Teignmouth Community School, Exeter Road

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 8 October 2024

Teignmouth Community School has the ambition for pupils and staff to be 'the best version of themselves'. This shared vision has driven the recent rapid improvements made to many areas of the school. The school recognises that there is more work to do to further raise the achievement of pupils by the end of key stage 4 and replicate the improvements seen in sixth-form outcomes. The school has clear expectations for the behaviour of pupils. Pupils appreciate that they can largely learn without disruption. There are some pupils who have found it challenging to adapt their behaviour to meet these higher expectations. The school is providing support for these pupils to reduce the number of suspensions. Bullying remains a concern for some pupils at this school. They are starting to understand what behaviour is unacceptable and are increasingly prepared to share concerns with adults. However, for some pupils, incidents are not resolved swiftly enough to reassure them that they will not reoccur. Activities such as geography fieldwork and trips to local museums bring the curriculum to life. Pupils and sixth-form students develop leadership skills through the charity committee and the Duke of Edinburgh's Award. School productions and sporting competitions encourage pupils to develop their talents.

What the school should improve

• Assessment within the curriculum does not help staff accurately identify pupils' starting points or gaps in their knowledge or understanding. This means that some pupils do not receive the support or challenge they need to learn as well as they should. The school should ensure that the use of assessment checks pupils' understanding more effectively so that the curriculum can be adapted accordingly.
• The curriculum is not adapted precisely enough to meet the needs of pupils with SEND. Consequently, these pupils do not learn the curriculum as well as their peers. The school should ensure that teachers have the information and training they need to adapt the curriculum to meet pupils' needs.
• When there are incidents of unacceptable behaviour, including bullying, the actions taken are not always resolving issues. This means that some pupils are experiencing repeated bullying and the number of suspensions given for persistent poor behaviour remains high. The school should ensure that the actions taken after a behaviour incident provide pupils with the support that they need to improve how they manage their behaviour.

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