Henry Beaufort School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 7 March 2023

Leaders at Henry Beaufort School have created an inclusive school community where pupils are happy, and proud of their achievements. Pupils benefit from strong relationships with staff who model positive behaviour and have high expectations of them. Pupils celebrate diversity and strive to make sure that all pupils are included. For instance, they say that 'everyone is welcome' when talking about pupils who have recently joined the school from Ukraine. Pupils respect each other and take time to listen to different viewpoints. Staff and pupils say that bullying happens occasionally. However, they all agree that any incidents are dealt with quickly and effectively when they happen. The majority of pupils enjoy their learning and want to achieve well. They benefit from supporting each other to learn. For example, Year 10 pupils act as reading buddies for younger pupils. Some demonstrate good citizenship by litter picking on the school site, or as library ambassadors. High numbers of pupils, including those who would benefit the most, take part in a broad and interesting extra-curricular offer, including archaeology and debating club. Leaders are committed to promoting opportunities for pupils to develop social and cultural awareness through personal development days. Pupils experience exciting opportunities to enrich their learning during trips to Portsmouth Dockyard and the battlefields of the First World War, for example.

What the school should improve

• Leaders have not yet fully ensured that all curriculum plans are explicitly mapped so that all staff and pupils know how the full content of the key stage 3 curriculum is covered. Leaders need to review plans that are already in place so that all staff are assured that essential elements of the key stage 3 national curriculum are covered in sufficient depth.
• Not enough pupils are currently directed to the most ambitious GCSE pathway, for example the English Baccalaureate. Leaders need to sharpen their guidance around option choices, so that all pupils study an appropriately ambitious pathway that will fully enable their success in accessing the most suitable future education, employment or training.

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