Sarah Bonnell School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 2 November 2022

Pupils at Sarah Bonnell School work hard and achieve well. Leaders are ambitious for all pupils including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Lessons are engaging and delivered by teachers with very strong subject knowledge. This helps pupils to learn more and to remember more. Pupils are, therefore, very well prepared for the next steps in their education or training. Leaders have high expectations of behaviour. Pupils have very positive attitudes to their learning, which they demonstrate through high rates of attendance at school. Behaviour in lessons and around the school is excellent and pupils are safe. The whole school community is proud of its diversity. Pupils are respectful towards each other and know that unkind or discriminatory language is not tolerated. Bullying is very rare and is dealt with effectively if it does happen. Pupils take an active role in the life of the school beyond the classroom. They participate in many of the clubs and activities on offer, perform in assemblies, help to organise events and activities, and mentor younger pupils. School leaders listen to pupils and involve them in decision making. For example, recent Black History Month activities were designed and organised by pupils.

What the school should improve

• Pupils do not study the full range of foundation subjects in Year 9. Therefore, pupils who, for example, choose not to continue with music or art in Year 9 do not benefit from the same depth of curriculum as their peers who have chosen these subjects. This means that pupils miss out on opportunities to further develop their knowledge in these areas. Leaders should put strategies in place to ensure that the Year 9 curriculum is as broad as possible, so that all pupils continue to develop their knowledge and skills in a wide range of subjects.
• Leaders' systems for checking on the well-being of pupils who attend alternative provision are not as rigorous as they should be. This could put pupils at unnecessary risk. Leaders are aware of this and should ensure that the checking systems that they use are applied to all alternative education providers where pupils are placed.

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