Our Lady and St John RC High School, a Voluntary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils enjoy attending Our Lady and St John Catholic College. Teachers build positive relationships with pupils. Leaders work closely with local primary schools so that younger pupils are well supported during their transition to secondary school.

This helps Year 7 pupils to settle in and feel welcome.

Leaders are ambitious for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders have carefully designed curriculums to enable pupils to build their knowledge over time.

In some subjects, this work is still quite new, so some older pupils have gaps in their learning from previous years. This means that some pupils do... not achieve as well as they should.

Leaders have started to raise their expectations of pupils' behaviour.

Most pupils behave well. However, the poor behaviour of a small minority of pupils spoils the learning experiences of their classmates. Other pupils choose not to attend all of their lessons.

Instead, some of these pupils deliberately disrupt the lessons taking place around school.

Most pupils feel safe in school. Leaders take bullying seriously when it is reported and deal with it effectively.

However, some pupils are less willing to report concerns about poor behaviour or bullying.

Pupils take part in a wide variety of extra-curricular opportunities, such as the Duke of Edinburgh's Award, a range of sports clubs, dance and drama. Pupils also enjoy water sports on the local lake and visits to art galleries.

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

Leaders have made improvements to the quality of education that pupils receive. They have taken effective steps to develop the curriculum across the school. Pupils in key stage 3 are achieving better than they did in the past.

They study a broad range of subjects, which means that they are better prepared for the demands of the key stage 4 curriculums.

There have also been positive changes to the curriculum offer in key stage 4. Leaders have increased the breadth of subjects so that pupils can study subjects that prepare them well for their next steps.

The proportion of pupils choosing to study the English Baccalaureate suite of subjects, although low, is steadily increasing. Despite these changes, by the end of key stage 4, pupils do not achieve as well as they should. This is because pupils have too many gaps in their learning as a result of a weaker curriculum in the past.

This stops pupils from gaining all of the knowledge that they need to be successful.

In some subjects, leaders have thought carefully about what they want pupils to learn and the order in which this content should be taught. This is helping pupils to build their knowledge over time.

However, in other subjects, particularly in key stage 4, leaders' work to develop the curriculum is at an earlier stage. In these subjects, leaders have not devised curriculums that take into account the considerable gaps and misconceptions that key stage 4 pupils have in their subject knowledge.

In those subjects where the curriculum is designed well, teachers explain new concepts and ideas to pupils expertly.

Some teachers are becoming adept at identifying and addressing pupils' misconceptions. However, in other subjects, teachers do not design learning activities that build on pupils' prior knowledge. Added to this, some teachers are not using assessment strategies as effectively as they should to check that pupils' knowledge is secure before introducing new learning.

This hampers how well pupils achieve in these subjects.

Leaders have prioritised reading across the school. For example, staff have been trained well to support pupils to develop their reading knowledge and subject-specific vocabulary across the curriculum.

There are a range of initiatives in place, such as regular reading sessions in the recently refurbished library, which are aimed at promoting pupils' love of reading. However, these are all relatively new. It is too early to see if the new approaches are having the desired impact.

Leaders have introduced appropriate systems to identify and support pupils in key stage 3 who have gaps in their reading knowledge. Staff are successfully supporting these pupils to catch up quickly with their peers. However, leaders have not extended this support to pupils in key stage 4.

This means that some older pupils do not read as well as they should. As a result, some of these pupils struggle to access the wider curriculum.

In the main, pupils with SEND access the same curriculum as their peers.

Leaders identify these pupils' additional needs quickly and accurately. Staff are furnished with appropriate information to enable them to support pupils with SEND well. However, some staff do not use this information to successfully adapt the delivery of the curriculum.

This, coupled with the weaknesses in the curriculum in some subjects, means that some pupils with SEND do not achieve as well as they should.

Leaders have recognised that, following the COVID-19 pandemic, some pupils find it difficult to manage their behaviour, particularly during lesson transitions and social times. In addition, some pupils choose to truant lessons, and when challenged, do not routinely follow staff's instructions.

To address this decline in the behaviour of some pupils, leaders have introduced a new behaviour policy. This is beginning to improve the behaviour of some pupils outside of lessons. However, some staff are less confident in managing pupils' behaviour in the classroom, which means that some lessons are disrupted.

Pupils' wider personal development has been another priority for leaders. Leaders are committed to ensuring that pupils are prepared well for life in modern Britain. As a result, leaders have devised opportunities for pupils' wider personal development that include a range of extra-curricular activities to develop pupils' leadership skills.

Pupils also acquire knowledge about the different further education and career options available to them when they leave school. However, leaders have not ensured that staff deliver some aspects of the provision for pupils' personal development consistently well.

Governors have relevant expertise and hold leaders to account for the quality of education that pupils receive.

However, leaders and those responsible for governance have not acted as quickly as they should to address the decline in pupils' behaviour.

Many staff appreciate leaders' efforts to take their workload into account. These staff said that leaders are mindful of their well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders ensure that all staff receive regular and appropriate safeguarding training. All staff understand the local community well and remain alert to the risks that pupils and their families may face.

Staff understand the procedures they must follow if they have a concern about a pupil. Leaders follow up appropriately on any concerns.

Leaders work effectively with external agencies to ensure pupils and their families receive the support they need.

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe online and in the community. Pupils know the signs of healthy relationships and the risks of drug and alcohol misuse.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some pupils do not behave as leaders expect in lessons and other pupils choose to truant lessons.

This hinders these pupils' learning and that of their classmates. Leaders should ensure that staff are fully equipped to implement the new behaviour policy consistently well. This is so that pupils are supported to behave appropriately and that rates of internal truancy are reduced.

• In a few subjects, leaders have not thought deeply enough about the knowledge that pupils in key stage 4 need for subsequent learning. As a result, some pupils' struggle to make sense of new learning. Leaders should ensure that teachers identify and address any gaps in pupils' knowledge prior to introducing new concepts.

• In some subjects, teachers do not use assessment strategies as effectively as they should to identify and address pupils' misconceptions. Some pupils develop gaps in their knowledge as a result. Leaders should ensure that, in these subjects, teachers use assessment strategies well to check that pupils' knowledge is secure before moving on to new learning.

A few teachers do not deliver aspects of the provision for pupils' wider personal development as leaders intend. This reduces pupils' readiness for their next steps. Leaders should ensure that teachers deliver the programmes to support pupils' personal development consistently well so that they are better prepared for life in modern Britain.