Ursuline College

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 8 November 2022

Pupils at Ursuline College are happy and proud to attend this school. They share respectful relationships with adults and their peers. Pupils talk positively about the care and support they receive from the staff. They know that their heads of house are always available to talk things through when they are worried. Pupils reflect the school's Catholic ethos by supporting and helping their peers within their mixed-age tutor groups. They have learned to 'bear with' one another when pupils are sometimes unkind, so that issues are quickly resolved. Staff and pupils report very little bullying. Adults deal with it quickly and effectively if it does occur. Leaders have high ambition for all pupils, including those in the sixth form, to achieve well. They ensure that pupils are prepared for their next steps through high- quality and impartial careers guidance. They encourage pupils to 'risk new things' and 'stick with it' when they are faced with new challenges. For example, many pupils develop their resilience, and leadership skills, by participating in the Duke of Edinburgh's Award. There are a range of extra-curricular activities on offer, including rock, drama and mindfulness clubs. However, not all pupils know when these take place. Leaders do not currently track attendance at clubs, so they cannot be sure that those who would benefit the most take part.

What the school should improve

• The offer for pupils in key stage 4 PE is limited. This means that pupils in Years 10 and 11 do not participate in physical activity or learn about healthy lifestyles as often as they should. Leaders need to increase curriculum time in this area so that pupils in key stage 4 benefit from high-quality physical education.
• Some groups of pupils miss too much school, including in the sixth form. Although leaders have taken action to address this, rates of persistent absence remain too high for these pupils. Leaders need to review and implement strategies that will have the most impact, so that attendance rates for all are swiftly improved.
• Pupils with SEND do not always receive the most appropriate support to help them achieve as well as they could. Governors and senior leaders need to continue with their plans to develop leadership capacity, so that there is a coherent approach to SEND provision, which is of a consistently high quality.

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