Saltash Community School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 7 May 2025

The school's expectations of pupils' behaviour and learning have increased significantly. Most pupils meet these expectations. The changes to the behaviour policy have caused some unrest in the pupil and parent body but have resulted in a school which is calm and orderly. Strong routines and clear expectations ensure that learning is rarely disrupted. The school takes bullying seriously and has responded robustly to concerns about occasional instances of pupils' use of derogatory language. Pupils feel safe. Pupils learn from an ambitious curriculum, which has been carefully planned. The expectations of what pupils should learn and be able to do have increased. Most of the time, pupils learn effectively and have time to put their learning into practice. Improvements to the curriculum are not reflected in the school's published outcomes, including in the sixth form. Pupils enjoy a wide range of extra-curricular activities, which effectively develop their talents and interests. Sports clubs and competitions are popular, but increasingly, pupils also participate in performing arts, the school production being a particular highlight. Many pupils participate in the Duke of Edinburgh's Award. The school has also recently increased its support for pupils' mental health. Students in the sixth form enjoy wider opportunities, such as sports leadership and the extended project qualification.

What the school should improve

• Staff do not check pupils' understanding consistently well. This means that some pupils struggle to put their learning into practice and build their knowledge over time. The school must ensure that recent work to improve the use of assessment is embedded effectively across the curriculum, so that pupils can learn with confidence and deepen their understanding of what has been taught.
• The systems in place to support the learning of some pupils with SEND are not strong enough. In particular, the review and implementation of some pupils' plans are not completed consistently well. This means that these pupils and their parents or carers feel let down by the school. This also means that teachers do not have the necessary information to adapt their teaching to meet these pupils' needs. The trust must ensure that the leadership of this area of the school is effective so that positive partnerships are developed between the school, pupils and parents and that teachers are able to make necessary adaptations.
• For some students in sixth form, the information and guidance they receive do not support them consistently well. This means that retention rates are too low on some courses and some students do not complete work experience or choose ambitious destinations at the end of key stage 5. The school must ensure that students receive appropriate CEIAG so that they successfully complete their study programmes and have meaningful encounters with the world of work.

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