St Ignatius College

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are exceptionally proud ambassadors for their school.

They are courteous and warm, both to each other and to visitors. Pupils appreciate their teachers and know that all staff will respond swiftly and effectively to any concerns. Pupils behave in an exemplary manner.

They know the importance of 'social responsibility' and make every effort to look out for others. For example, sixth-form students volunteer as 'Ignatian Hands', supporting younger pupils with their learning. Pupils hold many leadership positions, including as charity ambassadors, faith ambassadors and sports team captains.

The school has the highest expectations for pupils and their learn...ing. Pupils enjoy working through the ambitious curriculum and take pride in their work. Achievement is especially high in GCSE examinations.

Many pupils choose to join the mixed sixth form, where female students are welcomed with great respect. Sixth-form students are well supported with selecting their next steps. The vast majority progress to their first-choice university.

The school ensures that pupils have plentiful opportunities that go beyond the academic. For example, pupils take part in a programme of varied visits to the seaside, theatre and further afield to China. An exemplary offer of extra-curricular activities encourages pupils to develop a rich range of talents and interests.

These include cooking, swimming, Latin, music production and gospel choir.

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

The curriculum for all pupils is broad and highly ambitious. The school has identified the important knowledge that pupils need to know and remember in each subject very carefully.

This is sequenced effectively to ensure that pupils build their learning cumulatively. In modern foreign languages, for example, teachers ensure that pupils have a deep understanding of regular verbs before they apply this learning to irregular verbs. When introducing past and future tenses, teachers revisit and build on pupils' prior understanding of these verbs with exceptional precision.

Teachers benefit from a range of subject-specific training. They are experts in their subject and present information with absolute clarity. Teachers are highly skilled in making links to previous learning.

They check pupils' understanding consistently and are well placed to address any misconceptions adeptly. Teachers create many opportunities for pupils to review and improve their work. As a result, the quality of pupils' work is high.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) thrive. The school ensures that these pupils have their needs identified accurately. A culture of high expectations from well-trained staff gives these pupils personalised support.

This helps pupils with SEND to access the same curriculum as their peers, where possible. Pupils with SEND are very well prepared for the next stage of their education.Reading is prioritised across the school.

Staff model reading strategies consistently and support pupils to enhance their vocabulary. Exceptionally effective systems ensure that pupils needing additional help with their reading receive the right level of support swiftly.As a result, these pupils read with increasing fluency and comprehension.

This enables them to access the wider curriculum very successfully.

The school has the highest expectations of pupils' behaviour and conduct. This ensures that all lessons are free from disruption.

The school models positive social interactions explicitly. As a result, pupils treat other pupils and staff with consistently high levels of respect and maturity. Leaders intervene swiftly on the rare instances when pupils need support to meet leaders' high expectations, including to improve attendance.

These personalised packages of support reflect the school's focus on caring for each pupil as an individual.

The carefully planned 'magis' curriculum provides extensive personal development opportunities for all pupils. In the well-sequenced personal, social, health and economic education lessons, pupils build a clear understanding over time of key topics, such as healthy relationships and consent.

Pupils value their daily meditation sessions, which allow them to pause and reflect. Pupils are very well prepared for their next stage of education, employment or training. An extensive careers programme ensures that pupils have multiple opportunities to engage with a vast range of employers and education providers.

Sixth-form students appreciate the well-considered visits to a university fair and multiple universities.

Staff at all levels feel well supported, including with their workload and well-being. For example, the school ensures that staff benefit from opportunities to collaborate with their peers regularly and are given annual well-being days, which they particularly appreciate.

Those responsible for governance are knowledgeable about the school's work. Together with leaders, they provide highly effective challenge and support. For example, when published outcomes in the sixth form did not meet leaders' high expectations, the school took swift and effective action.

As a result, the sixth-form curriculum offer has been changed and there is a renewed focus on teachers' professional development. This helps the school to address any gaps in pupils' learning.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Leaders have made recent changes to strengthen the sixth-form curriculum, which are not fully embedded. As a result, achievement in some sixth-form subjects is not consistently high. The school should ensure that it continues to sharpen aspects of the taught curriculum, including building on the strong practice of the higher achieving subjects in the sixth form, so that students achieve equally well across subjects.

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