The Reach Free School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 15 October 2024

Pupils are happy as part of The Reach Free School community. Teachers have high expectations for their behaviour and learning. The school prioritises the well-being and personal development of pupils. They receive high-quality guidance and care. Pupils value the fact that there are plenty of adults who will listen to them. Pupils, including sixth-form students, access a broad range of subjects that challenge them academically. They typically achieve well. On occasions, pupils do not have the chance to extend and deepen what they learn. This can limit how well pupils learn more complex ideas. Pupils' experiences at this school are exceptional. They take part in a wide range of 'electives', trips and opportunities, as well as giving to the wider community. These activities broaden pupils' interests, experiences and understanding of the world. For example, pupils in Year 7 participate in overnight camping, and in Year 10 pupils visit a school in Valencia. Pupils can also take part in clubs such as further maths and digital animation. Pupils learn about equality and diversity. Pupils spoke about how everyone is equal and differences are accepted. Pupils' behaviour is exemplary. They clearly understand the expectations and conduct themselves responsibly. They treat each other and staff with respect.

What the school should improve

• On occasion, some teachers do not use their checks on pupils' understanding to make necessary adaptations to build effectively on pupils' prior learning. This means that sometimes teaching is not adapted precisely enough to fully meet pupils' needs, which means they do not learn or achieve as well as they could. The school needs to ensure that staff use their checks on pupils' understanding to make the adaptations to learning that pupils need to learn consistently well.
• The school does not provide effective support for some pupils who find reading difficult. This means that these pupils cannot read fluently, do not access the curriculum as well as they might and do not achieve as well as they could. The school should ensure that it identifies all pupils who need support with reading and provides the support that they need to get better at reading.

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