Cheltenham Bournside School and Sixth Form Centre

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 27 September 2022

Leaders put the welfare of pupils, as well as academic achievement, at the heart of everything they do. As a result, pupils enjoy school. They feel safe. Pupils know that staff listen and take their concerns seriously. Over three quarters of pupils return to the sixth form because of their positive experiences in the main school. The headteacher has very high expectations for the school. Staff support him in these. There is a strong sense of community for both staff and pupils. Most pupils show respect to each other and to adults. For the few who find it harder to manage their behaviour, there are well-planned systems in place to help them. Bullying is rare. There are pupil anti-bullying ambassadors, who provide immediate support. If there is a need for further action, staff deal with it competently and swiftly. Staff provide numerous extra-curricular activities before and after school, both sporting and cultural. These are popular with pupils. Leaders have started to track the uptake of these clubs to make sure that disadvantaged pupils can attend if they wish to.

What the school should improve

• Some subject leaders do not consider carefully enough the crucial concepts needed to deepen pupils' knowledge. Therefore, the curriculum does not always build well enough on pupils' prior knowledge. Leaders need a clearer focus on the key content of the curriculum to support pupils to remember more over time.
• Some pupils are not able to read fluently. This hinders their ability to follow the full curriculum. Leaders need to ensure that a suitable phonics scheme is put in place to support all pupils to read accurately and confidently.

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