English Martyrs Catholic School and Sixth Form College

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 7 January 2025

The school is calm and orderly. Most pupils show respect for others. Staff work diligently to build positive relationships with pupils and their families. The school is establishing a culture in which pupils can achieve. Pupils value this. They are safe at school. The school has high expectations of what pupils can achieve. Pupils at all key stages experience a curriculum that gives them the knowledge they need to succeed. However, this curriculum is not yet embedded. Pupils in Years 10 and 11 have gaps in their knowledge. Also, high levels of absence mean that several pupils miss too much of their education and do not achieve well. Most pupils behave in an appropriate manner. They work hard in lessons and conduct themselves sensibly. However, there is a significant minority of pupils whose behaviour is disruptive outside of lessons. Occasionally, this behaviour affects other pupils' learning. Pupils enjoy a wide range of clubs and activities, including sports and creative arts. They benefit from educational visits to places of cultural interest, both at home and abroad. Pupils take on leadership roles, such as prefects, school councillors and house captains. Indeed, pupils make a valuable contribution to both the life of the school and the local community.

What the school should improve

• Sometimes, particularly in key stages 3 and 4, teachers do not check pupils' understanding systematically enough. Also, sometimes they do not use questioning well enough to deepen and extend pupils' knowledge. The school should ensure that it provides teachers with the professional development they need, both in pedagogy and pedagogical content knowledge, to secure, deepen and extend pupils' learning.
• Levels of absence and persistent absence are high, particularly for disadvantaged pupils. This means that a significant number of pupils are missing too much of their education. It also means that by the end of key stage 4, these pupils do not have the knowledge they need to achieve well in their examinations. The school should ensure that it sustains its rigorous approach to improving pupils' attendance.
• The behaviour of a significant minority of pupils is persistently disruptive. This means that these pupils miss too much of their education through being suspended or removed from lessons. This affects their ability to achieve well. Also, the behaviour of these pupils sometimes disrupts learning. The school should ensure that it provides these pupils with the support that they need to improve their behaviour.

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