The St Christopher School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 23 April 2024

Pupils love attending this school and do so regularly. They receive a high level of care from staff. Pupils build incredibly positive relationships with staff and with each other. They show kindness and consideration throughout the school day. This helps to build the strong sense of community that flows through the school. Pupils have exceptional attitudes towards their learning. They work hard in their lessons to reach the very high expectations the school sets for them. They understand how to use their 'learning powers' and do this throughout the day. They use these 'powers' to help them to achieve well. For example, they develop their independence when accessing the range of clubs on offer to them. These also help to spark interests and talents in areas such as gymnastics, drumming or rugby that pupils never realised they had. Pupils then develop these interests further outside of school. Pupils are very well prepared for their future. They benefit from the extensive wider opportunities the school provides for them. A vast range of activities in the community help pupils to develop important life skills. Pupils enjoy visiting shops to purchase ingredients for cooking or resources for art and design, for example. Students in the sixth form value greatly their residential trip to Portugal.

What the school should improve

• The school has introduced new approaches to the curriculum in some areas. These approaches are not securely understood or embedded across all areas of the school. This can lead to times where lessons focus more on activities than specific learning. The school should ensure that staff fully understand and implement the curriculum as leaders intend, so pupils secure their understanding of the important knowledge leaders want them to.

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