Bodmin College

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 1 October 2024

Bodmin College has been through a period of turbulence. The trust and new leadership have a shared aspirational vision for the school and sixth form. They recognise that published outcomes for pupils are low and have identified priority areas for rapid improvement. However, at this point-in-time, many elements of the improvement plan are in their infancy and therefore not yet had impact. The school has high expectations for pupils' behaviour. Pupils appreciate the new clarity about what behaviour is acceptable. There are clear sanctions and rewards in place to help pupils to learn from mistakes. Pupils can learn without disruption and the school is calm. The school identified that bullying was a concern for some pupils. There has been a focus on helping pupils to understand that bullying is never acceptable. Pupils are now increasingly reporting concerns that they previously tolerated. Adults take action to help resolve any incidents. Pupils value this support and feel listened to. Pupils enjoy a range of extra-curricular activities. For example, competitive sport, outdoor adventurous activities, school drama productions and musical performances. Pupils are keen to take on responsibilities and to contribute their views. Pupils recognise and appreciate the improvements being made to their school.

What the school should improve

• The curriculum is not adapted precisely enough for some pupils with SEND or pupils with low levels of literacy. Consequently, these pupils do not learn the curriculum as well as their peers. The school should ensure that teachers have the information and training they need to adapt the curriculum to meet the needs of learners.
• Assessment within the curriculum does not help adults accurately identify pupils' starting points or gaps in their knowledge or understanding. This means that some pupils do not receive the support or challenge they need to learn as well as they might. The school should ensure that assessment routines check pupils' understanding so that the curriculum can be adapted accordingly.
• Pupils do not receive sufficient individual guidance about appropriate qualifications to select at key stage 4 and post-16. This means that some pupils and sixth-form students are taking courses that are not suitably challenging or aligned to their future career aspirations. The school should ensure that all pupils receive the independent advice and guidance they need to select appropriate programmes of study.
• The school has implemented extensive changes to secure improvements in the quality of provision. As much of this is in its infancy, there have been limited opportunities to review impact. The school should ensure that systems are in place to embed, monitor and evaluate the impact of the newly introduced strategies. This will provide leaders and those responsible for governance with accurate self-evaluation to help to inform future leadership decisions.

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