A recent OFSTED monitoring inspection at John Fisher and Thomas More secondary school in Colne, has found a number of improvements at the school as it works to shed its 'Requires Improvement' label from 2023.
The visit on October 30, 2024, found:
"SENIOR LEADERSHIP
Since the previous inspection, a new headteacher has been appointed, and the senior leadership team has been restructured.
STAFF SUPPORT & TRAINING
The school has taken positive action to bring about improvement. This has been done in a measured and considered manner to make sure that improvements are embedded and sustainable.
Despite a time of substantial change, the school has duly considered staff’s workload and well-being. It has taken effective action to build and strengthen meaningful engagement with staff.
For example, the school has recently consulted with staff on the new behaviour policy. As a result, staff have greater confidence that the school listens to their views and acts on their concerns. This has boosted staff morale. Staff feel better supported in managing pupils’ behaviour and improving their teaching practices.
The school has renewed its systems to evaluate how well the curriculum is delivered. It has also taken part in external audits of different subjects to determine how well teachers are checking that pupils are learning all that they should. This has led to a revised programme of training that is aimed at better equipping teachers with effective strategies to check what pupils know and can do.
There is a growing understanding among teachers of how to use the information from their assessment activities to shape their delivery of the curriculum. Nonetheless, in some subjects, this practice is further developed than in others. This means that the gaps in pupils’ learning are not addressed consistently well.
SEND
The school has taken decisive action to improve how pupils with SEND are supported to access the curriculum. For instance, the school has changed how pupils are grouped in classes and improved the information that is provided to teachers about pupils’ additional needs.
Staff have begun to receive research-based training about how to tailor learning activities to help pupils with SEND learn better. As a result, some staff are increasingly confident in adapting their teaching for pupils with SEND.
However, some of this training is at the early stages of implementation. This means that some staff are not as adept at making sure that pupils with SEND can access their learning.
READING
Reading continues to have a high priority. The school offers a range of strategies to identify and support pupils who have gaps in their reading knowledge. This support is having a positive impact on pupils across school. Most pupils develop confidence and fluency in reading.
BEHAVIOUR & ATTENDANCE
Alongside changes to the quality of education, swift and realistic actions have been taken to improve other areas of the school. The school has revised the behaviour policy to help staff to raise their expectations of pupils’ behaviour. As part of this work, the school has liaised closely with parents and carers, staff and pupils to gain their views on how to promote positive conduct.
The school has also strengthened the staffing structure to help teachers to manage pupils’ behaviour well. In turn, pupils are responding to the school routines better than in the past. Although some pupils continue to disrupt learning, teachers are being supported to address such incidents more effectively. There has also been a considerable reduction in the number of negative behaviour incidents across the school.
The previously high number of suspensions is reducing. The school has put strong systems in place to gather more relevant and useful information about behaviour and attendance. However, it is in the early stages of using this information to enhance the support for pupils who present challenging behaviour.
LOOKING FORWARD
The school has harnessed support from a local trust and other external organisations to build leadership capacity. The school is realistic about how systems are refined and implemented. This ensures that the improvements to the quality of education and pupils’ behaviour are sustainable and effective.
The school has identified that the current building work and some historical staffing issues have been a barrier to some aspects of its work to improve the school. As a result, the school is keeping a close watch on the impact of their actions to make sure that it stays on track with the priorities identified in the improvement plan.
The governing body values the additional information that they receive about the school’s work. This has strengthened their oversight and enhanced the support and challenge that they offer.
The school is embracing the support that it is receiving from the local authority, the diocese and a local trust. This has helped the school to bring about improvements to systems and procedures and to improve key aspects of the school."
Recommended improvements
- Improve further how teachers use assessment information to adapt their teaching so that they can better address gaps in pupils learning
- Refine and strengthen the support that is in place for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to ensure that they learn as well as they should
- Use the improved information that is gathered on behaviour trends to enhance the support that is provided for pupils who struggle to manage their behaviour.