Alfred Lord Tennyson School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 1 October 2024

The school's 'RESPECT' values run consistently through this newly amalgamated school. Across both sites, pupils are expected to show resilience, empathy, self-awareness, passion, excellence, communication and teamwork. Pupils do their utmost to do this, both in classrooms and around the school. Pupils are well looked after. They are kept safe. The well-tailored support that adults provide enables pupils to behave well and work hard. Pupils know how the 'calm zones', 'pit stops' and 'regulation stations' help them to control their emotions. They recognise that things do not always go smoothly. As one pupil said: 'Everyone can have a bad day, but it's important that you deal with it.' The 'discovery base' provides expert support for those pupils who, occasionally, might find social times tricky. Pupils are looking forward to coming together on the same site. Older pupils know the importance of being positive role models for younger pupils. They are eager to do this more. The school has high expectations for all pupils to achieve well. However, there are some aspects of the curriculum and teaching that mean that pupils still do not benefit from a consistently good quality of education.

What the school should improve

• The school's curriculum is at an early stage of implementation. In places, it is well planned and sequenced. However, it does not make clear which are the most important parts that pupils need to know and commit to their long term memory. As a result, there are inconsistencies in how well pupils recall what they have previously learned. The school should continue to embed its curriculum and ensure that it makes clear the most important content that pupils are expected to know and remember over time.
• In some subjects, curriculums have been developed by bringing different resources together. The school has not ensured that these resources align precisely to form one, coherent, progressive curriculum. In some places, content is not logically sequenced. This means that there is some disjointedness in what pupils learn. The school should ensure that the content of its' curriculums is logically sequenced and builds cumulatively over time.
• In some lessons, pupils are expected to complete a series of tasks in a specific order. In these cases, some pupils receive work that is too easy or too hard for them. Some pupils do not get to undertake some of the tasks that are designed to help them think more deeply about what they have learned. The school should ensure that, in all lessons, pupils receive work that builds on what they know and can do.
• Subject leaders are at an early stage of leading their subjects. As such, they have not fully impacted on how well their subjects are taught and how well pupils learn the planned curriculum. The school should ensure that subject leaders fully execute their role, resulting in pupils knowing and remembering the content of the curriculum.

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