Sir John Thursby Community College

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 25 April 2023

Pupils enjoy attending this thriving and popular school. They try hard to live up to the school's core values. Pupils, including those with diverse needs and backgrounds, feel a strong sense of belonging to the school community. Pupils feel safe in school. They appreciate the support that they receive for their well-being. Pupils benefit greatly from a range of leadership opportunities. For example, they act as librarians, prefects and mental health ambassadors. These roles help pupils to make a considerable contribution to the school and wider community. Leaders expect pupils to aim high across the academic and wider curriculum. Pupils achieve well. They are proud of the rewards that they receive for their academic achievement. Pupils are very well informed about their options when they leave school. Almost all pupils successfully move on to apprenticeships, A levels or other forms of education, employment or training. Leaders and staff have high expectations of pupils' behaviour. Most pupils behave with courtesy and respect. A small cohort of pupils occasionally exhibit challenging behaviour. Staff quickly address and manage this behaviour well. Staff know pupils very well. They provide high levels of support for many pupils and their families. Occasionally, when bullying occurs or pupils hear derogatory language, staff are quick to address it.

What the school should improve

• The checks that some teachers make on pupils' learning are not as effective as they could be. This means that some teachers do not address pupils' misconceptions or support them to fully understand what has been taught. Leaders should ensure that teachers use agreed assessment strategies consistently well so that they check pupils' understanding more readily.
• In a small number of subjects, leaders have not specified the key knowledge that pupils must learn. This means that some pupils miss out on essential knowledge needed to progress successfully through the curriculum. Leaders should refine their curriculum thinking so that teachers know what should be taught and when this will happen in these subjects.

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