John Mason School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 10 December 2024

Pupils enjoy taking part in a range of enrichment activities and clubs including sports, gardening, chess and music. They take pride when working together to rehearse and then perform, such as for their 'Winter Concert'. Pupils show maturity in how they celebrate their own and each other's successes. Leadership roles provide pupils with the opportunity to develop skills in public speaking, organisation, managing budgets and marketing. The school is generally calm and orderly. It has recently renewed its expectations of pupils. Many pupils understand these expectations well. Relationships between staff and pupils are often positive and warm. Pupils know that they are cared for and that staff will help them when they need it. However, too many pupils do not achieve as well as they should, particularly pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Too often, the barriers that these pupils face in their learning, behaviour or attendance are not addressed quickly or consistently enough to make the difference that they need to achieve well. The school rightly prioritises these pupils as it embeds higher expectations and new strategies.

What the school should improve

• The school does not consistently check what pupils know or remember effectively. As a result, gaps or misconceptions in pupils' knowledge and understanding are not addressed as well as they should be. The school should ensure that all staff have the knowledge and skills to accurately identify gaps and misconceptions and adapt their delivery of lessons to rectify these.
• The achievement gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils remains too wide. The school should ensure that all staff know pupils' specific barriers to learning in their subjects and use agreed strategies to support these pupils more effectively in lessons to help them catch up and achieve as well as they should.
• Some staff do not identify or address inattention in lessons. This means that too often pupils opt out of learning or are distracted. These pupils miss out on important learning. The school must ensure that all staff have the knowledge and skills to consistently apply the high expectations of behaviour set out in the school's own behaviour management policies.
• Pupils, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds and pupils with SEND, are not attending school as regularly as they should. The rates of absence remain persistently high for too many pupils. As a result, they are missing out on vital learning and wider development opportunities. The school and trust should maintain a sharp focus on reducing rates of absence. They must continue to implement and persist with effective strategies to secure sustained improvement in pupils' attendance.
• The school's new systems, processes and expectations are not consistently applied or understood by all staff. This means that improvements to learning, behaviour and attendance are not as embedded or rapid as they need to be. The school must ensure that it continues to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of new systems and processes to ensure consistency across the school.

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