The Catholic High School, Chester

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Main findings

The Catholic High School, Chester is a good school. After a dip in performance in 2009 there has been improvement in some key measures and attainment is now average overall. Learning and progress are good for all groups across the school, including for those students with special educational needs and/or disabilities, some of whom make outstanding progress.

Students' achievement is therefore good. The school provides a warm and caring environment in which all students are valued as individuals. The care, guidance and support they receive are good and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding.

Procedures for safeguarding are good and the vast majority of students s...ay that they feel safe in the school. Students make a good contribution to the school and the wider community and enjoy participating in the wide range of extra-curricular clubs and activities on offer. Attendance is average and students are punctual to lessons.

Behaviour is good and movement around the school is orderly. Students are friendly, helpful and welcoming. They say that there is very little bullying and when it occurs it is dealt with effectively.

The quality of teaching is good overall, and often outstanding. Students work productively in lessons and relationships between students and teachers are good. For the most part, teachers use information and communication technology effectively to support students' learning.

The use of assessment to support learning is satisfactory. Students are sometimes unsure as to their targets and they do not always receive clear advice on how to improve their work. On occasions, teachers do not use to best effect the assessment information available when planning lessons.

As a result, in some lessons activities are not matched sufficiently to the needs and abilities of students. The curriculum is good and partnerships contribute effectively to improving outcomes for students. The impact of the specialism on the school and the wider community has been extremely beneficial, providing a wide range of enriching and exciting activities that raise aspiration both in the school and beyond.

Leadership, management and governance are good overall. The headteacher has effectively communicated a vision for the further improvement of the school, which is shared by all members of the school community. He is ably supported by an astute and knowledgeable governing body, particularly in tackling some areas of underperformance, such as in mathematics.

Self-evaluation is broadly accurate, but planning for improvement lacks clarity and precision. Improved procedures for monitoring performance and tracking progress against targets are at the early stages of development. There has been a lack of urgency in the drive to secure improvement in some outcomes for students.

As a result, the rise in performance has not been rapid and the school did not meet its own targets for improvement in 2010 and 2011.Therefore, the school's capacity for sustained improvement is satisfactory. The school provides good value for money and deploys resources effectively.

The school's contribution to community cohesion is good, as is the effectiveness with which the school promotes equal opportunities and tackles discrimination. The overall effectiveness of the sixth form is good. Leadership and management of the sixth form are good and the care, guidance and support that students receive are much appreciated; as one parent commented, 'the pastoral care within sixth form is excellent – each student is treated as an individual and with respect.'



Information about the school

The Catholic High School, Chester is of average size. The proportion of students known to be eligible for free school meals is below the national average, as is the proportion of students with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The proportion of students with a statement of special educational needs and/or disabilities is above the national average.

The school is the designated centre for West Cheshire for students with autistic spectrum disorder. The proportion of students from minority ethnic groups is below the national average, as is the proportion of students who speak English as an additional language. The school has specialist status for science.

Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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