Magdalen College School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 23 April 2025

The school has failed to provide pupils with an acceptable standard of education. Staff do not have high enough expectations of what pupils can achieve or how they should behave. Pupil outcomes at the end of key stage 4 are too low. Staff have higher expectations of students in the sixth form, and most benefit from a well-delivered curriculum. These students achieve well in public examinations. In class, some pupils disrupt the learning of others. Too often, pupils do not engage well or meaningfully with learning activities. Too many pupils are late to lessons or are absent from lessons. They miss out on learning. During unstructured times, most pupils conduct themselves well. Most pupils feel safe in school. They know they have an adult to talk to if they are worried. However, pupils frequently hear other pupils using discriminatory and derogatory language. Pupils do not report this as they feel the school will not do anything about it. The school has not ensured pupils' physical safety on site. Some areas remain unsafe, and pupils have gained access to them. Sometimes, staff leave pupils unsupervised in classrooms. The school has not taken appropriate action to secure the premises.

What the school should improve

• Pupils, particularly disadvantaged pupils, do not achieve well, especially at the end of key stage 4. This is because expectations are too low, and the curriculum is not implemented effectively. The school has not ensured that staff check pupils' understanding thoroughly. As a result, gaps in learning and misconceptions remain unaddressed, preventing pupils from making the progress they should. The school should ensure that the curriculum is implemented consistently well, so that pupils achieve better outcomes. Staff should systematically check pupils' understanding to identify and resolve any gaps in their learning.
• The school's approaches to supporting pupils' literacy knowledge and skills are not consistently effective. Too often pupils do not get the help they need. Staff do not routinely ensure that pupils use correct punctuation and spelling This affects how pupils develop fluency in writing across the curriculum. The school should ensure that a suitable curriculum is place for writing is in place and that staff implement it well.
• Staff do not adapt their teaching to help pupils with SEND access the curriculum. As a result, these pupils do not achieve as well as they should. The school should ensure that teachers know how to use strategies to support pupils with SEND in accessing the curriculum effectively.
• Pupils do not behave well in lessons because expectations are inconsistent. Recent changes to the school's policy and approach have exacerbated the problem. As a result, staff do not feel well supported by leaders, and too often, pupils do not engage well in their learning. Low-level disruption frequently interrupts learning in class. The school should ensure that pupils behave consistently well, and that staff receive adequate supported to manage poor behaviour.
• Pupils frequently hear discriminatory language, including racist and homophobic slurs. They do not always report this because they lack confidence that leaders will resolve the issue. The school should ensure that everyone understands its approach to dealing with discriminatory language and pupils feel confident that it will be dealt with it effectively.
• Too many pupils truant and arrive late to lessons. This causes them to miss out on learning. The school has not taken effective action to resolve this issue. The school should implement effective systems to reduce truancy and lateness.
• Access to and egress from the site are not managed well. The school is unaware of which sixth-form students are on or off site at any given time. Pupils can access unsafe areas of the school, posing a risk to their safety. The school should ensure that it manages the access and exits to the school site effectively and prevents pupils from accessing unsafe areas.
• The school does not properly oversee or check the alternative provisions it uses or adjust the use of part-time timetables for pupils. It does not verify whether the staff at providers are suitable to work with children. Some pupils in alternative provision are not gaining meaningful qualifications and those on reduced timetables have no clear plan as to how they will return to accessing full-time provision. The school should assess the suitability of alternative providers, confirms that provision meets pupils' needs and guarantees that pupils gain relevant qualifications, including those currently on part-time programmes.
• Leaders and those responsible for governance do not accurately understand the school's weaknesses. They have been too slow to address issues relating to the quality of education, pupils' behaviour and site security. The school should ensure that it has an accurate understanding of what needs to be improved so these issues can be addressed. Governance should be strengthened to ensure that leaders are held to account. HMCI strongly recommends that the school does not seek to appoint early career teachers. The position regarding the appointment of early career teachers will be considered again during any monitoring inspection we carry out.

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