Waverley Studio College

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school The principal's strong leadership and clear vision of excellence has been instrumental in promoting an ambitious culture in the school, and one where British values are a key influence across the curriculum. The very strong sense of community among all staff, whether leaders, teachers or support staff, means that all are pulling in the same direction: to improve pupil outcomes. The school keeps pupils safe and ensures that they are well informed about any risks that they may face.

Teachers create calm and productive learning environments that motivate pupils to learn well and make rapid progress. However, sometimes pupils are not sufficiently stre...tched because work is not always matched to different abilities and teachers' questioning is not always challenging enough. Pupils behave very well around the school and in lessons.

They show respect for each other, for staff and for visitors. They value their school and the support it provides for them. The support provided by learning coaches has been a key factor in the improvements that have taken place in pupils' behaviour and attendance.

Attendance is above the national average and continues to improve. The rapid rate of improvement in pupils' progress at key stage 4, although from a very low base, is being sustained over time. However, the overall rate of progress in 2016 remained just below the government's current floor standard.

The difference between the achievement of disadvantaged pupils and other pupils nationally is diminishing rapidly, but it is still too wide. School data about current cohorts indicates that female pupils are making more rapid progress than male pupils. In the sixth form, value-added progress is well above, or at least in line with, the national average and students consistently attain the highest possible grades.

The close links between the regular work experience that sixth-form students undertake and their vocational courses are key contributors to their good achievement. There is a strong focus on developing pupils' literacy and numeracy skills. Leaders recognise that such work needs to be constantly reviewed to ensure that pupils' basic skills improve rapidly to enable them to succeed in subjects.

Information about this school

The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website. The school complies with Department for Education guidance on what academies should publish. The school is part of the Waverley Education Foundation Trust, the lead school of which is Waverley School.

The chief executive officer of the school is a national leader of education. The school works with, and has received support from, a number of schools, beside Waverley School. The school does not use alternative providers for any of its pupils.

Almost all pupils in the school are from minority ethnic groups and almost half of all pupils are Pakistani. Almost 80% of pupils, well above the national average, speak English as an additional language. In 2016, over a quarter of pupils entering Year 10 were recent arrivals to the UK and were in the very earliest stages of learning English.

Almost half of pupils in the school are eligible for free school meals, which is well above the national average. A relatively small proportion of pupils have special educational needs and/or disabilities compared to the national average. The school does not meet the government's current floor standards.