Homewood School and Sixth Form Centre

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 25 April 2023

Pupils receive good support and care at Homewood. Most appreciate the 'culture reset' through which staff have raised expectations of work, behaviour and attitudes. Pupils' behaviour overall is good and they are focused and thoughtful in lessons. Individually, pupils are keen to share how staff help them with their learning or with things that trouble them. The legacy of the impact of a small minority of pupils who are resisting the changes contributes to an initially negative response when pupils are asked about their experiences, but is not representative of the school now. Pupils benefit from being part of one of the six 'communities' that structure the pastoral support in this large school. Through these, pupils feel known and valued. They know that there is always a member of staff who will make time to support them if needed. This helps them to feel safe. Throughout the school, and particularly in the sixth form, pupils value the extensive range of courses they are able to follow. The vocational and creative opportunities are wide and support the more traditional options well. Leaders ensure that all pupils have a rich extra-curricular programme, which helps to develop their wider knowledge and skills.

What the school should improve

• Too many pupils miss school too often. This hinders their learning. Leaders should continue their efforts to identify and address barriers to frequent attendance from all pupils.
• A few pupils are reacting poorly to the raised expectations for work and behaviour across the school. These responses have a negative impact on their learning and prevent them from achieving as well as they could. Leaders should continue their work to ensure that all staff support pupils to understand and meet these expectations consistently.
• A minority of parents have a very negative perception of leaders' work to improve the school. This is hampering leaders' work to continue the improvements they have put in place. Leaders need to redouble their efforts to build this relationship so that parents understand what leaders are trying to achieve and the rationale for the actions they are taking.

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