Jo Richardson Community School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The work done by this school in supporting pupils to develop into successful young adults is exceptional.

The school forges strong partnerships with its local community to enrich pupils' wider experiences. Staff's highly positive working relationships with pupils also strongly support pupils' academic and personal development, and their attitudes towards learning.

Staff know and care for pupils really well.

Pupils achieve extremely well, including in external assessments. Leaders have thought very carefully about how to develop a curriculum that will best enable pupils to thrive, both at school and in adulthood.

When pupils experience challenges in m...eeting the high standards expected by the school, leaders support them with sensitivity and diligence. Pupils who are disadvantaged or those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) also get the support needed to learn very well. Parents and carers described how their children's aspirations and needs are supported because the school works with them as a 'team'.

The school gives pupils a voice in their education, and their opinions are highly valued. They relish the chance to demonstrate the 'ACHIEVE' values and to work towards receiving a 'Seagull' award. There are plentiful after-school activities for pupils to enjoy and to develop different interests.

These are well attended.

Behaviour in class is very positive. Pupils work collaboratively in lessons to get the most out of learning.

The school is a calm and productive environment. Pupils are kept safe.

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

Leaders have thought carefully about how to develop a broad, rich and ambitious curriculum that meets the needs of the pupils.

The curriculum is based on the national curriculum and, in some subjects, goes above and beyond what is expected. A key thread in leaders' curriculum thinking is getting pupils ready to flourish in life after school. For example, in planning the curriculum, the school looks at future local and national employment opportunities, and how the knowledge that pupils learn could help them to succeed in these careers.

Through the extensive personal development programme, pupils are also well prepared for life in modern Britain. They learn about and are given helpful information on the next stages in their education or training. Examples of this include independent advice at appropriate points and numerous opportunities to meet future employers and training providers.

Pupils are also taught to understand fundamental British values, and how to live these out in their behaviour and attitudes.

Subject leadership, working closely with teachers within each department, has thought very carefully about the knowledge and skills that pupils need to develop and how this learning will be sequenced. This includes being clear about what pupils should have learned at each stage and how this should be checked.

For instance, in history, teaching uses low-stakes questioning to find out what pupils can remember from previous lessons and to address any gaps in learning. Across subjects and year groups, teachers know their pupils well. They adapt the work set to enable pupils to be very successful in learning and remembering more over time.

Leaders have put reading and language development at the heart of the curriculum. Pupils are routinely expected to use subject terminology accurately, such as when explaining the curriculum content that is being studied. For example, in Year 13, students used and explained the term polarisation when considering the rise of Mussolini.

Similarly, in Year 8, pupils learning about female representation used and explained terms such as feminism with accuracy. Those who are at their earliest stages of reading, and pupils who need to catch up, are supported to become confident and fluent readers. This is because the school provides these pupils with well-planned additional reading sessions and targeted extra help from adults.

Pupils with SEND are quickly identified when they join the school and are then very well supported. All staff receive effective training to deliver any additional help that these pupils need to learn confidently in a subject. For example, in order to extend staff's expertise, training is delivered both through subject departments and at a whole-school level.

Staff are very appreciative of this approach to their professional development.

Pupils' behaviour is exemplary. They enjoy learning and they support each other in class.

The attendance of pupils is strong, and the school is rightly taking effective steps to secure further improvements to this.

Pupils, and students in the sixth form, spoke about how much they appreciate the wider enrichment offer. Examples of this offer include the many opportunities that pupils have to become leaders within the school community and beyond.

The school also fosters' pupils' enthusiasm for exploring their interests. This is well demonstrated by the high uptake of extra-curricular activities. The school makes sure that all pupils are able to take part in the wider curriculum offer, for example by identifying and, where possible, reducing any financial barriers to participation.

Leaders use evidence from expert research to inform any changes that they make, and staff appreciate this care. They said that leaders are considerate of well-being.

The governing body supports school leaders very well.

It helps them to identify and focus on making sure all pupils are equally well supported in their academic and personal development. For instance, the school is currently modifying the curriculum as part of its aim to increase the uptake of the English Baccalaureate at GCSE.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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