Wolverley CofE Secondary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The headteacher has fostered a culture where staff routinely encourage pupils to have high aspirations.

The school's ethos of 'ambition unlimited' is reflected in all aspects of school life. Teachers have high expectations. They expect pupils to try hard and behave respectfully.

Pupils consistently meet these expectations.

Relationships between teachers and pupils are strong. This supports learning well.

Teachers are caring. They take the time to get to know pupils. Pupils appreciate this.

Many pupils and staff describe the school as 'a family'.

The school environment is calm. Pupils behave well in the vast majority of lessons and a...t other times of the day.

Little learning time is lost. Pupils are confident and polite. They go out of their way to welcome visitors to the school.

If bullying happens, adults take it seriously. Pupils feel safe. Most have confidence in their teachers to sort out problems.

Adults strongly commit to ensuring pupils have the opportunity to develop their talents and interests. Most pupils enjoy taking part in an impressive range of lunchtime and after-school clubs, along with a variety of local, national and international trips. There is something for everyone.

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

Leaders are ambitious for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). All pupils from Year 7 to Year 9 learn a broad range of subjects in depth. This means pupils are well prepared to study the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) in Year 10 and Year 11.

The number of pupils studying the EBacc is well above the national average. In addition, the school offers a wide range of qualifications in Year 10 and Year 11. These qualifications match well to pupils' interests.

For example, some pupils study animal care in the school's on-site animal centre. They told inspectors how much they enjoyed this. In the sixth form, there are a range of suitable courses to suit the aspirations of students.

Teachers know how to support pupils with SEND well. For some pupils with SEND, leaders adapt the curriculum. For example, in Year 7 and Year 8, some pupils are part of the 'step up' group.

As part of this, they learn all of the subjects in a smaller group with specialist teachers. Pupils also receive additional support to develop their social skills. These adaptations work well.

For instance, they support pupils to cooperate maturely and learn how to resolve conflicts appropriately.

Subject leaders ensure that pupils learn content in a sensible order. For instance, in Spanish, pupils learn how to form verbs in the present tense before learning how to form them in the past tense.

In addition, teachers give pupils lots of opportunities to go over important knowledge they have learned in the past. For example, in mathematics, teachers use quizzes to recap previous learning at the start of lessons. These strategies help to build pupils' confidence in a wide range of subjects.

Teachers, including those in the sixth form, are knowledgeable about their subjects. They explain subject content clearly. In the sixth form, teachers check students' understanding in lessons effectively.

This means teachers can provide the right support for students quickly and stop them from falling behind. However, in Years 7 to 11, some teachers do not check pupils' understanding in lessons well enough. This means that teachers do not always know which pupils are stuck, and the reasons for this.

Leaders have a clear strategy for supporting all pupils to become confident readers. They make suitable checks to identify pupils who need extra help. Leaders act quickly to ensure that pupils get the help they need from well-trained adults.

As a result, these pupils are catching up.

The school's behaviour policy places a strong emphasis on rewarding positive and respectful attitudes. Teachers implement this policy consistently.

As a result, interactions between teachers and pupils are friendly and encouraging. Pupils enjoy school and are rarely late. Most attend well.

However, the number of pupils who are persistently absent has slowly increased over several years.

The school's personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) curriculum is a strength. The curriculum, which is taught by specialists, ensures that pupils get the information they need at the right time.

For example, in Year 10, students learn about the signs of domestic violence and unhealthy relationships. In addition, the school ensures that pupils benefit from a wide range of opportunities to engage with local employers and training providers. This prepares pupils well for their next steps.

Many have a clear view on the career paths they want to follow.

Staff and leaders work together well. Leaders take account of the main pressures on staff when designing new policies and approaches.

Staff appreciate this. Morale is high.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff know pupils well. This means they are alert to the signs that a pupil may need help. Leaders have ensured that staff pass on any concerns about a pupil, 'no matter how small', to the school's safeguarding team.

Leaders work effectively with external agencies to ensure pupils who need help get the specialist support they need.

As part of the PSHE curriculum, pupils learn how to keep themselves safe. They learn, for instance, about how to stay safe when using the internet.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In Years 7 to 11, some teachers do not check all pupils' understanding within lessons well enough. This means teachers do not always know which pupils need additional help. Leaders should ensure that teachers know how to check learning effectively in their subjects, so that all teachers are able to give all pupils the help they need.

• Persistent absence has been steadily rising over a number of years. This limits some pupils from reaching their potential. Leaders should continue to work with families to improve the attendance of pupils who are regularly absent from school.