The Rawlett School (An Aet Academy)

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils at this vibrant school want to do well and feel happy to be there. The new leaders have raised expectations of pupils' behaviour and the majority of pupils live up to these high expectations. However, in some lessons, pupils do not behave as well as they could.

This disrupts learning. In addition, some pupils miss too much school, or are often late.

There are strong relationships between teachers and pupils.

Lessons meet pupils' needs well. Leaders have ensured that all staff have the information they need to support pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This helps these pupils to flourish.

Sta...ff know their pupils well. Pupils say that bullying does happen, but it is not tolerated. Most pupils feel confident to report issues because they know that staff will deal with them.

Leaders are passionate about making the school the best it can be. They recognise there are further improvements to make and are fully committed to doing this. Leaders have developed a broad and ambitious curriculum that extends beyond the academic.

For example, pupils learn about current and age-appropriate issues, which prepare them well for life in modern Britain and helps to keep them safe.

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

Pupils learn an ambitious curriculum across all key stages. This gives pupils the knowledge they need to be successful in their lessons and in the next steps in their education.

Curriculum leaders have put careful thought into designing their subjects. Each lesson links to what pupils already know. Because of this, most pupils make strong progress.

However, in some lessons, teachers do not check that pupils have remembered everything they need to before teaching something new. Where this happens, misconceptions persist, and this leads to gaps in pupils' knowledge.

Teachers are passionate about the subjects they teach.

Leaders support staff development well. As a result, teachers are constantly improving their practice and subject knowledge. Leaders have ensured that all teachers have the information they need to work effectively with pupils with SEND.

Staff use this information well. This means that pupils get the right help they need to do well. Pupils find this support invaluable and greatly appreciate it.

Leaders are committed to developing pupils' love of reading. This is evident in many aspects of the school. Many pupils read for pleasure, and there is a developing culture of reading at the school.

However, the work to support pupils who struggle to read as well as their peers is at an early stage and leaders do not yet know how well this is working.

Although pupils and staff feel that behaviour is starting to improve, leaders are not clear enough about what is working, what is not, and why. There is a lack of clear analysis of the impact of the newly reformed systems.

This means that leaders cannot target the cause of poor behaviour and some pupils continue to behave in a way that the school does not want.

Leaders' have started to work on improving pupils' attendance. However, lateness to school and persistent absence continue to be issues.

Too many pupils are missing out on the school's good quality education. Leaders are not doing enough to address this.

Leaders have skilfully designed an engaging personal development curriculum.

The curriculum is relevant to current issues and is tailored to suit the needs of pupils in the school. Pupils learn about important issues, such as online safety, healthy relationships, and county lines. All pupils benefit from a comprehensive careers education.

Leaders have created strong links with local colleges and business. Pupils get the advice they need and are well prepared for their next steps in education, employment, or training.

Leaders have a clear vision, with pupils' interests at the heart of all that they do.

Leaders and trust representatives have a clear understanding of the school's strengths and weaknesses. The new leadership team have made many improvements, and they recognise there is more work to do.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have ensured that staff are well trained. As a result, there is a culture of vigilance across the school. Staff know their pupils well and report concerns quickly.

However, there are weaknesses in the monitoring and record-keeping of these concerns. This means that some incidents are not always dealt with in as timely a way as they could be.

Leaders have ensured that pupils know how to keep themselves safe.

This includes when they are out of school and online. Pupils know what to do if they are worried about their well-being, or the well-being of their peers.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some lessons, teachers do not routinely check that gaps in pupils' knowledge have been closed before introducing new learning.

This means that pupils often make the same mistakes again. Leaders should ensure that all teachers check that pupils have understood what they have been taught and close any gaps in knowledge before moving on. Leaders have not ensured that their systems to track and monitor behaviour, attendance and punctuality are secure enough, and they do not analyse the information they gather to show them where patterns and trends exist.

As a result, they do not know enough about which of their actions are working and which are not, so they cannot target their next steps accordingly. Leaders should tighten their record-keeping and analysis, evaluate carefully what this information is telling them, and plan and implement their next actions accordingly. ? Leaders have not ensured that safeguarding concerns are monitored as effectively as they should be.

Because of this, concerns are not always dealt with in a timely manner. This means that, occasionally, some pupils do not get the help they need quickly enough. Leaders should ensure that all concerns are dealt with quickly, so that pupils can get the help they need, when they need it.

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