The Avon Valley School and Performing Arts College

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 21 March 2023

Avon Valley is an inclusive, warm and welcoming school. Pupils are very well cared for and pupils know this. There are strong relationships between pupils and staff. Pupils embrace the school values of 'aspire, engage and achieve'. Pupils say they feel safe. Pupils say that bullying does not happen often, but when it does, staff are quick to sort it out. Pupils behave well. In lessons, they display positive attitudes to their learning. Teachers have extremely high expectations of pupils and these are well understood and communicated through the 'The Avon Valley Way'. Leaders have placed a great emphasis on improving attendance, particularly after the pandemic. Pupils attend well. They move around the school site sensibly and are polite and friendly to visitors. Pupils experience a wide range of opportunities outside of lessons. These activities broaden their horizons and encourage pupils to be confident and resilient. For example, pupils take part in a wide range of sports and drama clubs. They are keen to contribute to their local community and fund raise through events such as 'letters against loneliness' and 'the gift of giving'. Parents and carers are particularly supportive of the school.

What the school should improve

• Some teachers do not provide pupils with SEND with effective support in lessons. As a result, pupils with SEND do not achieve as well as they should. Leaders should ensure that staff are making the necessary adaptations to their lessons so that all pupils achieve the best possible outcomes.
• Some pupils do not see the importance or value in reading widely and often. As a result, despite leaders' efforts to prioritise reading, some pupils do not benefit from strategies to encourage reading. Leaders should ensure that there is a well- implemented strategy to promote a culture of reading across the school.
• There is a low take-up of pupils studying the combination of subjects that make up the EBacc at key stage 4. This means that too few pupils choose to study the range of academic subjects that make up the EBacc. Leaders should continue their efforts to ensure that the EBacc sits at the heart of the curriculum.

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