Aylestone School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 9 July 2024

Aylestone is a small secondary school where everyone knows each other well. Staff build warm and supportive relationships with pupils. They work hard to ensure that pupils are well prepared for life beyond school. As one parent commented in response to Ofsted's survey, 'staff genuinely care and make every effort to put parent and child worries at ease.' Pupils are polite and greet visitors warmly. Many pupils talk about the friendship bonds they have formed since coming to the school. In lessons, pupils generally show a positive attitude to their learning and complete tasks well. Pupils say that bullying is rare and that they have every confidence in staff to resolve issues should they occur. The curriculum provides an appropriate range of subjects for pupils to study. At key stage 4, pupils can opt for various GCSE or vocational subjects. However, in some areas, the curriculum is not taught consistently well. This can impact the progress that pupils make. There is an extensive range of extra-curricular activities to broaden pupils' wider development. There are several different house events which include a pantomime at Christmas and an 'Aylestone's Got Talent' show. There are also different sports, music and drama clubs as well as a popular Lego club.

What the school should improve

• There are inconsistencies in the way the curriculum is implemented. Some teachers do not use assessment strategies well and/or consistently check what pupils know and understand before moving on. This means that some pupils struggle to know what they do well and where they need to improve. The school should ensure that all teachers deliver the curriculum effectively to help pupils make better progress.
• The school has not put in place an effective reading strategy. As a result, gaps in pupils' reading ability are not being identified precisely to put in place the right support, and pupils' wider enjoyment of reading is not well developed. The school should ensure that all pupils, including weaker readers, are supported to help improve their reading skills and that pupils are encouraged to read more widely.
• The school needs to improve strategic oversight of all aspects of its work. This is because in some areas, there is insufficient precision to identify patterns and trends to inform future actions. The school should ensure that all leaders have a good understanding of their areas of responsibility and use information effectively to help the school move forward.

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