Finham Park School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Finham Park is a highly inclusive school where everyone is valued and expectations are high for pupils to achieve well.

Pupils and staff embody the school's values, which include humility and kindness. Relationships between pupils and staff are warm and respectful. Pupils speak positively about the support they receive from staff and enjoy their learning.

The majority of pupils work hard and achieve well. Pupils feel safe and say they are happy in school.

There is a purposeful atmosphere around the school.

Pupils focus on their learning well. The majority of pupils show respectful and positive behaviours during structured lesson times. During unstruc...tured times, such as breaktimes and lunchtimes, they behave sensibly.

Where pupils' behaviour is not acceptable, staff speak with them to explain the school's high expectations. This maintains the positive behaviours around the school.

The school places a strong emphasis on pupils' personal development.

This includes mental health and well-being. Pupils can clearly explain their understanding of diversity and equality in society. Leadership opportunities include pupil subject ambassadors and sports leaders.

The extra-curricular programme is rich and diverse. Pupils regularly take part in activities such as debating, the Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme and robotics.

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

The school has designed a highly ambitious curriculum for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

As a result, many pupils demonstrate significant achievement in their learning and are well prepared for their next stage of their lives. Pupils welcome the broad range of subjects they can study. For example, the school specialises in a breadth of modern foreign languages including Mandarin Chinese.

Pupils speak positively around the opportunities to continue at least one modern foreign language to GCSE.

Students in the sixth form are exceptionally positive about their learning experiences and the wider opportunities the school provides. The school has rapidly developed its ambitious curriculum in the sixth form.

Sixth-form teachers engage students in challenging and independent learning. This enables students to achieve highly. Students make a significant contribution to supporting the school, including through student leadership roles.

These include duties at break and lunch as well as mentoring and supporting younger pupils. Students benefit greatly from this exceptional provision.

Most teachers use assessments well, check what pupils know and ensure that pupils understand what they have to do.

Teachers use activities at the start of lessons to help pupils recall and build on their learning. Pupils say it helps them to remember the most important information. However, there are times when some teachers do not check pupils' understanding well enough.

Some teachers do not consistently adapt the learning to address any wrong ideas or missing knowledge. Some pupils are unclear about what they need to do to improve further. This means that some pupils have gaps in their knowledge and struggle to complete their work.

This can limit progress through the curriculum.The school identifies and supports pupils with SEND effectively. It ensures that they access the same ambitious curriculum as their peers.

All staff receive precise information about pupils' individual needs. Teachers use this information well to adapt their teaching. The school has implemented an extensive range of strategies to support pupils who are not confident readers.

These include specialist teachers who rapidly address weaknesses in phonics, grammar and comprehension.

The majority of pupils display excellent self-control and highly positive attitudes to learning. However, some pupils do not focus on their learning well enough.

In a small number of cases, pupils behave inappropriately within the school setting. This can impact on both pupils' progress and their enjoyment of school. School attendance is high, with robust systems in place to support absent pupils to catch up on their work quickly.

Pupils' well-being is at the forefront of leaders' vision, including promoting pupils' positive mental health. Pupils and students in the sixth form receive extensive information on next steps through high-quality careers guidance. The personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education curriculum, including within the personal development period one each day, is well planned and sequenced.

Pupils are taught about topics such as healthy relationships and online safety well. However, in some personal development lessons some teachers do not always present the information effectively nor discuss with pupils in sufficient depth why the information is important. This means that some pupils are not as engaged in the learning as they could be.

All leaders, including those responsible for governance, understand deeply how the school's local context impacts pupils' learning and attendance. The trust holds the school to account well for all aspects of provision, including safeguarding and the quality of the sixth form. The school has implemented a comprehensive and well-thought-out professional development programme for staff, which they welcome.

Recent changes to school policies and expectations have supported the commitment to staff workload and well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a few subjects some teachers do not effectively identify gaps in pupils' knowledge and understanding nor consistently give them feedback on how to improve their work.

As a result, some misconceptions initially go unnoticed and some pupils do not always know how they can improve their knowledge and understanding. The school should ensure that all teachers use assessment well to identify and address pupils' knowledge gaps, ensuring all teachers give pupils clear feedback on what they need to do to improve. ? The school's high expectations for pupils' behaviour and conduct are not always realised.

Learning in a small number of lessons is hindered by low-level disruption. This can hinder some pupils' progress and their enjoyment of school. The school should ensure that its well-established routines for behaviour are applied consistently in all lessons so that pupils can learn well in every subject.

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