St Bede’s School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

St Bede's School continues to be an outstanding school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave exceptionally well. They are unfailingly respectful to each other, to staff and to visitors.

Pupils are happy and feel safe. Leaders have put in place excellent pastoral care. Pupils know there is always someone they can go to for help.

Bullying is very rare and it is swiftly and effectively dealt with by staff when it does occur.

The positive attitude of pupils means that lessons are very rarely disrupted. They enjoy their time in class and describe their lessons as 'inspirational'.

The content of these inspirational lessons reflects the high expe...ctations that staff have for what pupils can accomplish. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who are disadvantaged, achieve very highly.

Pupils have many opportunities to both develop and discover interests.

This includes an innovative 'elective' programme in Year 8. Pupils select from a wide array of topics which go beyond the usual curriculum. This allows pupils to personalise what they study while still having an excellent common curriculum.

Leaders have also ensured that pupils throughout the school benefit from well-chosen visits, clubs and opportunities to support their community.

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

Leaders in subjects across the school have created an ambitious curriculum. They have identified the knowledge that pupils need to learn that will allow them to reach challenging end points.

This curriculum is very well sequenced and teachers make frequent links back to previous lessons. This allows pupils to confidently discuss what they have learned and to apply this prior learning to new situations. Teachers put in place well-targeted adaptations to support pupils with SEND.

These pupils are then able to achieve the same ambitious goals as their peers. Teachers are able to do this because of the work they do with leaders to identify the specific needs that pupils have. The monitoring of action plans for pupils with SEND by leaders is exemplary.

This excellent support for pupils with SEND continues into the sixth form.A similarly rigorous approach is put in place to support pupils who join the school without the knowledge to read fluently and with confidence. Leaders work with staff to identify the pupils who need help and then to work out the barriers they face.

Intervention is well targeted and timely. It is delivered by well-trained staff who are knowledgeable about how to support struggling readers. Leaders effectively evaluate the impact that any support has.

As a result, weaker readers quickly catch up with their peers.

Pupils, including those in the sixth form, achieve very highly. This can be seen in published exam results and also in the work produced by current pupils.

Work in the creative arts is of an especially high standard. Throughout the school, teachers model high expectations of pupils' work. In lessons, teachers skilfully break down the steps that pupils need to go through to achieve these excellent outcomes.

Teachers have a very high level of subject knowledge and expertise. They use this to provide pupils with explanations that are rich in details which bring the subject to life.

As well as strong academic outcomes, leaders have also focused on the pupils' broader development.

There is a well-planned curriculum for personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education. Pupils receive age-appropriate advice on relationships and sex education. Students in the sixth form appreciate the way that the guidance they receive from staff is tailored to their needs and experiences.

This includes an excellent package of careers advice and support with their post-16 options. Careers education is also very strong in the lower school. Pupils with SEND receive additional high-quality support.

All receive vocational advice and support with their academic aspirations.

Pupils across the school are tolerant of differences and have a good understanding of life in modern Britain. These things are features of their PSHE curriculum as well as throughout the life of the school.

Leaders give pupils many opportunities to be part of the wider community. Pupils engage in a lot of fundraising for charities. Pupils also carry out leadership responsibilities in the school.

Students in the sixth form regularly support with activities in the lower school and are involved in helping pupils with their reading and working alongside form tutors to provide mentoring.

Leaders, including those responsible for governance, work very closely with staff to identify training needs and to put in place support to reduce workload and improve well-being. Staff are able to focus their time on the activities that will have the greatest impact on the pupils at the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff receive thorough training in how to identify pupils at risk of harm. Leaders monitor the impact of this training and use it to inform future work.

Leaders also put in place additional training for staff to support them with their specific roles. When pupils need help, leaders ensure that it happens quickly and effectively. They are persistent in securing help from other agencies.

Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe, including keeping themselves safe online and in relationships. Leaders use knowledge of their local context to ensure that the information pupils receive meets their needs.

Background

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

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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be outstanding in January 2017.

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