St Joseph's RC High School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 18 March 2025

The school fosters a positive culture where pupils feel well cared for and valued. Pupils know that they have trusted staff that they can go to for support. Pupils feel safe and are proud to be part of the school community. The school has raised its expectations of pupils' conduct. Pupils are respectful of the new behaviour routines. They typically behave well. Pupils appreciate the positive relationships that they forge with their teachers. This encourages open communication and a respectful atmosphere. The school sets high expectations for pupils' achievement. Pupils are motivated to excel, celebrating both personal and collective successes. For example, pupils' experiences and achievements have been shared and recognised on national television. They benefit from a well-considered curriculum. This helps most pupils to achieve well. The school offers different opportunities to promote pupils' wider development. Educational visits allow pupils to extend their learning beyond the classroom. For example, some pupils enjoyed visiting the Houses of Parliament and different universities. Pupil leaders relish serving the community through charitable projects and visiting local nursing homes. Some pupils enjoy taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme. These activities help pupils to develop their confidence and sense of responsibility.

What the school should improve

• In some subjects, the key stage 3 curriculum does not cover subject content in sufficient breadth and depth. This limits how well some pupils develop their knowledge in these subjects. The school should ensure that the curriculum is refined so that pupils gain the knowledge that they need to have the best chances of success.
• At times, the checks made on pupils' learning do not identify whether pupils are fully secure with prior learning before they move on to new content. This means that gaps in pupils' knowledge are not spotted, and pupils are not supported to build on their prior knowledge as well as they should. The school should ensure that misconceptions and gaps in learning are quickly addressed before new learning is introduced.
• The PSHE curriculum is not delivered consistently well. This means that some pupils have limited opportunities to discuss and explore some aspects of the subject content in sufficient depth. The school should ensure that it strengthens how the PSHE curriculum is delivered so that pupils gain the knowledge and understanding that they need to better prepare them for life in modern Britain.

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