St Philomena's Catholic High School for Girls

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 24 February 2022

This is a caring learning community where pupils said they are part of a 'big family'. Pupils and staff are guided by the school's core values, including generosity, kindness and integrity. Pupils enjoy coming to school. They are polite, respectful, and welcoming towards each other, staff, and visitors. Pupils are kept safe and value the support their teachers give them. Teachers have high expectations of pupils' conduct. Most pupils understand that the school rules create an environment which helps them to learn. Pupils said that bullying, including derogatory comments, are not accepted. Should any incidents occur, staff are quick to address them. Nonetheless, in a few instances, pupils do not feel fully confident reporting concerns to staff. Leaders are addressing this. For instance, well-being 'ambassadors' have recently been introduced to strengthen provision for pupils' mental health. Leaders expect all pupils to achieve well, and pupils live up to the high expectations, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). In the sixth-form, students produce work of an exceptionally high standard. Sixth-form students' excellent behaviour and attitudes mean they are strong role models for younger pupils. Pupils attend a variety of exciting clubs. They also participate in many trips which aim to extend their horizons.

What the school should improve

• In a few subjects, some checks on pupils' learning do not pick up when pupils are finding it hard to grasp key academic language. In some instances, pupils' understanding of this language is not fully secure. Leaders should ensure that approaches to checking pupils' understanding contribute consistently well to developing pupils' use of subject-specific vocabulary.
• On occasions, leaders' curricular thinking has not made clear what knowledge pupils need to learn in order to achieve the long-term goals for the subject. When this happens, pupils sometimes move on to learn more-complex ideas before they are ready. Leaders should monitor the implementation of the curriculum and support teachers to identify all of the different knowledge pupils will need to successfully tackle more complex subject content.

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