Unity College

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 20 February 2024

Unity College is warm and welcoming. Most pupils enjoy the friendships that they forge in school. Pupils know that they have adults to talk to if they need support. This helps them to feel safe. The school has raised its expectations of pupils' behaviour. Nonetheless, some staff do not apply the behaviour systems consistently well. Most pupils behave well, however a minority do not. As such, some pupils do not enjoy school due to the poor behaviour of their peers. The school is ambitious for pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). That said, in many subjects, the curriculum is not designed well. This hampers how well teachers can deliver the curriculum. As a result, some pupils do not achieve as well as they should. Many pupils appreciate the opportunities to expand their experiences beyond the curriculum. They enjoy a range of sporting opportunities such as rock climbing, football, cricket and cross country running. Pupils value taking part in The Duke of Edinburgh's Award. They relish the experiences of working with different people and competing with their peers. Some pupils benefit from a range of trips which broaden their knowledge beyond the classroom. For instance, they enjoyed visiting Italy to learn about olive gardens and how spices are made. Other pupils appreciated the opportunity to practise their French and skiing skills in France.

What the school should improve

• In many subjects the curriculum is underdeveloped. This means that teachers do not have the clarity of what content needs to be taught and when this learning should take place. As such, some pupils do not learn new content well. The school should ensure that the curriculum makes it clear what pupils should learn and when this will happen.
• In some subjects, teachers do not use assessment strategies well enough to identify and address gaps in pupils' knowledge. Consequently, some pupils do not have the knowledge that they need to learn new content securely. The school should equip teachers to use effective assessment strategies to remedy any gaps in pupils' learning.
• Some staff do not use effective strategies to support the learning of pupils with SEND. This means that some pupils with SEND are not able to access some aspects of the curriculum. This hampers their achievement. The school should ensure that staff are trained to adapt the delivery of the curriculum to help pupils to access their learning better.
• Until recently, the school has not given reading enough priority. This means that the strategies designed to support pupils to read confidently and frequently are not implemented effectively across school. As such, many pupils, especially those in key stage 4, do not read often or widely. The school should promote reading and support pupils who struggle to read so that they can access the curriculum successfully.
• Many pupils, particularly those who are disadvantaged, do not attend school regularly enough. This means that they miss valuable learning, which in turn limits their achievement. The school should put the right support into place for pupils and their families to help reduce the rate of absences.
• Some staff do not apply the new systems to manage pupils' behaviour consistently well. As a result, some pupils do not behave well. This has a negative impact on the learning of other pupils. It also spoils their enjoyment of school. The school should ensure that staff use the systems to manage pupils' behaviour as intended so that pupils' learning is not disrupted.
• The governing body and the school do not evaluate the impact of their actions to secure improvement well enough. This means that they do not have the clarity that they need to ensure that their improvement strategies are making a difference. The school should monitor and review its improvement work carefully to ensure that it has the intended positive impact.

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