondary school network, and the St Albans Deanery Partnership, a link with local Catholic primary schools. • The school meets the government's current floor standards, which are the minimum levels expected for students' attainment and progress.