Harrytown Catholic High School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 17 December 2024

Most pupils relish the positive relationships that they have with their peers and staff. They appreciate the school's friendly and safe atmosphere. In recent times, the school has renewed its behaviour management systems. This is beginning to help some pupils to improve their behaviour choices. Even so, some staff do not address the poor behaviour of a small number of pupils effectively enough. As a result, some pupils disrupt the learning experiences of others. The school has raised its expectations of pupils' achievement. To this end, it is developing the curriculum so that it is broader and more ambitious. Nonetheless, this improvement work is less well developed in some subjects than it is in others. Furthermore, older pupils do not receive effective support to remedy the gaps in their reading knowledge. Such weaknesses result in pupils' variable achievement across the curriculum. Some pupils do not gain the knowledge that they need to achieve well. Many pupils benefit from the school's 'HarrytownExtra' enrichment programme. For instance, pupils enjoy taking part in clubs, such as animation, trampolining, eco council and choir. Pupils appreciate getting actively involved in charitable work, such as fundraising for homeless shelters. Through these opportunities, pupils are encouraged to become resilient and well-rounded individuals. Older pupils value their roles as members of the peace council and sport ambassadors. Such positions of responsibility help pupils to build their confidence in leading events and supporting their peers.

What the school should improve

• In some subjects, the school has not identified the essential knowledge that pupils should learn. At times, this means that pupils do not learn what they need to achieve well. The school should ensure that the curriculum in all subjects is fully developed so that pupils can make successful progress through the curriculum.
• The school has not fully developed its programme of support for older pupils who struggle to read. This means that some pupils do not develop fluency or confidence. This hinders these pupils from accessing the wider curriculum with ease. The school should ensure that pupils who find reading difficult receive the support that they need to overcome the gaps in their reading knowledge.
• Some staff do not check and remedy gaps in pupils' knowledge sufficiently well. As a result, some pupils do not have the prior knowledge that they need to build on their learning successfully over time. The school should ensure that staff routinely check that pupils have learned and understood what they have been taught so that they are ready to learn new content.
• Some staff do not address the poor behaviour of some pupils as well as they should. As a result, some pupils disrupt the learning experiences of other pupils due to their poor conduct. The school should ensure that staff apply the behaviour management systems consistently well so that learning is not disrupted by poor behaviour.
• Some staff do not have high enough expectations for pupils' conduct and academic achievement. This means that they do not make sure that new initiatives to improve pupils' achievement and behaviour are implemented as well as intended. The school should ensure that all staff understand the importance of maintaining high expectations of pupils' conduct and academic success so that they are better supported to achieve the best that they can.

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