Stanley High School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 23 April 2025

Pupils feel a growing sense of belonging to this school. For instance, they spoke excitedly about participating in a range of whole school recognition and celebration events. Pupils said it brought the school community together in a joyful way. They benefit from effective support. Pupils know that staff care for them. Pupils resoundingly told inspectors that they feel safe in school. Typically, pupils' behaviour around school is calm. Most follow the school's routines and conduct themselves appropriately. However, some pupils' attitudes to learning are not as positive as they should be. They do not engage well with learning. The school's expectations of what pupils can achieve academically are increasing. However, inconsistencies in the delivery of the curriculum hamper pupils' attainment. Pupils do not achieve highly. There is a raft of clubs on offer. Pupils are particularly keen to participate in sporting ones. Some pupils also enjoy puzzle club, drama and the Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme. There are opportunities for pupils to take up roles of responsibility, such as that of school councillor. This helps them to develop confidence. However, pupils are not as well prepared as they could be for their future because the careers curriculum is not finalised.

What the school should improve

• There are inconsistencies in how well the curriculum is delivered. At times, learning activities do not help pupils to apply their knowledge and to develop a deep understanding of the subject. The school should ensure that teachers have the necessary subject pedagogical knowledge to implement the intended curriculum.
• In many subjects, processes for checking pupils' understanding are not effective. This means that some teachers do not identify the gaps in learning that some pupils have. This prevents pupils from achieving as well as they should. The school should ensure that staff systematically check pupils' understanding and use this information to inform future learning.
• The school has not ensured that staff are fully supported to adapt teaching for pupils with SEND. As a result, some pupils with SEND do not have their needs met and do not achieve highly. The school should ensure that staff have the knowledge to be able to adapt their delivery of the curriculum effectively.
• Some staff do not have sufficiently high expectations of pupils' behaviour. Consequently, some pupils do not actively engage in their learning and do not take pride in their achievements. The school should ensure that staff have high expectations of pupils' behaviour and use the school's behaviour policy effectively to uphold those expectations.
• Careers provision in the school is underdeveloped. As a result, pupils are not well enough prepared for their future steps in education, employment or training. The school should ensure that it strengthens its careers provision so that pupils receive the information that they need to make well-informed decisions about their next steps.
• The school does not have sufficiently robust oversight of its work. This hinders how well it prioritises areas for development and evaluates the impact of the actions that it has taken. The school should develop systems that enable it to have a more strategic view of all aspects of its provision so that improvements can be made at pace.

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