Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Roman Catholic High School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The majority of pupils are happy to attend Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Roman Catholic High School. Pupils told inspectors that they are looking forward to the completion of their new school buildings and facilities.

Pupils explained that when they report incidents of bullying, staff address their concerns quickly and effectively.

Pupils said that they have a trusted adult in school who they can talk to if they have any worries. As a result, most pupils feel safe in school.

Most pupils behave well.

However, some pupils and staff reported that in some lessons, a few pupils disrupt the learning of their peers.

The school has high expectation...s of what pupils can and should achieve in their learning. In some subjects, pupils are beginning to achieve well.

However, in other subjects, pupils' achievement is not as strong as it should be.

Pupils enjoy the increasing number of opportunities that they have to take part in activities to enhance their learning of the curriculum. These activities include music and drama performances, and a wide range of sports clubs.

Pupils also take pride in holding positions of responsibility and carrying out community work, for example by raising money for local charities.

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

The school is increasingly ambitious for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). For example, in key stage 4, more pupils are choosing to study the English Baccalaureate suite of subjects.

In many subjects, the school's curriculum thinking is well developed. The school has carefully organised the knowledge that it wants pupils to know and remember. Added to this, teachers have secure subject knowledge and they explain concepts to pupils clearly.

This is helping pupils, particularly those in key stage 3, to learn better than they have in the past.

The school has provided suitable training so that teachers know how to check and assess what pupils know and remember before moving on to new learning. In some subjects, teachers are skilful in identifying and addressing gaps in pupils' learning.

However, in other subjects, pupils' misunderstandings sometimes go unnoticed. As a result, in these subjects, pupils do not build knowledge as well as they should.

The school has implemented a comprehensive programme for reading.

Pupils enjoy reading regularly from a wide range of high-quality texts. Staff swiftly identify those pupils who find reading more difficult. These pupils receive the support that they need to catch up with their peers.

Staff encourage pupils to learn and use new vocabulary through a range of activities, for example during form time.The school is in the process of improving its systems to identify the additional needs of pupils with SEND. Alongside this, the school is also updating the information that teachers receive about pupils with SEND.

When teachers have sufficient information, they make appropriate adaptations to the delivery of the curriculum to meet the needs of these pupils. However, some teachers do not have the information required to support some pupils with SEND well. This hinders how well these pupils learn.

Most pupils behave well. However, at times, some pupils do not behave as well as they should in lessons and during breaktimes. To address this, the school has recently refined the behaviour policy.

However, some staff said that incidents of low-level disruption are not addressed consistently well. Added to this, some staff do not feel well supported by the school in managing pupils' behaviour.

The school has updated the curriculum for personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE), to ensure that pupils are fully prepared for life in modern Britain.

This includes information about a range of further education and careers opportunities. Pupils readily take on leadership roles such as on the student council. Pupils are encouraged to take part in a wide range of inter-house competitions, including glow in the dark dodgeball and spelling bees.

Leaders, including governors, have accurately identified the most urgent priorities to improve the quality of education for pupils. For example, the school has taken action to strengthen staffing, update policies and provide appropriate training for staff. However, some staff said that they would benefit from additional information and support to successfully implement the range of changes taking place across the school.

Parents and carers said that they are well informed about what their children are learning in school. They appreciate how well the school communicates with them.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, teachers do not use assessment strategies well enough to accurately check pupils' knowledge. This means that some pupils, including some with SEND, move on to new learning before they are ready. The school should ensure that teachers use assessment strategies well to check that pupils have learned the intended curriculum.

• Some teachers do not adapt the delivery of the curriculum for pupils with SEND effectively. This means that some pupils with SEND do not learn as well as they should. The school should ensure that they provide teachers with sufficient information so that they can successfully meet the needs of pupils with SEND.

During some lessons, a small number of pupils do not behave as well as they should. This means that, sometimes, other pupils' learning is disrupted. The school should ensure that staff are supported to apply the school's behaviour policy consistently well so that pupils can learn without disruption.

• The school has not ensured that staff are suitably supported to implement the recent changes to policy and practice. This means that some staff do not feel fully equipped to implement these changes effectively. Leaders should ensure that they support staff to embed these updated processes quickly and consistently well.

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