Perins School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Perins School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Perins School is a warm and inclusive school where every pupil strives to fulfil the school motto of 'Excellence in Everything'. Pupils value the extensive range of leadership, sports and creative opportunities that develop their interests and talents.

This includes musical projects with refugee camps in Beirut or working with ex-pupils in staging the impressive west-end style performances of 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame'.

Pupils feel safe in school because they know that staff really care about them. Staff help pupils to take responsibility for their own actions and choices.

Pupil...s are encouraged to resolve conflicts and see problems from another perspective. They learn to keep themselves safe and take care of their mental health. In 'Life Skills' lessons, pupils learn '7 behaviours of highly effective teenagers'.

For example, they learn how to be proactive learners that welcome learning when they make a mistake.

Pupils know that school is a place to focus on learning. All pupils have the same opportunity to learn an ambitious curriculum, including learning a range of different languages.

In most lessons, they master the important knowledge and skills they need to be successful in their next stage of their education.

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

Leaders have high aspirations for all pupils. This includes those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

These pupils benefit from the detailed support plans that are written and shared with all staff. These are skilfully used by teachers to adapt lessons so pupils with SEND learn the same ambitious curriculum as their peers.

Leaders have carefully identified and ordered the knowledge that pupils need to become informed global citizens.

In subjects such as mathematics, drama and music, pupils can remember and apply learning very well. This is because teachers give pupils time to practise skills such as problem-solving. However, in subjects such as history, topics can be taught too quickly, meaning pupils do not study historical events in enough depth.

This means they struggle to recall important facts that link historical events together. Furthermore, in modern foreign languages, there is not a precise enough focus on when pupils practise speaking or how to use the rules of grammar. In these subjects, pupils do not achieve as well as they could.

Pupils recognise that the expectations of their behaviour have increased through the implementation of the new behaviour system. In most lessons, pupils maintain a sharp focus on learning. However, some pupils express frustration because not all staff consistently insist on the very best behaviour.

Pupils told inspectors that while bullying is rare, there is variability in how quickly staff deal with it. Records show that leaders are now taking a more robust and swift approach to address pupils' worries. Leaders have also introduced a new 'Bring Attention To' or 'BAT' system.

This identifies members of staff that pupils can speak to if they spot a peer who is struggling. This new system is building pupils' confidence to report worries about friends and peers.

The trust and leaders are deeply committed to ensuring all pupils develop the life skills and values to contribute meaningfully to society.'

Perins Values' lessons help pupils to form their own set of morals with which to guide them in life. Pupils collaborate with the rotary club to raise money for pupils to visit South Africa to run sports workshops for townships. Pupils purposefully engage with international employers as part of their careers programme.

Work with local universities helps to raise pupils' aspirations for a bright and ambitious future.

Trustees use accurate information about the school to make sure that leaders are focusing on the right areas of development. The pace with which they review leaders' actions is improving.

Trustees and leaders are taking appropriate steps to manage staff workload. Staff are happy to work in the school and speak highly of the effective training they receive. They are very proud of the inclusive ethos that leaders have created for every member of the school community.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

There is a strong culture of safeguarding. The new increased number of staff in the pastoral team helps to ensure that every pupil is well known and supported.

Leaders provide every member of staff with training to identify pupils that could be at risk of harm. They are highly aware of the risks that pupils face within the local community. Leaders issue weekly updates to make sure all staff know what support is in place for pupils who are experiencing difficulty.

Leaders are quick to seek additional external help if pupils and their families need it.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Leaders have not ensured that pupils are provided with enough time to embed key knowledge in their long-term memory in all subjects. Consequently, pupils learning is variable between different subjects.

Leaders must ensure curriculum plans provide time for pupils to practise the important knowledge they need in sufficient depth. ? Leaders have implemented a new behaviour plan to reduce low-level disruption and unkindness. However, leaders have not yet ensured that all staff consistently insist on the highest expectations.

This frustrates pupils who are eager to learn. Leaders must ensure that all staff have the training and confidence to implement the new behaviour policy effectively and consistently.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called an ungraded inspection and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in June 2013.

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