King Edward VI College Stourbridge

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 30 January 2024

Students benefit from the highly supportive culture that college staff provide. They develop positive working relationships with enthusiastic and committed staff successfully. Students enjoy their learning, and they thrive both personally and academically through their studies. Students demonstrate excellent commitment to their studies. They attend their learning very well, and instances of absence are rare. Students arrive promptly to lessons eager to learn. Where student attendance does not meet leaders' high expectations, college staff take swift and sensible action to remedy this quickly. For example, pastoral tutors devise clear targeted action plans for the very small number of students who need to improve their attendance. Nearly all students participate in a broad variety of activities outside their academic studies which serve to enrich their learning. Activities include debate clubs, international trips, martial arts classes, drama societies and scientific research projects. Through these activities, students develop confidence, communication skills and self-management skills successfully. Students, through their studies, become highly respectful and active citizens. They give their time generously and make a positive contribution to wider society. For example, students independently raise funds for a local soup kitchen, and for those caught up in international conflict. Students fully embrace the values of tolerance and mutual respect, and they feel comfortable expressing their individuality. They celebrate the diversity of the college community frequently. Students deepen their understanding of fundamental British values in taught lessons. For example, students studying classical civilisation explore political systems, democracy and the rule of law when learning about the Athenian assembly. Students know how to keep themselves healthy and safe. Through their learning, they develop an understanding of the importance of healthy relationships. They develop a deeper understanding of the dangers associated with poor mental health, drug use and the risks posed online. For example, students learn to identify and report the dangers of involuntary celibates' activity.

What the school should improve

• Increase the number of students who attain the very best grades, ensuring that the most able students make the progress of which they are capable.
• Continue to improve the consistency in the quality of teaching that students receive, ensuring that all teachers challenge students to achieve their very best in the classroom.
• Improve the quality and consistency of students' encounters with the world of work, ensuring that the work-ready skills being developed are reinforced through taught curriculums effectively.

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