Towers School and Sixth Form Centre

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 15 October 2024

A sense of community and belonging ensures that pupils feel safe and happy at this friendly school. Pupils speak highly of the care they receive from staff, who know them well. Pupils are proud to attend Towers School. Staff recognise when pupils try their best. Clear rules and routines ensure most pupils behave very well. Pupils respect each other's right to learn. Disruption is rare, so pupils focus and are able to learn well in lessons. Pupils' wider development is a priority for the school. Pupils learn about the importance of citizenship during their personal development lessons, where they have rich, purposeful debates about topics such as anti-social behaviour. The impressive school council and Year 11 prefects are role models for their peers. They play a key role in ensuring that pupils understand the importance of democracy through pupil voice. Pupils develop new interests and talents by engaging with a wide range of enrichment opportunities, such as cheerleading and chess club. A small number of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) do not receive their entitlement to a full-time education for extended periods of time. The school does not routinely review how effectively part-time timetables or external alternative provision supports pupils to re-engage positively with education. This means these pupils do not get the swift and precise support they need, further disengaging them from education.

What the school should improve

• The school does not systematically check how well part-time timetables and alternative provision help pupils to engage positively with education. Pupils who would benefit from additional support do not always receive the targeted help they need swiftly enough. Consequently, these pupils do not receive their entitlement to a full-time effective education for extended periods of time. This puts these pupils at risk from further disengagement from education. The school and trustees must urgently review how they monitor and evaluate the use of part-time timetables and alternative provision to ensure pupils receive the swift help and support that they need to access suitable full-time education.
• Staff do not always have access to the most up-to-date and accurate information about the needs of pupils with SEND. This means that some pupils with SEND do not get the precise support they need to help them learn. The school should ensure that staff are suitably aware of the needs of pupils with SEND so that they can adapt learning to help pupils with SEND access the curriculum.
• In some lessons, teachers do not challenge pupils sufficiently to help them think deeply when solving problems or thinking critically. This means that some pupils struggle to apply learning to new ideas and concepts independently. The school must ensure that staff use their training to recognise when to remove support so that pupils learn with increased independence and automaticity.
• A small number of pupils are persistently absent from school. They miss out on essential learning, which potentially has a negative impact on their education and wider development. The school should further strengthen its work with pupils, families and professionals to overcome barriers to regular attendance.

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