Carnforth High School praised as a "caring community" in Ofsted report

Carnforth High School has received its latest Ofsted report which recognises it as a caring and inclusive community.

The school's Ofsted inspection report said it met the expected standard in four key areas and needs attention in two others.

Overall, the school was graded as meeting the expected standard for inclusion, attendance and behaviour, personal development and wellbeing, and leadership and governance.

Safeguarding was also found to have been met.

Inspectors graded curriculum and teaching, and achievement, as needing attention.

The report noted that pupils typically make progress in line with national averages, although some do not attain as well as they could.

Inspectors visited on April 14 and 15 and highlighted that there is a shared ambition for pupils to achieve well.

They found that pupils’ behaviour is positive, that they support one another, and that they make close friendships.

The report also noted that pupils are friendly and respectful, and that staff and pupils work together to create a welcoming and polite culture where bullying is rare.

“We are pleased that the inspection team acknowledged the many strengths and qualities of our school," said Paul Staniforth, head teacher.

“In particular, that as a result of the positive contributions made by everyone within our school community, there is a calm, respectful culture in the school where pupils feel safe.

“As recognised by the inspection team, we have developed a suitably ambitious and well organised curriculum and where leaders focus on improvement, there is a positive impact.

“We are confident that the hard work and dedication of pupils and staff throughout this year, with the support of our parents and carers, will be reflected in this summer’s examination results.”

The inspection team praised the work of the school for pupils who have barriers to their learning.

They noted that pupils were well supported, with the school providing effective pastoral support.

They also recognised the work of leaders in the support of pupils who struggle with reading, mathematics and handwriting with the support received having a positive impact on improving these vital skills.

The school’s personal development curriculum and extra-curricular programme was acknowledged as allowing pupils to broaden their knowledge of the world and themselves.

Pupils are also supported in making decisions about their next steps through a valued and effective careers programme.

On attendance and behaviour, the report says: "Leaders and staff have prioritised improving pupils’ attendance.

"They analyse and identify patterns in attendance and provide appropriate support to remove any barriers to attendance that pupils may have.

"Overall attendance is currently below the national average but leaders’ recent actions have led to improvements, including for disadvantaged pupils.

"Leaders, staff and pupils have worked together to create a calm, respectful culture in the school. Leaders reward and praise pupils’ successes and improvements."

On inclusion, the report says: "This is an inclusive school. Leaders identify pupils’ barriers to learning effectively, particularly pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. When appropriate, leaders work with external professionals to make sure that these pupils get the right kind of support.

"There has been an increase in the number of pupils attending the school with additional barriers to their learning.

"Leaders have clear oversight of the support that is given to these pupils. They make regular checks on the impact it is having on pupils and regularly review the strategies that are being used to make sure that they are effective.

"Leaders make appropriate use of alternative provision to help pupils to improve their attendance and achievement."

On leadership and governance, the report says: "Leaders and those responsible for governance understand the needs of the school and its community.

"This inclusive school works with the local community to build positive relationships with families, parents and carers. There is a shared ambition for pupils to achieve well.

"Those responsible for governance have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development.

"Leaders support staff effectively with their workload and wellbeing. When making key decisions, they aim to reduce workload for staff."

On personal development and wellbeing, the report says: "The school’s personal development programme is well planned and logically ordered.

"It is designed to equip pupils with the necessary knowledge to live in modern Britain.

"It is also reactive to events in the local area. Pupils have a secure understanding of healthy relationships and how to keep themselves safe, both online and in the physical world."

On achievement, the report says: "Over time, pupils’ attainment in public examinations at the end of key stage 4 has been typically below the national average. Despite this, pupils make progress that is generally in line with other pupils nationally.

"In lessons, pupils can recall facts readily but some struggle to apply their knowledge and consolidate what they have learned.

"Disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities are making progress, though their grades typically remain below average. In lessons, pupils with barriers to their learning generally produce work in line with their peers.

"Leaders provide targeted support for pupils, who struggle with reading, mathematics and handwriting. This support sees pupils improve these vital skills."

On curriculum and teaching, the report said: "Teachers generally check learning well to identify gaps in pupils’ knowledge. However, at times, this information is not used to adapt the curriculum or teaching to make sure that all pupils understand what they have learned.

"Teachers sometimes move on too quickly without ensuring that all pupils have secured the important knowledge that they need. This means gaps in pupils' knowledge are not closed quickly enough and can sometimes widen. While staff put strategies in place to help pupils who find learning more difficult, sometimes these are not as effective as leaders intend. Added to this, in some subjects, teachers do not design tasks that are ambitious enough to help pupils to apply what they have learned. As a result, pupils do not achieve as well as they could.

"Overall, leaders have developed a suitably ambitious and well-organised curriculum that is designed to support pupils to build their knowledge over time. Teachers have secure subject knowledge. This enables them to accurately identify and address gaps in pupils’ fundamental knowledge of reading, writing and mathematics. They successfully support pupils to fill any gaps in these basics. This helps to reduce some barriers to learning and allows pupils to access the curriculum effectively."

The report also says: "Pupils and staff work together to create a welcoming and polite culture at this school. It is common to hear pupils share stories and well-wishes with staff as they arrive at school in the morning. Pupils are happy to be part of this caring community. They know that staff will deal with any concerns quickly and effectively.

"Pupils are friendly and respectful of each other. They support one another and make close friendships. They find school a safe place."

A copy of the report card following Ofsted’s visit is available on the school website HERE.