Chesterfield High School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school. Achievement is good.

From their individual starting points, all students and groups of students achieve well in a wide range of subjects, particularly in English. Teaching is good. Teachers have a good understanding of individual students' strengths and areas for development, and provide them with good feedback about how to improve their work.

Teachers have good subject knowledge and they use it effectively to provide carefully constructed activities which enable students to make good progress over time. Students behave well in school. They are courteous to each other and to adults, and have good attitudes to learning, arriving at lesson...s on time and with the correct equipment.

They enjoy school and this is reflected in their above average attendance. The school's work to keep students safe and secure within school is outstanding. Students feel safe because they are confident that adults are always on hand to help them and that any problems will be quickly resolved.

Leadership and management are good. Senior leaders and governors take extremely rigorous steps to check how well the school is performing. They use their findings to plan clear actions to bring about improvements, including providing very effective training for teachers.

As a result, teaching and achievement have improved rapidly since the previous inspection. The sixth form is good and well led. It provides students with an appropriate mix of vocational and academic courses as well as a broad range of positive enrichment experiences.

Students achieve well as a result. It is not yet an outstanding school because : Not enough students reach the highest grades, A* and A, at either GCSE or A level. In the sixth form, students do not do as well in academic subjects as they do in vocational.

Teachers do not always provide enough opportunities for students to improve their work in response to marking and feedback. Students are not always excited by learning and, very occasionally, a minority of them lose concentration in lessons.

Information about this school

Chesterfield Academy is a larger then average sized secondary school, with a sixth form.

The vast majority of students are from White British backgrounds. The proportion of students supported by the pupil premium funding is slightly above average. The pupil premium is additional funding provided for students who are known to be eligible for free school meals, the children of service families, and children who are looked after by the local authority.

The proportion of students who are supported at school action is average. The proportions supported at school action plus, or with a statement of special educational needs are slightly higher than the national average. The school makes alternative provision for a small number of students at Oakfield and Impact.

The school has a small sixth form which offers a range of vocational and academic subjects. School leaders work in partnership with other schools in LiNCS (Leadership in North and Central Sefton) to provide training opportunities for staff and to quality assure aspects of its work. The school meets the government's current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for students' attainment and progress.