St Luke’s Church of England School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations of the pupils.

Pupils know staff are ambitious for them. Pupils are well prepared for their future choices as a result.

Pupils follow the school routines and are ready for their learning.

As a result, the school is calm. Lessons are respectful. Pupils learn without disruption.

The school provides support and adjustments for pupils to meet different needs. For example, the CHAT room provides a space to help pupils when they need it. Pupils who go to the Behaviour Support Room continue with their curriculum learning.

The school actively works to ensure bullying is not tolerated. Pupils train as anti-bullying am...bassadors through a national award scheme. They take these roles seriously.

When pupils report bullying to the school, the school acts on it.

The school plans a range of clubs and enrichment for pupils. For example, older pupils complete the Duke of Edinburgh Award.

Pupils take responsibility for their own Pride club. Many pupils involve themselves in the school show, such as the production of 'Fiddler on the Roof.' The school seeks ways to work with parents and the community and invite them to the school, such as family cookery sessions.

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

The school has planned a robust and ambitious curriculum. It has been thoughtfully sequenced to ensure pupils learn the skills and knowledge they need to support their future learning. As a result, pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), perform well in published outcomes.

The curriculum is well implemented. Staff have high-quality training to hone their expertise. The school shares this work with other schools.

There is a consistent pedagogical approach to help pupils learn the subject content. Pupils know the routines and expectations in the classroom. Teachers frequently check what pupils understand.

This helps pupils to secure their knowledge before they move on.

The curriculum is clearly set out to support all pupils. However, this can be very structured.

At times, this provides only limited opportunities for pupils to think evaluatively and develop discussion around their learning. When this happens, pupils are not able to talk about the content they have learnt with confidence.

Pupils with SEND are well supported in their learning.

Staff make sure learning is appropriately adapted. In lessons, the regular recall of learning helps pupils to remember more. The school has recently put in place a learning support room to provide further support when pupils need it.

The school has carefully planned reading experiences for all pupils. The barriers that make reading difficult for some pupils are precisely understood. The school plans appropriate interventions, such as the teaching of phonics and rehearsing fluency.

These are carefully matched to help pupils improve their reading. As a result, pupils make strong progress with their reading.

Too many pupils do not attend school regularly.

The school has put in robust processes to support and improve pupil attendance. This work is starting to have an impact. However, some pupils continue to have too many days away from school.

The 'Life to the Full' curriculum helps pupils to prepare for life in modern Britain. Pupils learn about relationships and sex education in a timely and age-appropriate way. Pupils learn to look after their physical and mental health, such as mindfulness time in tutor.

From Year 7, pupils follow an ambitious careers programme. For example, 'Futures Friday' means pupils have weekly careers focus to develop different skills. The school works closely with local providers, such as the college and university, to support pupils in planning their next steps.

Staff help pupils to make appropriate and aspirational choices.

The school has focused on making sure pupils experience an ambitious education. It has been through rapid change.

As a result, parents have mixed views of the school. The school is working to build stronger relationships with parents and the community. Older pupils say the school has improved in recent years.

They recognise how hard staff work to support them.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Too many pupils do not attend school regularly.

The school has put robust systems in place to address pupil attendance. As a result, this is slowly getting better. However, the trust and the school need to persist with their work to ensure the attendance to school of those pupils continues to improve.

• In some subjects, pupils have few opportunities to develop their thinking through discussing the content. This means they do not talk about their learning with detail and confidence. The trust and the school should consider how pupils can develop their understanding through how they explore subject content.