Christ Church, Church of England Secondary Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 21 May 2024

Despite a period of turbulence when it first opened, this school has been on an exciting journey in recent times. Newly appointed leaders have worked hard to create a warm and welcoming school. They have made significant improvements. Pupils say they have 'revolutionised the school and want the best for us.' The school has high expectations for its pupils. However, these high expectations are yet to be fully realised. Pupils generally behave well in lessons and around school. Most relationships between them reflect the school's values of courage and compassion. Pupils say behaviour is improving and bullying is dealt with effectively. They value the support and guidance the school provides. Pupils are safe and feel safe. They have trusted adults in school, who they can talk to if ever they have any concerns. The school promotes equality and diversity well. Pupils say they enjoy the personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education programme. Pupils are able to articulate well the protected characteristics and what it means to be in a diverse school. In terms of their wider development, pupils relish choosing from a wide range of extra-curricular activities, including the Duke of Edinburgh Awards scheme and pupil leadership roles. They also have access to high-quality support for their future career.

What the school should improve

• In a small number of subjects, there is not a well-sequenced curriculum in place. This means that pupils are not able to learn and remember as much in these subjects as they need to. For these subjects, leaders should ensure that the curriculum, and its implementation, is improved so that pupils achieve as well as they are able to.
• Some teachers do not have consistently high expectations of the quality of pupils' work. This means that often work in books is inaccurate or disorganised. This limits the extent to which pupils learn and retain important knowledge. The school should ensure that there are consistently high expectations of pupils so that their work helps them to learn more and remember more.
• While behaviour is improving, the implementation of the behaviour policy is inconsistent. This causes pupils to become confused or feel that systems are unfair. The school should refine the behaviour policy and make its implementation consistent so that pupils and staff understand it fully.

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