Tavistock College

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their school.

Through the curriculum, they have many opportunities to learn about the world around them. For example, Year 10 pupils complete work experience in a range of settings. Pupils enjoy participating in a breadth of sporting activities, such as football and netball.

Pupils' behaviour is orderly and calm in lessons and around the school site. Pupils learn about the importance of mutual respect, kindness and empathy towards others. Through the personal, social and health education curriculum, pupils learn about the role of democracy and freedom of speech in shaping British society.

Pupils are well prepared to be upstanding citizens ...of the future. Staff address bullying when it occurs. Pupils report that they can talk to trusted adults if they have a concern.

Consequently, pupils feel safe and well cared for by staff.

Leaders and staff provide effective careers guidance to enable pupils to make informed decisions about their next steps. Sixth-form students particularly value the bespoke guidance provided by staff.

They have clear information about what they need to achieve to access higher education, apprenticeships and work.

Pupils value their learning. However, there are still gaps in some pupils' knowledge, despite leaders' work to improve the curriculum.

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

The school's vision is that all pupils achieve academically, socially and emotionally. Leaders have revised the content of the curriculum to support pupils' learning in most subjects. In English, for example, pupils study a breadth of carefully selected texts.

Leaders have also made decisions about the way in which the curriculum is taught, based on what they have learned from educational research. However, this work has not had the impact intended on pupils in all year groups. In some subjects, teachers do not have a strong understanding of what pupils know and do not know.

Consequently, teachers do not typically adapt the ways in which they teach to help pupils learn successfully.

The school's support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is effective in some areas of the curriculum. Staff use information about pupils to provide academic and emotional support.

In these subjects, pupils learn with confidence and success. Pupils who struggle to read receive effective support. This helps them to follow the wider curriculum more successfully.

The school's whole-school approach to reading for enjoyment is clear and includes a well-thought-out selection of texts. However, this is not consistently put in place as intended.

Sixth-form students study a well-structured curriculum.

The subject knowledge of staff is particularly strong, which supports students to extend their thinking. Students value the quality of education they receive. Students also have many opportunities for personal development.

For example, students support younger pupils with their reading. They also provide peer support for pupils who struggle with anxiety. In addition, they support the anti-bullying ambassador programme, helping to ensure that pupils report any incidents with confidence and assurance.

Through the curriculum, students are well prepared for adulthood and are knowledgeable about concepts such as consent. Students also learn about how to identify and nurture healthy relationships in their own lives.

Pupils learn about the different groups in society who might face discrimination.

They understand the importance of tolerance and the acceptance of others. Pupils gain an age-appropriate understanding of how to keep themselves safe in the world around them, including when online.

Pupils' behaviour is managed in a well-structured way.

Consequently, there has been a significant reduction in poor behaviour in lessons and around the school. Staff implement the school's behaviour policy with consistency. Similarly, leaders are tenacious in working to ensure that pupils attend school.

They have a strong oversight of pupil absences and, as a result, overall attendance has improved.

Governance is strong. Directors of the trust and the local stakeholder board gather pertinent information.

They use this to pose challenge and support to leaders in equal measure. Staff, including early career teachers, feel well supported and are proud to work 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)

• Teachers do not consistently check what pupils know and do not know. As a result, they do not have the information they require in order to adapt the teaching of the curriculum so that all pupils' learning needs are met. The school must ensure that teachers use assessment effectively to help pupils to learn well.

• The plans in place to encourage pupils to develop good reading habits are not put in place consistently. Therefore, some pupils do not routinely engage in reading for enjoyment. The school should ensure that their plan to promote reading is implemented consistently in all year groups.