Cheadle Hulme High School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school. Cheadle Hulme High School provides an excellent and rounded education for all of its students, regardless of their individual backgrounds, preparing them well for their future careers.

In Key Stages 3 and 4, students make outstanding progress in each year group. They leave Year 11 with standards in GCSE examinations that are well above those found nationally. A higher proportion of most able students achieve GCSE grades A* and A than found nationally.

All groups of students, including those with an identified special educational need and those from a disadvantaged background make the same outstanding progress as their peers. Desp...ite a narrowing of the gap between the performance of disadvantaged students and their peers in school, a few disadvantaged students do not attain as well as they could. The sixth form is outstanding.

Despite the sixth form being a relatively new addition to the school, students who attend make excellent progress, are well led, happy, ambitious and highly confident young adults. Students' attitudes to learning, to their school, to each other and to the staff are highly positive. They enjoy going to school, are extremely smart, punctual and prepared for work.

Attendance is high and exclusions are now much reduced. Students feel secure and are safe in school. Students' behaviour is faultless throughout all year groups.

They are courteous and respectful to all staff and mutual respect abounds. Procedures to monitor both the quality of learning and teaching, as well as the progress of individuals, are exacting and exemplary. Teachers know their subjects and students extremely well.

Students feed off their teachers' expertise, making secure gains in their knowledge and understanding of any topics being discussed. Marking is regular and helps students to make the impressive learning gains that result in high standards. However, a few teachers have not fully adopted the school's new marking policy.

Leaders at every level share a passion for students to succeed and for the school to be a beacon of excellence within the community. They have very high aspirations and expect the highest standards from everyone. Staff at the school are extremely well led.

Both staff and parents share a belief that school leaders do the very best for students. Governors and senior leaders have an accurate view of the progress students make. They detect patterns of progress between different groups of students but also know each individual extremely well.

The school's own view of performance, future needs and areas for development are sharp and focused. Planning is exemplary and the monitoring of the success of all the school's work is honest and precise.

Information about this school

Cheadle Hulme High School converted to become an academy school in February 2012.

When its predecessor school, Cheadle Hulme High School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be outstanding. The school is a much larger than average 11-18 mixed secondary school. The highest proportion of students come from White British backgrounds.

A small proportion of students speak English as an additional language. A well below average proportion are from minority ethnic heritages. The proportion of disadvantaged students eligible for extra support through pupil premium funding is low.

The pupil premium supports those students who are known to be eligible for free school meals and those looked after by the local authority. The proportion of disabled students or those with a statement of special educational needs is below average. The school no longer enters students early for GCSE examinations in English and mathematics.

The school continues to receive extra support and challenge from the local authority and makes use of a local authority School Improvement Partner. Cheadle Hulme High School is a Teaching School and works in partnership with three other Teaching Schools to support the professional development of teachers and the training of new teachers. The headteacher is a National Leader of Education (NLE) and the Chair of the Governing Body is a National Leader of Governance (NLG).

The leadership team also includes seven Specialist Leaders of Education (SLE) and there are a further seven SLE staff members across the school. The school makes use of Pendlebury Referral Unit, which supports the education of unwell students. The school meets the government's current floor standard, which is the minimum expectation for students' attainment and progress in English and mathematics by the end of Year 11.