Leasowes High School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school The headteacher and other leaders have transformed the quality of education that the school provides since the last inspection. Senior leaders in the school have successfully created a shared vision to 'aspire and achieve'.

Expectations of what pupils can achieve have risen and the school is improving rapidly. The governing body challenges and supports the school well and has made a strong contribution to recent improvements. Pupils are making good progress in most subjects, including English and mathematics.

The proportion of pupils achieving good GCSE grades, including in English and mathematics, is improving. Leaders' high expectations... and rigorous checks on the quality of provision have resulted in good teaching, learning and assessment. Teachers plan lessons that consist of engaging and interesting learning activities that create conditions in which pupils are eager to learn.

Working relationships between pupils and teachers are highly effective and support learning well. Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. They are polite, respectful and courteous.

They are proud of their school. Pupils feel safe in school and know how to keep themselves safe in a wide variety of situations. Staff, pupils and parents think that personal development and welfare are real strengths of the school, and inspectors agree.

It is not yet an outstanding school because : Outcomes in some subjects, including geography and music, do not match those of the best, such as in English and science. Gaps still exist between the achievement of disadvantaged pupils and their peers. Although the attendance of disadvantaged pupils has improved, it is still not high enough.

Teachers' written feedback does not always help pupils to know specifically what they have to do to improve their work. Teachers do not always provide pupils with the time to reflect on feedback and to act on it.

Information about this school

Leasowes High School is a smaller than average-sized secondary school.

The school has an above-average intake of pupils of minority ethnic heritage. The percentage of pupils who are supported through the pupil premium (which provides additional funding for pupils who are looked after by the local authority and those known to be eligible for free school meals) is above average. The proportions of pupils with disabilities and those who have special educational needs are broadly average.

The school operates the Greenhill Alternative Learning Campus, which provides support and learning to a small number of pupils who are struggling to cope with traditional settings for learning. A very small number of pupils access all of their education with Nisai Virtual Academy Ltd, an alternative provider. The school meets the government's current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress.