Chesterton Community Sports College

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The school has a calm and orderly atmosphere. Pupils behave well in lessons and during social times.

Relationships between staff and pupils are very positive. Pupils feel safe and happy in the school. They trust staff to help them if they have any problems.

Bullying is rare. If it occurs, then staff deal with it well.

Lessons are purposeful.

Teachers have high expectations of their pupils, who respond by working hard. The school provides electronic tablets to every pupil to support their learning. Pupils make good use of these to retain knowledge and develop themselves as independent learners.

Many pupils involve themselves in the wide choic...e of extra-curricular activities on offer. These include a range of sporting activities, dance, drama and gardening clubs. In addition, pupils in Years 9 to 11 can attend after-school GCSE 'booster' classes in different subjects.

The vast majority of parents and carers recommend the school. They say that staff care about pupils and express confidence in the school's leaders. Many praise the range of subjects on offer and say they feel well informed.

One parent represented the views of many when saying: 'This is a great school, where my children are looked after in a caring and safe learning environment.'

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

Leaders have developed a broad and ambitious curriculum. All pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), study a wide range of subjects.

The curriculum has a strong academic core, ensuring that the majority of pupils complete the English baccalaureate at key stage 4. Pupils are also able to make four option choices from a diverse range of GCSEs and vocational qualifications. For example, pupils can choose to study Italian, music, drama and art.

This curriculum prepares pupils well for their next steps beyond Year 11.

Teachers build the curriculum for each subject around the 'crucial knowledge' they want pupils to learn and retain. Pupils' learning is checked through regular quizzes in lessons and more formal half-termly assessments.

Staff use the information from assessments to identify any misconceptions or gaps in pupils' learning. If necessary, staff then revisit aspects of learning during subsequent lessons and 'recap' weeks. Pupils say that this approach helps them to learn and remember 'crucial knowledge'.

Reading is taught well.

The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) and their team know pupils with SEND very well. They assess their needs and plan interventions to support progress.

Examples include early morning reading and numeracy support sessions. The SEND team shares information about pupils' learning needs with teachers. This is often in the form of a document called a 'pupil passport'.

The information in these passports is useful although, at times, the suggested strategies lack sufficient precision. Most teachers use this information to ensure that their teaching meets pupils' needs. However, some teachers do not use it as well as they might.

Consequently, the quality of learning for some pupils with SEND varies between lessons.

Pupils' personal development is given a high priority in the school. The personal, social, citizenship and health education programme is thoughtfully planned.

Pupils learn about building healthy relationships, staying safe and respecting the views of others. Beyond the taught curriculum, many pupils involve themselves in community projects. These include completing community litter-picks, entertaining residents in local care homes and organising coffee mornings for local residents.

The school's pupil premium plan includes several valid support strategies. These include ensuring that all pupils have access to high-quality technology, targeted 'booster' sessions and bespoke careers support. It is clear that many pupils benefit from the support on offer.

However, leaders do not routinely check the impact of these strategies. As a result, it is not always clear how well strategies are working and to what extent pupils are benefiting.

Staff are proud to work in the school.

They express confidence in the school's leaders, feeling that they are trusted and well supported. They say that leaders consider their workload when planning for school improvement and their day-to-day work.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have developed a strong safeguarding culture throughout the school. Staff receive regular safeguarding training and updates, ensuring that they can support pupils who may be at risk of harm. Leaders work with a range of agencies to make sure that additional support is in place when needed.

Pupils are taught how to stay safe. Form times and assemblies cover topics such as online safety, bullying and knife crime. Pupils are confident that there is always a supportive adult in school to talk to if they have a concern.

All the correct checks on adults in school are carried out and recorded.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The strategies in the school's 'pupil passports' detailing how to support pupils with SEND sometimes lack sufficient precision. At the same time, the use that teachers make of these strategies to adapt their lessons is inconsistent.

This means that the quality of SEND pupils' learning varies between lessons. Leaders should ensure that information in the school's pupil passports: - includes sufficiently precise strategies to guide teachers in their support for pupils with SEND - is used with greater consistency by all teachers. ? Leaders do not routinely evaluate the impact of the school's pupil premium plan on pupils' learning.

Consequently, they do not always know how well strategies are working and to what extent pupils are benefiting. Leaders should ensure that strategies in the pupil premium plan are fully evaluated for the impact on pupils' learning. They should do this so that they have a more informed view about what is working well and what could be improved.