Ofsted tells Sir Harry Smith Community College in Whittlesey improvements are needed in damning report

Inspectors visited the Whittlesey school earlier this year, and rated The Quality of Education, Behaviour and Attitudes, Personal Development, Leadership and Management and Sixth Form Provision all as ‘Requires Improvement.

‘Significant’ changes already made

Speaking after the report was published, Dawn White, Principal of Sir Harry Smith Community College, said: “While this outcome may feel disappointing, the report reflects our own assessment of where improvements are

needed, and where improvements are being made in these key areas.

“We have already made several significant changes to strengthen our whole-school approach and have seen noticeable improvements, creating a foundation that will allow high- quality teaching and learning to take place in every classroom. We recognise that these improvements will need more time to be embedded, and that there is further work now to be done.”

“Pupils do not always learn the important knowledge that they need"

In their report, the inspectors said: “The school provides pupils with a broad and often ambitious curriculum. However, important knowledge, including in some topics relating to pupils’ personal development, is not always taught well enough. Pupils do not always learn the important knowledge that they need. Consequently, they do not achieve as well as they should.”

The report added: “Most pupils treat each other with respect and want to do well. However, when teaching is less effective, the behaviour of a minority of pupils disrupts the learning of others. Some pupils make unkind comments towards their peers. This affects some pupils’ enjoyment of school. Pupils, like some staff, parents and carers, are frustrated when the school does not always deal with these issues well enough.”

“Because of inconsistencies in the quality of education over time, pupils do not benefit from consistently high-quality lessons"

The report also says: “The school has thought about the important knowledge that pupils need to know and the order in which they should learn it. Lessons usually follow a consistent structure. For example, teachers recap important content at the start of the lesson before moving on to new learning. When teachers implement the curriculum most effectively, they carefully check pupils’ knowledge and identify any gaps. They make appropriate adaptations so that pupils can access the curriculum and learn well. However, because of inconsistencies in the quality of education over time, pupils do not benefit from consistently high-quality lessons. Staff do not check pupils’ learning well enough and some pupils still have too many gaps in their knowledge. Staff lack the expertise and, at times, the information they need, to precisely adapt the curriculum for pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This means that some pupils struggle to access the curriculum and to engage with learning. Some pupils are not progressing as well as they should.”

"The school supports pupils who find reading hard”

However, there were some positives in the report.

Inspectors said: “The school supports pupils who find reading hard. This helps them access the curriculum. Leaders are aware that the support for younger pupils, who are at the early stages of learning to read, is timelier and more effective than the support provided for older pupils.”

They also said: “Students in the sixth form enjoy school. They are well supported with applications for higher education and other routes. They learn about personal finance and healthy relationships. This prepares them for the next stages in their education, employment or training. However, they often suffer from similar inconsistencies in their education to those that occur in the rest of the school.”

To read the report in full, visit https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/23/138053