The Telford Langley School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe and enjoy attending this caring, community-focused school.

The school is doing a great amount to support pupils pastorally to help them to engage positively with education. Pupils are understood and listened to. They know that staff are there to help them and deal with any issues if they arise.

Across the school, pupils generally behave well in lessons and during social times. Pupils' attendance is improving. The school works effectively to support pupils and families to overcome any barriers with this.

However, a significant number of pupils do miss out on time in lessons. This can be due to a variety of reasons and slows their progress thro...ugh the ambitious curriculum that is in place. Overall, the quality of outcomes for pupils and their wider work are not as high as they should be.

Pupils benefit from the personal development curriculum in place. There has been recent growth in pupil leadership opportunities. For example, through the reading and sports ambassadors.

The school is committed to developing pupils' wider interests with clubs and extra-curricular activities available. Pupils have a strong embrace of diversity and fundamental British values. Careers education for older pupils is supporting them to make their next step.

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

Leaders are working with determination to improve all aspects of the school. They have made significant progress since the recent changes in senior leadership. Pupils, parents and staff reflect this improved experience over the course of this academic year.

The 'you matter, we care' drive by leaders is appreciated by all. Staff feel part of a strong team and want the very best for the pupils in their care.

The school has strengthened the curriculum in recent years.

It is suitably ambitious and well understood by teachers. The curriculum builds well, with carefully considered sequencing of topics. All pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), experience the same curriculum.

There are clear processes to help identify those who may need additional support. Staff adapt learning appropriately to support pupils with SEND. Teachers demonstrate strong subject knowledge.

However, pupils can be moved on to new learning before their current understanding has been checked sufficiently well. The activities selected are then not always well matched to enable pupils to progress in their learning.

The school values reading highly.

Staff understand that pupils need to be able to read to successfully access the rest of the curriculum. There is effective support for those who are in the earlier stages of learning to read. The school is reflective about its practices with reading and looking to secure the best improvements it can.

Pupils are supported well to catch up with their peers.

Pupils' behaviour has improved rapidly during the last year. Leaders have taken robust actions, which mean the school is calm and pupils conduct is compliant.

Pupils are growing in their understanding of the expectations that the school has for them, but this work is taking time. Suspensions are high, as is the time that pupils spend in the pastoral bases. So due to time missed in lessons, pupils' progress, including disadvantaged pupils, is not what it could be.

The school has devised a high quality personal, social, health and economic education curriculum that is delivered by a specialist team. Consequently, pupils develop an age-appropriate understanding of a variety of topics. These include how to keep physically and mentally healthy.

Pupils in key stage 4 receive effective careers education information, advice and guidance. However, those in key stage 3 are not currently receiving the encounters they should under the provider access legislation. This means younger pupils are not always able to develop a sufficiently wide understanding of the choices available to them.

Leaders at all levels are supportive of staff's workload and well-being. Trust staff and trustees are experienced, reflective, and highly committed to the school. They ensure statutory requirements are fulfilled.

The school's understanding of the impact of the spending for disadvantaged pupils is not as strong as it could be. While there is impact on disadvantaged pupils reading, other areas do not yet show the desired improvement that the school wants.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Pupils' understanding is not always checked well enough before moving on to the next part of the curriculum. As a result, pupils have gaps in their knowledge and the work given is not always well matched to their needs. The school should ensure that teachers check pupils' understanding consistently well to enable pupils, especially disadvantaged pupils, to build knowledge more effectively over time.

• A significant proportion of pupils do not arrive to lessons on time and are out of lessons because of sanctions. This poor attendance in lessons results in missed opportunities to learn and hinders their progress. The school should ensure that it is doing all it can to secure the improvements in pupils' punctuality and behaviour.

• The school does not currently meet the requirements of the provider access legislation for careers education. As a result, pupils in key stage 3 are not exposed to a wide enough range of opportunities to develop an understanding of all the routes available to them. The school needs to ensure that the requirements of the legislation are fulfilled, aiming to ensure that pupils gain a better understanding of how they can make a successful start to their careers.

Strategic use of pupil premium funding is not as well developed as it could be. As a result, disadvantaged pupils are not being supported effectively enough to improve their behaviour, attendance and progress in learning. The school should ensure that the funding is used effectively to support pupils and has a demonstrable impact over time.