Longridge High School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils told inspectors that they enjoy coming to school. They said it is a happy and safe place to learn. Pupils value the positive relationships that they have with one another and with staff.

Leaders care about all pupils and want the best for them.

Pupils learn about the importance of tolerance and respect. They are accepting of each other's differences.

Pupils said that they feel confident to report any unkind or inappropriate comments or incidents. They told inspectors that bullying is rare. Staff resolve any bullying quickly and effectively.

Pupils behave well during social times. Pupils concentrate on their work in lessons. They are keen to le...arn.

Pupils have access to a wide range of activities to support their wider personal development, for example The Duke of Edinburgh's Award.

Leaders and teachers have high expectations of pupils. They want all pupils to achieve well in school and in their future lives.

Pupils benefit from a better quality of education than they did in the past. However, pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), do not achieve consistently well across all subjects. This is because pupils do not have access to a consistently well-planned curriculum.

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

Leaders are determined that all pupils, including those with SEND, will experience a high-quality education. However, leaders have not ensured that the curriculum at key stage 3 is suitably ambitious across all subjects. At key stage 4, the uptake of the English Baccalaureate suite of subjects is low.

Leaders are in the process of redefining what is taught across the curriculum, including the core knowledge that pupils must know and remember. However, as this work is still ongoing, it has not had enough impact on pupils' achievement.

In those subjects where leaders have successfully reviewed the curriculum, pupils' achievement is beginning to improve.

Pupils remember more of the essential knowledge that they need. This is because subject leaders are clear about what they intend pupils to learn, including those with SEND. Teachers, in these subjects, check pupils' knowledge and understanding effectively.

They use assessment information well to address misconceptions and to help pupils move onto new learning. Pupils can build on what they already know.

Conversely, in several other subjects, curriculum planning lacks depth and ambition.

Leaders have not identified the precise knowledge that pupils must know and remember. This means that, at times, teachers do not choose the most appropriate activities to teach new knowledge. Consequently, not all pupils, including some with SEND and some who are disadvantaged, retain the essential knowledge that they should in these subjects.

This is especially the case in key stage 3. Assessment systems in these subjects are not well developed because teachers have not established the core knowledge for pupils to learn. These weaknesses hinder some pupils' learning.

Leaders have been more successful in supporting those pupils who lack the knowledge that they require to read fluently and accurately. Staff are quick to identify any pupils who fall behind with their reading. Leaders provide an appropriate catch-up reading curriculum for these pupils.

Consequently, most pupils become confident readers, enabling them to access the wider curriculum.

Leaders are effective at identifying the needs of pupils with SEND. Pupils, parents and carers value the support that leaders and teachers provide for pupils with SEND.

Across the school, pupils engage well with their teachers, who have high expectations of their behaviour. Pupils attend regularly and they are punctual to school and lessons.

Leaders provide a strong and effective personal development curriculum.

Leaders and teachers are selecting the most important age-appropriate topics for pupils to learn. Leaders offer extra-curricular clubs and activities that inspire and interest every pupil. This includes sports and drama clubs.

Leaders have appropriately adjusted the careers education, information, advice and guidance programme to reflect what pupils missed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Governors are supporting leaders to improve the quality of education that pupils receive. However, governors have not challenged leaders sufficiently well about the ambitiousness of the key stage 3 curriculum.

Staff appreciate how leaders and governors protect them from excessive workload.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders prioritise safeguarding effectively.

Leaders ensure that staff are trained to spot the signs that pupils may be at risk of harm. This includes online risks. The positive relationship between pupils and staff enables adults to identify quickly if pupils require additional support from external agencies.

Leaders have recently raised pupils' and staff's awareness of the risks of sexual harassment, online sexual abuse, and sexual violence. This is a strength.

Pupils told inspectors that they are confident that they can report any worries and seek help from staff.

Staff process this information in a timely manner. Leaders ensure that there are suitable checks in place when recruiting staff.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some subject leaders have not designed key stage 3 curriculums that are sufficiently ambitious for all pupils.

They have not identified the core knowledge that pupils must know and remember. This means that some pupils, including those with SEND and/or those who are disadvantaged, do not make the progress that leaders intend. Subject leaders should ensure that they plan key stage 3 subject curriculums that enable all pupils to learn the essential knowledge that they need to be successful across the full range of subjects.

• In some subjects, leaders have not designed assessment systems that check that pupils have learned the intended knowledge. Consequently, some teachers do not address pupils' misconceptions or their missing knowledge. Leaders should ensure that teachers know exactly what knowledge pupils must learn and that assessments are designed to test that pupils have learned that essential knowledge.

• In some subjects, teachers do not choose the most appropriate activities to teach the knowledge that pupils should learn. This hinders pupils' learning and progress across curriculums. Leaders should ensure that teachers have the training that they need to enable them to select the most appropriate activities to teach that knowledge.

How can I feedback my views?

You can use Ofsted Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child's school, or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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If you are the school and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted.

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

In the report, 'disadvantaged pupils' refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route.