Pudsey Grammar School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school The principal leads the school with passion and determination. Leaders, including governors, are ambitious for the pupils in the school.

Their strong leadership has led to better teaching, improved behaviour and more rapid progress for pupils. They review the curriculum regularly, to ensure that it meets the needs of pupils. Staff share the leaders' vision and are justifiably proud of the improvements they are making in their school.

Middle leaders have developed considerably as a group and they are now a strength of the school. Governors have the knowledge, skills and confidence to provide robust challenge to senior leaders. They know th...e school well and are clear about what more needs to be done.

Teaching is now good overall, and the progress made by pupils has accelerated considerably over the last two years. Leaders are not complacent, however, and they continue to take effective action to improve further the quality of teaching. They accept that there is still some variability.

As a result of strong leadership, safeguarding is effective. Staff receive appropriate training and pupils feel safe. They know who to go to if problems arise, and have real confidence that staff will help them resolve any issues.

The school's systems to promote positive behaviour and attitudes to learning are effective. Behaviour, both in lessons, and about the school, is good. Pupils treat each other and adults with respect.

Leaders accept that the next stage in their development is for all pupils to show the self-reliance, shown by some pupils. The improvements seen in the 2018 GCSE results demonstrated clearly the impact of leaders' strategies. Current pupils are making even stronger progress overall than those who left the school in 2018.

Leaders are improving the progress of disadvantaged pupils and most-able pupils. This was seen in the 2018 GCSE results and inspectors noted further improvement with current pupils. However, leaders acknowledge that there is further work to do.

Sixth-form provision is good. However, leaders do accept that overall absence is too high. They agree that they need to ensure that all learners access the personal development programme.

Information about this school

The school is a larger than average-sized school. The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported through the pupil premium is just below average. The proportion of pupils who receive support for SEND is below the national average.

The proportion of pupils who have an education, health and care plan is below the national average. The school uses two alternative providers for a total of 10 pupils: the Hunslet Centre and West Area Inclusion Partnership. The current principal was in post at the previous inspection.