St Ursula’s Convent School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

St Ursula's offers an ambitious curriculum that helps many pupils to achieve well by the end of key stage 4.

However, recent turbulence in leadership has resulted in limited oversight of the provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). While most of these pupils follow the same curriculum as their peers, they do not consistently receive sufficient support to access learning and achieve well.

Recent changes at the school, including the appointment of new leaders, have increased the number of staff that pupils can talk to if they are worried about something.

Pupils know who these staff are and understand how to report a concer...n. Staff make sure that there is support in place to keep pupils safe. Bullying does not happen often.

However, pupils have been affected by a challenging period at the school and feel unsettled. Some pupils do not trust that adults will help them effectively, if they need it.

Behaviour around the school is generally orderly.

Pupils are polite and courteous to visitors. At times, it is not as calm, including at less structured times of the day. The school has introduced a new behaviour policy, which sets out high expectations, though this is recent and not embedded in practice.

In lessons, most pupils are attentive and show positive attitudes, although learning is occasionally interrupted by low-level disruption.

The school provides a programme of extra activities and visits. These include sports clubs, choir, and visits to places of local interest.

However, in some aspects of the curriculum, pupils do not have sufficient opportunities to discuss their ideas and to explore different perspectives fully.

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

The curriculum is ambitious and at least matches the aims of what is expected nationally. The school has thought carefully about the knowledge that pupils should learn and the order in which this should be sequenced.

This helps pupils to secure their understanding of important ideas before tackling more complex work. For example, in modern foreign languages, pupils explore different aspects of vocabulary and grammar, which increase in complexity as they move through the school. This builds their confidence in manipulating language, enabling them to develop greater fluency and expression in writing and speaking.

Teachers have secure subject knowledge. They value the professional development opportunities that are provided to improve their practice. In most cases, pupils are provided with activities that enable them to deepen their knowledge and apply what they have learned.

Teachers identify and address misconceptions, adjusting their planning and explanations to clarify pupils' understanding.

The school identifies pupils with SEND, but recent changes in staffing have resulted in information about pupils' needs being shared inconsistently with teachers. Staff work with a range of external agencies and are provided with advice about how best to support these pupils.

However, this information is not used consistently to cater for individual pupil's needs. For example, sometimes, staff do not adapt activities and resources appropriately for pupils with SEND. In these cases, pupils do not complete work that enables them to practise what they have learned.

This limits their understanding in different areas of the curriculum. Pupils who struggle with reading are given additional help to gain confidence and fluency.

Most pupils behave well around the school.

They are positive in their attitudes to learning and show courtesy to visitors. Occasionally, behaviour is unsettled and falls below the school's expectations. This results in less respectful attitudes in the school community.

The school monitors attendance and takes action to promote improvement where concerns are identified, though it identifies that there is more to do to ensure that all pupils, including those with SEND, attend well.

The school has designed the personal, social, health and economic education curriculum to support aspects of pupils' wider development. It provides pupils with information about future learning and careers.

Pupils learn about different faiths and perspectives. They learn about staying healthy and keeping safe, including online. Pupils enjoy 'drop-down days', such as the recent celebratory event for St Angela's Day.

This programme is not delivered consistently, however, and pupils' experience of coverage of the intended content varies. On occasion, pupils do not have enough opportunities to discuss their ideas, or to explore the views of others in sufficient depth.

The school provides opportunities for pupils to take up leadership roles and responsibilities, including as prefects.

Pupils value this, but they do not see that there is sufficient action taken by the school in response to their discussions and recommendations.

Those responsible for governance understand the school's strengths and weaknesses and fulfil their statutory duties. They are ambitious for pupils, have received appropriate training and hold leaders to account.

However, this work is at the early stages and has therefore had limited impact on the school's improvement. Many parents and carers share the view that further, sustainable improvements are needed at the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The school does not ensure that teachers have sufficient information to adapt the delivery of the curriculum for the individual needs of pupils with SEND. Sometimes, these pupils do not get the support they need to learn effectively and secure the knowledge and understanding they should. The school should make sure that teachers have the information, knowledge and training they need to support pupils with SEND effectively.

• The school has recently introduced a new policy which that out high expectations for pupils' behaviour. However, this is not embedded. The school should ensure that all staff receive the training and support they need to implement these expectations both in lessons and during less structured times of the school day.

• The programme of personal development and wider enrichment is not coherently planned and implemented. This means that pupils do not have a consistent experience of this aspect of their educational experience. The school should ensure that the implementation of the programme covers all intended curriculum content fully, as well as providing sufficient opportunities for all pupils to discuss and debate ideas in a considered way.