Sharples School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school. Students continue to achieve well.

All groups of students make good progress and standards in English and mathematics are above average by the end of Year 11.The gap between the attainment of students with learning difficulties and others is closing rapidly and more than halved in 2013. In addition, students supported by the pupil premium exceed the progress expected of them.

Progress in science is particularly impressive and standards are high in this subject-area. Teaching is good and, on occasions, outstanding. Teachers have secure knowledge of their subjects, treat their students with dignity and respect and are always willing to sha...re good and exemplary classroom practice with their colleagues across the school.

The leadership and management of teaching and learning are a major strength. Students show immense pride in their school and comment, 'Everyone is equal here and we all look after each other.' They behave well in lessons and around the school site and show the utmost courtesy to visitors.

Relationships between students and between students and their teachers are strong and based on mutual respect. The school promotes students' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development outstandingly well: students' display an exceptional generosity of spirit. Leadership and management at all levels are good and the school continues to improve as a result.

Senior staff lead by example and academic and pastoral leaders are proactive in improving the areas for which they responsible. The governing body has an accurate understanding of performance in all areas of the school's life and holds senior leaders and heads of departments to account with rigour. It is not yet an outstanding school because : Challenge in lessons is sometimes inconsistent and students, in particular the most able, are not always required to find things out for themselves.

Some marking does not give students enough advice on how to improve. Although improving, attendance is only average. Attendance targets have not been high enough.

It is also too early to see the full impact of the newly established monitoring systems designed to raise attendance at a more rapid rate.

Information about this school

The school is smaller than the average-sized secondary school. There are more boys than girls.

The proportion of students supported at school action is above average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is also above that usually found. The proportion of students supported by the pupil premium (additional funding for those students known to be eligible for free school meals, those from service families and those looked after by the local authority) is above average.

Nearly half the student population are from minority ethnic heritages, with the largest proportion from the Indian sub-continent. The proportion of students who speak English as an additional language is three times the national average. The school meets the government's current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for students' attainment and progress.

Sharples School has been a specialist science college since 2004 and holds the Cultural Diversity Gold Quality Standard and the Leading Parent Partnership Award. It is a nationally accredited Healthy School and has the Football Association Charter Standard. A unit for the hearing impaired and a very small unit for visually impaired students are integrated within the school and many of these students attend mainstream classes.

These units are not administered by the school's governing body. The school does not use any alternative provision. There have been several staff changes since the previous inspection, including the appointment of a new headteacher.