Heath Park

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thrive at Heath Park. This is a school which lives its values to place 'every pupil always in focus'. Staff work together effectively to enable pupils to excel and to give them high quality experiences.

Pupils' achievement is strong at Heath Park as teachers know pupils well and have designed a carefully planned, broad curriculum. Pupils know teachers will help them to reach their potential.

Pupils typically behave with considerable understanding and kindness to each other.

They understand the school's expectations for how they should conduct themselves and how they should treat each other. Pupils know that adults will support them skilfully to make po...sitive choices. Pupils are happy because the school is underpinned by warm and positive relationships.

Pupils' personal development is a significant strength of provision. Pupils, from the youngest to those in the sixth form, are rightly proud of the many leadership opportunities on offer to them. These pupils meet regularly with the leadership team to ensure pupils' voices stays at the heart of decision-making.

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

The school has designed and secured a broad and ambitious curriculum. The key knowledge that pupils need is clearly identified to help build systematically what pupils should know and remember. Although there are many strengths in the curriculum, there are some inconsistencies.

For example, pupils' learning in some of the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) subjects is not as secure as in others. The school has recently changed the modern foreign language it offers to increase the number of pupils who take the EBacc suite of qualifications and meet its aim to raise aspirations. Disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) achieve well.

This is because teachers know in detail the support needed to help these pupils succeed. Those who are in the early stages of reading benefit from tailored, targeted support to help them to become fluent, competent readers. Students in the sixth form thrive as the curriculum is ambitious and well embedded.

This means students consistently achieve very highly.

Pupils show highly positive attitudes to school and their learning. Attendance is high, reflecting pupils' enjoyment of school and the opportunities it offers.

The school is a harmonious community. Pupils understand the school's expectations. These are clearly taught to the pupils so there is a common understanding.

On the rare occasions that pupils find it hard to meet these expectations, the school takes supportive action. Pupils speak highly of being in school and show resilience in their learning. Pupils know they will have the support to enable them to do well, even if the work is challenging.

The school places considerable emphasis on its work to promote pupils' personal development. This provision is of exceptional quality. Pupils are highly respectful of other cultures and beliefs.

They are very clear that difference is celebrated in this diverse school. Pupils have detailed information to make informed choices about future careers or destinations. This provision is reviewed regularly in response to feedback from pupils to ensure it responds effectively to their needs.

The school is proud of the increasing number of pupils from the sixth form who have accessed courses at top universities. Pupils take a significant number of leadership positions across the school, including in the sixth form. Students in the sixth form enjoy being able to access opportunities at other schools in the trust, which are part of the joint sixth-form 'Central Sixth'.

All pupils are proud of the contributions they make to the school.

The school puts the interests of pupils first in all of its work. Leaders check the quality of provision and its impact regularly and diligently.

This means there is a deep understanding of the quality of the school's work, and how it can be developed. For example, the school monitors the extra funding they receive for pupil premium very closely to ensure it supports these pupils properly. This ensures that disadvantaged pupils achieve at least in line with their peers.

The school also has a strong understanding of the needs of the community it serves and is rightly proud of the links it maintains. Staff, many of whom were former pupils, report pride in their role at the school. They state that the school engages positively with them, including around workload.

There are extensive and effective training opportunities available, which staff appreciate. Those responsible for governance have a strong understanding of the school and offer appropriate challenge.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The school has not ensured that the implementation of the curriculum in some subjects, particularly some EBacc subjects, is fully effective. In these subjects, pupils do not achieve as highly as elsewhere in the curriculum. Leaders should ensure the curriculum is implemented consistently so that pupils know more and remember more across all curriculum subjects.

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