The Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

The Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School continues to be an outstanding school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils excel and flourish at this school. This is due to the ambitious curriculum provided and the strong sense of community. The school has high expectations for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

The school provides an excellent education for pupils and creates a love of learning. Outcomes are exceptionally high. These are driven by a commitment to high aspiration for all.

The school encourages pupils to get involved in service to others. Pupils support local homeless shelters, refuges, welfare charities an...d food banks. They do this not only by running fundraising collections, but by cooking meals and delivering hampers, with older students actively taking part on site wherever possible.

Pupils also take part in the Combined Cadet Force, the National Citizenship Service and debating competitions to develop their confidence, character and understanding of the wider world.

Respect is a core value at the school. Pupils take an active role in the school council, while sixth-form students mentor younger pupils and endeavour to be role models for their peers.

Behaviour is exemplary and pupils are highly motivated to learn. Pupils are safe at the school and attend very well. The school works closely with families, and parents and carers speak highly of the nurturing environment and dedication of the staff.

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

Pupils follow an ambitious and rich curriculum. Teachers set purposeful activities to deepen and consolidate learning. Knowledge is logically sequenced, so pupils return to, practise and embed key concepts.

Pupils, including those with SEND, develop a strong body of knowledge and skills in different subjects. Learning is made memorable through enrichment activities used to bring learning to life. For example, in history pupils draw on their respective trips to Hastings, and in Year 12 to Auschwitz, to inform their responses and ideas.

Teachers have strong subject knowledge and demonstrate techniques and skills with expertise. For example, in art, teachers enable pupils to experiment with an array of materials and styles, including ink printing, clay, textiles and acrylics, as well as exploring a diverse range of artists and movements. In each subject, teachers routinely check that key knowledge is learned before building on this learning with more complex ideas.

As a result, pupils make excellent progress and produce high-quality work. This relentless drive for excellence and high aspiration for all continues into the sixth form.

Pupils with SEND are quickly identified and included in the ambitious learning of the classroom.

Where additional support is required, pupils are given effective interventions. More widely, pupils benefit from the school's focus on literacy and oracy. Pupils are highly articulate in their responses and are confident to take part in discussions.

Reading is a priority in this school. Authors and theatre groups often visit, and sixth-form reading mentors hear younger pupils read. Pupils who need additional support receive help that is well suited to them so that they become fluent readers.

Pupils are highly respectful and kind to one another. Staff have high expectations of pupils' behaviour both in and out of the classroom. Pupils often take on roles of leadership and sixth formers take the lead on equality and mental health work in the school.

The school takes prompt and effective action where any concerns about attendance are identified. Leaders work closely with families to ensure that any barriers are overcome.

Provision for pupils' personal development is excellent.

A wide variety of enrichment activities is available and charity work is firmly embedded. Leaders are clear that they want their pupils to make a positive contribution to society as well as being equipped for their next steps. They prepare pupils well for the next stage of education, employment or training.

Pupils are provided with careers advice, careers days, workshops and lectures on numerous careers and pathways. Sixth-form students also attend societies, including in politics, philosophy and law. Pupils in younger years take part in field trips, science days and visits to museums.

Staff are dedicated to the school and feel proud to work here. Leaders at all levels are reflective and strive for continual improvement. The governors work together with leaders and have a keen understanding of the school and its wider context.

Parents have high confidence in the school and are impressed by the high level of pastoral care provided alongside the academic rigour.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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 July 2018.