Ifield Community College

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school Pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities and disadvantaged pupils are making better progress than they have in the past.

Leaders and governors have been effective in improving the progress of pupils across most of the curriculum. However, pupils' achievement in languages is not as strong. Governors hold leaders to account well for the progress of pupils.

Leaders provide valuable information which enables governors to challenge the school effectively. Safeguarding is a strength of the school. Staff understand their role in keeping pupils safe.

Pupils feel safe in school and know how to protect themselves... from risks. Teachers provide effective feedback to pupils. This enables pupils to reflect well on how to improve their work further.

Teaching is a particular strength in the sixth form. This leads to students deepening their knowledge and understanding. Teachers challenge pupils well in their learning through probing and insightful questioning.

This helps pupils make strong progress. Effective careers education and guidance prepare pupils well to make the right choices for their future learning. A minority of pupils do not concentrate well enough in lessons.

When this happens, they disrupt their own learning and that of others. Too many pupils fail to attend school regularly enough. This aspect of pupils' behaviour requires improvement.

Nevertheless, leaders' actions are having a positive impact on pupils' attendance, particularly for those who have been persistently absent in the past.

Information about this school

The school is an average-sized secondary school with a sixth form. Just over two thirds of pupils are of White British heritage, with a wide range of ethnic groups making up the remainder.

Over a quarter of pupils speak English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is in line with the national average. The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is above the national average.

The school meets the government's current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress. Currently, two pupils attend off-site provision at two colleges, Brinsbury College and Crawley College. The school has received support from Tanbridge House School.