De La Salle School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

De La Salle School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending De La Salle School. They flourish here because they know that staff will give them the support and encouragement they need to do well, or if they feel worried. The school is highly inclusive.

It celebrates the diversity of its pupils. During the recent 'culture week' pupils wore clothes from different cultures and enjoyed food from different countries.

Pupils take the 'Lasallian' values of the school very seriously.

They strive to do their best. Pupils learn about the importance of helping others less fortunate than themselves, for instance by raising mo...ney for charity. Pupils look out for each other.

They work hard and conduct themselves with maturity and respect.

There are frequent opportunities for pupils to become confident, active citizens. They can take part in the school council and become prefects.

Pupils develop a range of interests when they attend a variety of clubs. These include science club, clarinet, crochet and many sports. Large numbers of pupils take part in drama productions.

They broaden their experiences when they visit universities, museums and the theatre.

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe. They learn about topics such as consent, internet safety and the dangers of knife crime.

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

The school is determined for everyone to succeed. It provides all pupils with a broad curriculum. Most pupils study languages up to the end of Year 11.

The curriculum has been designed carefully. Subject leaders identify the knowledge that pupils need. They break the curriculum down into smaller chunks so that pupils can build on what they have learned and move securely on to more complex topics.

Pupils regularly revisit knowledge from previous topics. This helps pupils to build on what they already know to deepen their understanding of what they learn.Teachers use their secure subject knowledge to introduce new knowledge clearly.

They check on how pupils are doing in lessons, for example through 'mini mocks' in mathematics. They show them how to improve. Pupils respond to this feedback and use it to improve their work.

The school has prioritised reading. Pupils improve their reading through regular practice. The school regularly checks on how well pupils can read.

Staff quickly identify pupils who need additional help. They provide them with tailored support. This enables pupils to improve their accuracy and comprehension so they can access the curriculum.

The curriculum is ambitious for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Teachers adapt work skilfully so pupils can access the curriculum. However, at times, particularly in key stage 3, teachers do not have high enough expectations of what pupils can achieve.

Some work is not demanding enough. Pupils are not always expected to tackle challenging tasks independently. As a result, they do not always gain the depth and breadth of knowledge they need to achieve highly.

Pupils behave very well. The school has high, clear expectations of pupils' conduct. Pupils understand these and usually meet them.

If pupils need support to improve their behaviour, staff work closely with them to help them to do so. Pupils attend well. They enjoy coming to school.

Staff work effectively with pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs to help them attend and achieve well in school.

The school prepares pupils for life in modern Britain very effectively. Pupils meet representatives from different faiths.

They learn about the importance of democracy, healthy relationships and the dangers of radicalisation. Careers education and guidance is comprehensive. Pupils get useful advice on their next steps, which helps them make informed choices.

Pupils meet many employers and apprenticeship providers. The school is working to increase opportunities for pupils to experience the world of work.

De La Salle School is well led.

Governors challenge leaders to continue to improve the school. They check that pupils are kept safe. The school supports staff with their well-being and workload.

It provides them with useful training that develops their knowledge and skills. As a result, staff enjoy working here. Staff turnover is very low.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Staff do not have consistently high expectations, particularly in key stage 3, of what pupils can achieve. Some work is not demanding enough.

As a result, pupils sometimes do not gain the depth and breadth of knowledge they need to achieve highly. The school should provide training to ensure that the curriculum and its implementation are consistently ambitious for all pupils.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in October 2018.

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