Christ The King Catholic High School and Sixth Form Centre

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 29 November 2023

Pupils feel happy, safe and valued at this welcoming school. They enjoy a calm and respectful environment that helps them to study and learn. Pupils and staff are immensely proud of the improvements made to the school in recent years. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), benefit from a broad and varied curriculum. They enjoy their lessons and work hard. The school has raised its expectations for all pupils' achievements. Typically, pupils learn well. However, some students in the sixth form do not achieve as well as they should in some subjects. The school has established a consistent and well-understood approach to supporting pupils' positive behaviour. In lessons, pupils typically embody the school's ethos to 'be the best version of themselves' through positive attitudes towards their learning and their behaviour. Pupils appreciate the vast array of extra-curricular activities on offer to them. They relish experiences that help them to nurture their wider talents and develop their leadership skills. Pupils know that their opinions matter. They said that they feel listened to by staff.

What the school should improve

• In some subjects, teachers are not clear about the gaps in pupils' knowledge. This means that misconceptions go unchecked and are not addressed. The school should ensure that assessment supports teachers to swiftly identify and address any misunderstandings and gaps in pupils' learning.
• In the sixth form, the school has not identified all the essential information that students must learn across a number of subject curriculums. Nor has it ensured that its assessment processes check that students are learning subject curriculums to sufficient depth. As a result, some students do not achieve as well as they should. The school should ensure that all curriculums are complete and logically ordered, and that these set out the most important things that students need to know and remember. This is to ensure that all students are even better prepared for the next stage of their education.
• Some pupils' attendance is not high enough, particularly for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND. Levels of persistent absence are too high. This means that some pupils miss essential learning. The school should ensure that these pupils attend school regularly and on time.

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