William Ellis School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 8 October 2024

Pupils enjoy coming to this school. It provides them with a sense of community where difference is accepted and equality valued. Sixth-form students study alongside students on roll at three other schools. They welcome the opportunities this presents to extend their friendship groups. Across the school, pupils and adults establish strong and respectful working relationships. The school has robust systems in place to support pupils' safety and welfare. Generally, pupils behave well in the classrooms and around the school at social times. The school has taken robust action to promote good behaviour, for example by reducing the use of derogatory language. This has included addressing issues around discrimination, including casual misogyny. The school strives for all pupils to achieve well in their studies and in their personal development. The school is successful in meeting these goals. There is a strong, inclusive culture, and the school provides well for the much higher-than-average proportion of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils who struggle to achieve high GCSE grades are also supported well to access A-level or vocational courses in the sixth form. Pupils have many opportunities to participate in a wide range of enrichment activities. These include sports, debating and outdoor education.

What the school should improve

• Sometimes, teaching does not address gaps in pupils' knowledge that have been identified through the school's assessment of learning. This means that some pupils do not secure the key prior knowledge that they will need for the next steps in their learning. The school should ensure that identified knowledge gaps are responded to effectively.
• The school lacks a coherent strategy to identify and support pupils who lack the phonics knowledge and skills to blend sounds to read words accurately and fluently. This means that these pupils may struggle to access reading materials across all subjects as well as they should. The school should find ways to assess, with precision, the gaps in phonics knowledge that weaker readers have. They should use the information to plan bespoke phonics support to enable these pupils to become confident and fluent readers.

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