Hellesdon High School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 3 October 2023

The school has raised its expectations of pupils' achievement. Pupils benefit from an ambitious curriculum and lessons that build on what they already know. Pupils are well supported to access learning. They enjoy many of their subjects and appreciate the help that adults give them. Pupils know that they have a trusted adult to talk to at school. They know to report any issues or worries. Pupils feel safe. They are confident that adults will help them and take their concerns seriously. Although many pupils display good attitudes to learning, a minority do not. Disruption to learning is too common. Some pupils regularly interrupt their teachers, which impacts the learning of the class. Pupils get frustrated by this poor behaviour. In the sixth form, students enjoy a warm and welcoming environment. Everyone gets along well and supports each other. Students receive a high-quality education, both academically and outside of lessons. During their 'conferences', they receive valuable guidance, including careers information and more general life skills. This prepares them well for their next steps. Students enjoy attending interesting and challenging lessons. They achieve highly.

What the school should improve

• Outside of the sixth form, a minority of pupils do not display positive attitudes and can sometimes disrupt their peers. Some regularly miss lessons due to poor attendance or as a result of receiving behaviour sanctions. Leaders should ensure that a calm and orderly environment is in place across all lessons and that all pupils attend regularly so that learning is not missed.
• In some lessons outside of sixth form, staff do not push pupils towards their next steps quickly enough. Leaders need to ensure that all pupils are supported to move on when they have secured the knowledge they need to consider more complex ideas.
• Pupils who struggle to read are not supported as effectively as they should be. As a result, a minority of pupils are not fluent readers and struggle to access some learning across the curriculum. The school needs to establish effective systems to support weaker readers to gain the skills needed to rapidly become fluent readers.

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