Castle Donington College

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 18 June 2024

Pupils are polite, friendly and outgoing. Most pupils are happy at school. There is a keen sense of community. This helps pupils feel safe and secure. They know that there are always adults around to help them if they need support. All pupils follow an ambitious curriculum. The school has high expectations of every pupil's achievement and behaviour. The motto, 'Work hard. Take responsibility. Be kind', sums up the school's philosophy well. Most pupils meet the school's high expectations. They apply themselves well in lessons. Pupils' behaviour is typically good. They understand what bullying is and how to report it. Many pupils say that the school deals with bullying quickly and effectively. The school offers good opportunities for pupils' personal development. Many pupils take part in extra-curricular activities, such as clubs and trips. There is a well-established Duke of Edinburgh's Award group. The curriculum has high-quality opportunities that develop pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding. There is an active school council, which helps to develop pupils' leadership qualities. Pupils follow an effective careers programme. This includes work experience for every pupil in Year 10. Pupils are well prepared for their next steps in education and employment.

What the school should improve

• Some parents raise concerns that the school does not communicate with them well enough, including about the support that their children are receiving. As a result, parents do not fully understand the changes and improvements the school is making, including to the provision for pupils with SEND. The school needs to make sure that there is an effective strategy in place for communicating with parents, so that parents fully understand the reasons behind any changes that take place, and the positive impact such changes are having on the learning and welfare of pupils, including those with SEND.
• The school has not ensured that its approach to assessment is used consistently across the school. This hampers how well pupils' misconceptions and knowledge gaps are identified and addressed. The school should ensure that all teachers have the necessary knowledge and skills to apply the school's assessment approach, so that they can check pupils' understanding and plan the next steps in pupils' learning.
• The school has made changes to its approach to managing pupils' behaviour. Behaviour at the school has improved considerably, as a result. However, the school has not ensured that its new behaviour policy is applied consistently. This means that, in some lessons, the boundaries for pupils' behaviour are not clearly set. This can lead to low- level disruption which, in turn, can prevent pupils from learning. The school needs to ensure that all staff understand how to apply the school's behaviour policy, so that pupils understand the school's rules, and disruption to learning does not happen.

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