The Royal Sutton School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 6 December 2023

Pupils benefit from a broad and balanced curriculum with personal development running through its heart. 'Turning potential into reality' is the motto that staff live by. The school has a set of well-established routines, including a strong focus on making pupils feel welcome when they arrive. Lessons are purposeful and clearly structured. Pupils know what to expect and generally behave well. They show positive attitudes to their learning. Pupils are respectful and courteous in discussion. There is a sense of pride among pupils. They can see that the school has improved rapidly in recent years. Pupils enjoy a wide range of opportunities for personal development. Character lessons, assemblies and form times are designed to help them understand the school's 'moral virtues'. Pupils talk positively about these and how they are praised. There are numerous clubs for pupils to be involved in, for example chess and drama, and a range of sports take place throughout the school day. Staff know the pupils well. The school has put systems in place to capture pupils' views and concerns. Pupils feel supported and safe. Pupils say that staff take issues seriously and deal with problems that arise.

What the school should improve

• The adaptations for some pupils with SEND are not based well enough on their needs in lessons. Consequently, they do not always get the help they need to access the ambitious curriculum on offer. The school needs to ensure that all teachers carefully adapt the curriculum to meet the needs of pupils with SEND, and put these in place in each lesson in order to help pupils with SEND to access the full curriculum well.
• Pupils' understanding is not always checked well enough before moving on to the next part of the curriculum. As a result, pupils have gaps in their knowledge or misconceptions. Leaders at all levels should ensure that teachers check pupils' understanding consistently well in order to enable pupils to build knowledge more effectively over time.
• The high expectations set for pupils' behaviour are not implemented consistently across the school. Some pupils do not cooperate with the routines in place well enough and therefore struggle to engage with their learning. The school needs to ensure that routines are well understood by staff and pupils.

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