OVERALL EVALUATION
This is a very good school. Students are very well taught, and as a consequence they learn and achieve very well. They are given, and accept enthusiastically, many opportunities to develop wider interests and to think critically. Leadership is very good and management is good and the school gives good value for money. The ethos of the school and the attitudes of the students are excellent. The sixth form is cost effective.

The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are:
• Very good teaching and learning means that students achieve very well and standards are very high in most subjects and in sport, music and other activities.
• Students’ attendance and attitudes to the life and work of the school are excellent.
• GCSE results are rising faster than the national trend, mainly through improvement by girls. Boys’ standards are being maintained.
• Provision in mathematics is excellent in Years 7 to11 and in music throughout the school.
• The school makes good use of its unsatisfactory accommodation.
• Students underachieve in information and communication technology (ICT) in Year 9 and the course in Years 10 and 11 does not provide students with sufficient challenge, nor with a sound base for further study.
• The religious education curriculum in Year 11 does not meet statutory requirements.

CHANGES SINCE THE PREVIOUS INSPECTION
There has been good improvement since the previous inspection. Teaching methods are now more varied and teaching has improved. High standards have been maintained and GCSE results are rising faster than the national trend. Provision for ICT has improved greatly, but there is more to be done. Provision in religious education has improved but
there is still a breach in statutory requirements.

For GCSE examinations, similar schools are those whose students attained similarly at the end of Year 9.

Students’ standards on entry are well above average, and results when they leave are very high. This is evidence of very good achievement. Results are in line with those of other grammar schools. Standards in English and science are well above average, and in mathematics standards are very high in Years 9 and 11 and well above average in the sixth form. While there is little difference seen in lessons between standards of boys and girls, girls’ GCSE results are better than those of boys. In work seen during the inspection, students were reaching well above average standards in most subjects, both in Years 9 and 11 and in the sixth form.

Students achieve very well overall. In most subjects, including English, mathematics and science, achievement is very good, in Years 7 to 9 and in Years 10 and 11. Only in Year 9 in ICT is there any underachievement, and this is because students have only one short
ICT lesson a week. Achievement is satisfactory in ICT in Years 10 and 11 but the course students follow does not give them the opportunity to achieve more highly. Achievement is good in geography, art and physical education in Years 7 to 9 and in Years 10 and 11. In citizenship in all years in the main school achievement is satisfactory. This is because the subject is only just beginning to take its place in the curriculum and the contribution of other subjects is not fully acknowledged. Achievement is very good in Years 7 to 9 and in Year 10
in religious education but overall in Years 10 and 11 it is unsatisfactory since it is taught only to the students taking the GCSE course in Year 11. There is no difference in overall achievement between students in ethnic minorities and the rest. Students identified as being gifted or talented also achieve very well.

Students’ personal qualities, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, are very good. Standards of behaviour are very good and attendance is excellent. Students’ attitudes to their work and to school life are excellent. Their personal development is very good, as is their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

QUALITY OF EDUCATION
The quality of education provided by the school is very good. Teaching and learning are very good and students' work is assessed well. The curriculum is broad and provides students with a very good range of opportunities for developing wider interests such as sport and music to a high standard. However, it does not fully meet statutory requirements
as most students in Year 11 do not study religious education. In spite of improvements to the school accommodation it is still unsatisfactory in a number of respects. Resources are sufficient in most subjects, but the resource centre, though very well run, is too small and has too few books. Students are very well cared for and advised, and links with the
community and other schools and colleges are very good.

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT
The leadership of the school is very good. The headteacher is very clear about his ambitions for the school. His thoughtful and well-organised approach enables him to carry the school community with him to realise these. The school development plan has identified the weaknesses in the curriculum and there are well-formulated plans for improvement.
Management is good. Senior managers monitor the work of the school well and governors give effective support. However, the governors have not ensured that the school meets statutory requirements fully.

PARENTS’ AND STUDENTS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL
Both at parents’ meetings and through surveys, parents expressed strong support for the school and are very pleased with the quality of education their children are getting. They feel their children are well taught and treated fairly. While most find communication with the
of the school and appreciate the high degree to which their views are taken into account.

IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED
The most important things the school should do to improve are:
• Eliminate the difference between standards achieved by boys and girls at the end of Year 11.
• Improve the ICT curriculum in Years 9, 10 and 11, and that of citizenship in Years 7 to 11 so that students are able to reach the high standards of which they are capable in these subjects.
• Improve ICT in sixth form subjects because in too many subjects provision is inadequate for the needs of the course.
• Continue to press for improvements to the accommodation.
and, to meet statutory requirements: ensure that all students receive their entitlement to religious education and provide a collective act of worship for all students

SIXTH FORM

OVERALL EVALUATION
The sixth form provides a very good education for its students. Standards at A-level are well above average and have improved since the previous inspection. Through very good teaching and a broad appropriate curriculum students are enabled to achieve very well overall. They receive excellent support and guidance and have numerous opportunities outside the curriculum to widen their interests and take responsibility. The sixth form is very well led and is cost effective.

The main strengths and weaknesses are:
• Standards at A-level are well above the national average and have risen since the previous inspection.
• Very good specialist teaching and students’ mature, hardworking attitudes lead to good achievement in most subjects.
• Leadership of the sixth form, and of most subject departments, is very good.
• Students receive excellent support and guidance. Their personal and academic progress is very closely monitored and they develop strong independent study habits.
• There is a broad range of academic courses and opportunities to develop interests and
take responsibility which meet students’ needs and enhance their personal development.
• Students would benefit from more opportunities outside their subjects to deepen their understanding of social, political and moral issues, or to take part in sport if they wish to.
• Space for students both to study and relax is inadequate for the numbers who need it; students have too little access to ICT to help them in their studies.

QUALITY AND STANDARDS IN SUBJECTS AND COURSES OF THE CURRICULUM
Judgements about the provision in the subjects and courses inspected in the sixth form are shown below. They are based mainly on the quality of teaching and learning and how well students achieve. Not all subjects in the sixth form were inspected.

Curriculum area Evaluation

English, languages and Good in English literature.
Communication Students achieve well because of good teaching and their own very positive attitudes.

Very good in media studies. Standards are well above average. Students achieve very well because of very good teaching and excellent guidance and support.

Mathematics Very good in mathematics. Standards are well above average. Students achieve very well as a result of very good teaching and their own hard work.

Science Good in chemistry. Good teaching and very positive attitudes of students are leading to good achievement.
Good in biology. Students achieve well as a result of good teaching, but there are insufficient ICT resources to enhance students’ learning.

Humanities Very good in history. Achievement is very good. High standards reflect excellent support and monitoring of progress. Very good teaching develops independence and effective learning techniques.
Very good in psychology. Students are achieving very well because of very strong teaching, but they have too few opportunities to use ICT in
psychology.

Engineering, technology and Very good in design and technology. Students attain manufacturing well above average results and achieve very well as a result of very good and some excellent teaching.

Visual and performing arts Good in art and design. Standards are above average and media and students are Good in art and design. Standards are above average and students are achieving well. Teaching is good and helps to develop students’ independent thinking.
Excellent in music. Students are achieving very well as a result of very good teaching and learning, and their own excellent attitudes.

Business Very good in business education. Very effective teaching is continuing to produce results well above average with enthusiastic and motivated students. Achievement is very good.

The curriculum areas are broadly common across all post-16 education and training. They do not necessarily correspond with subjects and courses taught by the school. Inspectors make judgements in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory; poor; very poor. Excellent and very good are equivalent to the judgement ‘outstanding’ in further education and sixth form college reports; poor and very poor are equivalent to ‘very weak’.

ADVICE, GUIDANCE AND SUPPORT
Support and guidance for sixth form students are excellent. Students enjoy friendly supportive relationships with their form tutors and subject teachers. Tutors know their students very well and track their progress very closely through frequent monitoring reports, shared with parents. They encourage students to take a full part in school life. Guidance on
careers and university entrance is very good. Students are highly appreciative of the support they receive and of their teachers’ hard work on their behalf. Students who joined the sixth form from other schools have been fully accepted and integrated.

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT OF THE SIXTH FORM
Leadership and management of the sixth form are very good. There is a clear sense of direction and high expectations of what students can achieve. The strong team of tutors is led with great purpose and works efficiently as a unit. Curriculum planning is innovative and sensitive to the needs of students. The leadership and management of subjects are at least good and in many cases very good. Space for students both to do private study and to relax in spare time is inadequate in its size and quality. Students have too little ready access to computers to help them in their studies.

STUDENTS’ VIEWS OF THE SIXTH FORM
Students, including those who joined from other schools, are very positive about the sixth form and are pleased to be part of it. Newcomers feel they have integrated quickly and students say they were very well prepared for the sixth form. They appreciate the wide choice of courses and other activities available and the many opportunities to involve
themselves and take responsibility. A good number of students, most of them boys, say they would like the opportunity to play sport during the week. Students feel that staff listen to them and take their views seriously. Many are concerned about the pressure on space in
the social and private study areas in the sixth form centre.