The Henry Box School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 8 February 2023

Leaders are aspirational for pupils, including those in the sixth form. The school's curriculum is ambitious. Pupils and sixth-form students follow a broad range of subjects. They take courses which lead to high-quality and relevant qualifications. Staff use their strong subject knowledge to help most pupils learn well. Most pupils work hard and achieve well. This includes many disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). As a result, most pupils make good progress through the planned curriculum and attain the qualifications they need for their next steps. However, some expectations of some pupils with SEND are too low. Pupils are rightly proud of their diverse school community and the ways in which all are welcomed at the school. Through the school's personal development programme, pupils learn about equality and respect for others. They are keen to think about their place in the wider world and how they can contribute to life in modern Britain. Staff support them well with this. Pupils feel safe in school and they know who to go to in school for help. Many expressed their confidence in staff but some pupils, parents and carers told inspectors that they feel that staff do not deal with bullying well.

What the school should improve

• The attendance of some pupils is too low. This is impacting negatively on their learning and wider development. Leaders should ensure that the inclusion and attendance strategies they have introduced are implemented consistently to improve the attendance of all pupils, particularly those who are persistently absent.
• Expectations of pupils with SEND are not always high enough and the effective use of teaching approaches to meet the needs of SEND pupils is not consistent. As a result, some pupils with SEND in some subjects do not achieve in line with their peers. Leaders should ensure that effective strategies are rapidly embedded in all areas, so that provision for pupils with SEND is consistently high across the school.
• Some parents and pupils are concerned about bullying in the school. They are not always confident that bullying is addressed. Consequently, some pupils are not as happy as they could be. Leaders must continue to work with these parents and pupils so that they feel supported. As part of this ongoing work, leaders should help parents and pupils to understand better what the school does to resolve any incidents of bullying.

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