Aldridge UTC Warrington

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 12 November 2024

UTC Warrington has an inclusive culture that successfully nurtures pupils' unique talents and abilities. Many pupils have experienced personal trauma or had disrupted education before joining this school. Staff develop trusting relationships with pupils. This helps to build pupils' self-esteem. Pupils are happy at the school and feel safe. Sixth-form students act as strong role models for younger pupils. Many pupils in key stage 4 behave well in lessons and in the dining hall. However, some pupils do not show positive attitudes in lessons, and occasionally, some pupils do not behave well when moving around the school. Pupils enjoy taking part in a variety of activities, including robotics club, 3D printing and combined cadet force. Overseas trips extend pupils' learning. The school has forged strong partnerships with prestigious employers to help pupils and students to be 'work ready'. The school has high expectations of what pupils should learn. In the main, curriculum subjects are well designed across the school. However, there are some weaknesses in the design and implementation of the curriculum in key stage 4. As a result, some pupils learn better in some subjects than in others. Students in the sixth form, however, do benefit from a better-designed curriculum and achieve well.

What the school should improve

• The school has not finalised the curriculum in some subjects. It has not defined all of the subject knowledge pupils need to learn. This hinders some pupils from learning as well as they should. The school should identify the important knowledge and skills pupils should learn in these subjects.
• At times, some staff do not consistently apply the school's agreed learning techniques and checks on learning. This makes it harder for pupils, including those with SEND, to improve their knowledge and understanding. The school should ensure that staff have the skills and knowledge they need to deliver the curriculum and check pupils' learning so pupils know and remember more over time.
• Some pupils do not demonstrate positive attitudes towards their education. Some of these pupils' behaviour falls short of the school's high expectations while others do not attend as regularly as they should. This hinders how well these pupils achieve. The school should build on the effective strategies they have put in place to remove barriers to pupils.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)