Lift Aylward

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 9 December 2025

Pupils are warmly welcomed each day as they arrive at school. The safeguarding and welfare teams are proactive in identifying pupils who may need help. Pupils know that they can speak with a trusted adult if they have a worry. Leaders ensure that pupils get the safeguarding and welfare support that they need. Pupils are encouraged to live up to the school's values of integrity, kindness, self-control and excellence. This leads to a calm, caring and purposeful atmosphere, where pupils get on well with each other and with staff. Pupils new to the school are assigned buddies who help them settle into school life. Students in the sixth form act as reading mentors for younger pupils and some support GCSE pupils who need subject-specific additional help. The school takes a prompt yet measured approach to addressing occasional incidents of bullying. Pupils attend well. They enjoy learning and take pride in their work. This is reflected in how quickly they arrive to class and settle down to tasks. Pupils take care in recording their work in their `beautiful books’. These display clearly how they deepen their knowledge and extend their skills through the well-sequenced curriculum journey. Inclusion is at the heart of the school’s work. Pupils who are disadvantaged, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those known, or previously known, to children’s social care and those who face challenges to their learning and/or wellbeing, like young carers, receive well-targeted and timely support. Pupils benefit from effective teaching and learning that address their knowledge gaps well. They generally progress steadily from their typically low starting points enabling them to continue into further education. The well-considered personal development programme benefits pupils across the school. They leave well prepared for adulthood.

What the school should improve

• Leaders should ensure that highly effective teaching is embedded across all subjects and year groups so that all pupils consistently achieve excellent outcomes, developing detailed knowledge and skills.

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