Christ The King Catholic High School and Sixth Form Centre

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel happy, safe and valued at this welcoming school. They enjoy a calm and respectful environment that helps them to study and learn.

Pupils and staff are immensely proud of the improvements made to the school in recent years.

Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), benefit from a broad and varied curriculum. They enjoy their lessons and work hard.

The school has raised its expectations for all pupils' achievements. Typically, pupils learn well. However, some students in the sixth form do not achieve as well as they should in some subjects.

The school has established a consistent and well-understood ...approach to supporting pupils' positive behaviour. In lessons, pupils typically embody the school's ethos to 'be the best version of themselves' through positive attitudes towards their learning and their behaviour.

Pupils appreciate the vast array of extra-curricular activities on offer to them.

They relish experiences that help them to nurture their wider talents and develop their leadership skills. Pupils know that their opinions matter. They said that they feel listened to by staff.

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

The proportion of pupils being entered for the English Baccalaureate suite of subjects is below national averages. Nonetheless, the school has ensured that pupils study a broad range of subjects that meet their interests and prepare them for the next stages in education, training and future careers.

Although some pupils who left Year 11 in 2023 did not achieve outcomes in line with their peers nationally, these examination results do not reflect the progress of current pupils through the curriculum.

Across key stages 3 and 4, the school has identified the important knowledge that pupils should learn in each subject. Curriculum content and vocabulary are logically ordered to build on what pupils have learned before.

Teachers select appropriate activities to deliver the curriculum as intended.

Pupils spoke with enthusiasm about how lesson activities, such as quizzes and teacher-modelled examples, help them to remember what they have already been taught. However, in some subjects, assessment strategies to check how well pupils are learning are underdeveloped. This means that teachers are unsure of pupils' misunderstandings, and gaps in pupils' knowledge go unaddressed.

Across key stage 5, the school has not thought carefully enough about the content and organisation of subject curriculums. Nor has it ensured that assessment processes check that students are learning subject curriculums in sufficient depth. As a result, some students do not achieve as well as they should.

The school ensures that pupils are confident readers. Reading sessions in form time encourage pupils to read for interest and for pleasure. Pupils who struggle to read are quicky identified.

Staff provide these pupils with a range of targeted support that helps them to catch up swiftly with their peers.

The school promptly identifies pupils with SEND. Teachers use pupils' information effectively to adapt the delivery of the curriculum to enable these pupils to access the curriculum successfully.

Pupils with SEND, and those who are disadvantaged, are included in all aspects of school life.

Pupils readily meet the school's high expectations of their behaviour. Typically, classrooms are calm and harmonious.

Students in the sixth form support each other well in lessons and enjoy their studies. They act as excellent role models for the rest of the school.

Pupils' attendance is not high enough.

Too often, the persistently low attendance levels of some pupils mean that they miss out on essential learning. While actions have been taken to support these pupils and their families, the school recognises that it needs to continue this work so that pupils attend school regularly and on time and benefit fully from their education.

The school supports pupils' personal development well.

There is a strong focus on giving pupils rich experiences beyond academic learning. Pupils receive regular lessons and assemblies that address themes such as healthy relationships, drug misuse, consent and misogyny. This continues into the sixth form.

Pupils enjoy attending a range of clubs, including for anime, robotics and a plethora of sports activities.

Pupils benefit from an effective careers programme. They are well prepared for their next steps in education, training or employment.

Sixth-form students particularly appreciate this guidance, with many aspiring to study a variety of degrees at university.

Governors know the school extremely well. They support and challenge leaders during meetings and when visiting the school.

At all levels, leaders actively look for areas that they can further improve. This ensures that there is a clear, consistent focus on strengthening the school's quality of education for all pupils.

Staff are proud members of the school community.

They work hard and feel valued. The school engages with staff well to reduce their workload while encouraging them to contribute new ideas to make the school a better place for pupils.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, teachers are not clear about the gaps in pupils' knowledge. This means that misconceptions go unchecked and are not addressed. The school should ensure that assessment supports teachers to swiftly identify and address any misunderstandings and gaps in pupils' learning.

• In the sixth form, the school has not identified all the essential information that students must learn across a number of subject curriculums. Nor has it ensured that its assessment processes check that students are learning subject curriculums to sufficient depth. As a result, some students do not achieve as well as they should.

The school should ensure that all curriculums are complete and logically ordered, and that these set out the most important things that students need to know and remember. This is to ensure that all students are even better prepared for the next stage of their education. ? Some pupils' attendance is not high enough, particularly for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND.

Levels of persistent absence are too high. This means that some pupils miss essential learning. The school should ensure that these pupils attend school regularly and on time.