Whalley Range 11-18 High School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 27 April 2022

In this all-girls' school, pupils, including those students in the sixth form, come from many different backgrounds. They all benefit from learning about each other's cultural differences. The diverse school community supports pupils' understanding of tolerance and respect. Staff expect high standards of conduct. Pupils are well behaved in lessons and around the school site. Pupils told inspectors that they feel safe and that they know whom to speak to if they are worried or upset. Pupils told inspectors that bullying of any sort is not common. They said that on most occasions staff handle these incidents well when they do occur. Trustees, governors and leaders have high expectations of what pupils and students should achieve. All pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who speak English as an additional language, receive a strong quality of education and they achieve very well. Pupils, and students in the sixth form, benefit from a wide-ranging personal development curriculum. They gain the knowledge and skills they need to live safe and happy lives. Staff go out of their way to offer pupils new and enriching experiences. For example, recently all Year 9 pupils visited a theatre in Manchester to see a play related to their English curriculum.

What the school should improve

• Sometimes, some teachers do not use assessment strategies well enough to check whether pupils have fully understood the essential knowledge in the curriculum. This means that some pupils' learning is uneven. Leaders should ensure that all teachers understand how to use assessment strategies effectively to ascertain how well pupils have understood the curriculum. This is so that all pupils can build a rich body of knowledge across all subjects.

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