Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 8 November 2022

Pupils at this school have a keen desire to do well. They rise to the high expectations set by staff. Pupils are well cared for and enjoy positive relationships with both staff and their peers. The school's character education programme helps pupils to fulfil their potential and 'be your best self'. Pupils behave extremely well. In lessons, pupils listen attentively and participate fully in their learning. At social times, pupils sit maturely and sensibly chatting with friends or in classrooms completing additional study. Bullying is rare and if it does occur, the pastoral team work quickly to address this. The school's curriculum is broad and varied. Pupils can choose to study a range of academic subjects at both GCSE and A level. Leaders actively encourage pupils to pursue their likes and interests. In many subjects, pupils achieve impressive outcomes. Pupils participate in a range of extra-curricular activities. These support pupils' academic learning and musical or sporting talents. There are also more unconventional clubs, such as Lego and philosophy. Several of these activities are led by sixth-form students. A large number of pupils partake in the Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme and many pupils are also involved in the school's upcoming production of 'Legally Blonde'.

What the school should improve

• On a few occasions, teachers do not use assessment strategies as well as they could to check pupils' learning. This sometimes means that pupils do not benefit from the most effective feedback on their work or that key knowledge is recapped effectively. Leaders should ensure that all teachers use assessment consistently well to further enhance what pupils know and remember.
• The PSHE provision for pupils in Years 9 to 11 is not as strong as it could be. Pupils are not given enough opportunities to build on what they know. Therefore, they struggle to talk confidently about key themes and topics. Leaders should ensure that the PSHE provision improves so that it is of similar strength to that seen in Years 7 and 8.

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