Handsworth Grange Community Sports College

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 3 June 2025

Following a period of instability, the school has introduced an approach which has improved behaviour significantly at the school. This new approach is used consistently. Lessons are calm, and most pupils behave respectfully towards their peers. Social times are now much more settled. There are more staff on duty. Pupils are confident that staff will help them if they need it. Most pupils enjoy coming to school. They feel safe and happy. The school has recently made changes which show greater ambition for the way the curriculum is taught. Some of these changes are new and not yet firmly embedded. As a result, there are inconsistencies in how well pupils learn the intended curriculum. A significant number of pupils still do not achieve highly in external tests and assessments. This is particularly the case for disadvantaged pupils. The school offers a wide range of enrichment opportunities. These include residential trips overseas, a club that supports pupils who are young carers and visits to universities. Many pupils regularly take advantage of these opportunities, including those who are disadvantaged. The school recently moved more of these activities to lunchtime. This has allowed pupils with commitments after school to attend these clubs more easily.

What the school should improve

• There are inconsistencies in how well the curriculum is implemented. Teaching does not routinely check that pupils have learned and understood what they have been taught before moving onto new content. These inconsistencies affect how well pupils learn the intended curriculum and their achievement in different subjects. The school should ensure that the curriculum is implemented consistently well and that pupils build up their knowledge securely over time and achieve highly.
• The school's approaches for promoting reading for pleasure and developing pupils' literacy, including their knowledge and use of important vocabulary, are not firmly embedded. This affects how well pupils develop their knowledge and skills in these aspects of the curriculum. The school should ensure that its approaches for developing pupils' literacy skills, including their knowledge and use of vocabulary, are firmly embedded and implemented well.
• The school's strategies to improve the attendance of certain groups of pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND, are not as effective as they could be. This means these pupils miss valuable learning time. The school should ensure that the revised strategies for improving attendance continue to embed and have a positive impact for all pupils.
• The school's work to identify and improve the most important priorities for the development of the curriculum is not as focused as it should be. This affects how well leaders at all levels address the most important actions needed to improve key aspects of the quality of education. The school should ensure its improvement work to develop the quality of education is sharply and systematically focused upon the most important priorities identified.

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