Inspection Report
Overall Summary
From its foundation in 1978, St Bede’s has grown rapidly into a flourishing coeducational, boarding and day, school of 760 pupils, aged 13 to 19. Pupils achieve results that are good in relation to their ages, abilities and educational backgrounds. Pupils benefit from high standards of pastoral care and the very successful extra-curricular programme. The school’s building programme has, in the main, enabled it to keep pace with the needs of growing pupil numbers.
What the School Does Well
The school has a distinctive character and many good features. Foremost of these are:
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The teaching staff are very committed to meeting the educational needs of the pupils. Their teaching techniques and styles challenge boys and girls, whatever their ability and background.
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The school offers a very high standard of pastoral care.
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Pupils achieve good, and often very good, results in relation to their abilities. These are well above national standards.
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Relationships within the school are very good. Pupils are tolerant of those of different ability, race, culture and creed.
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The extra-curricular programme is popular and extensive. It enables pupils to achieve high standards of performance and contributes greatly to their personal development.
What the School Should Do Better
The school’s strengths outweigh its weaknesses, but it should give attention to the following:
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It has yet to formulate a comprehensive development plan.
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Although the curriculum is broad, rich and flexible, the programme of a considerable number of pupils in Years 9 to 11 is restricted and lacks balance.
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Much of the boarding accommodation is overcrowded and needs refurbishment or replacement.
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Areas of responsibility for non-teaching staff are often unclear, and as a result the coordination of employment, health and safety, and disability matters is unsystematic and unsatisfactory.
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Reports contain too little information to guide parents and pupils.
Standards of Attainment and Progress in Subjects
Pupils’ attainment and progress are consistently good in relation to their ages, abilities and backgrounds. Many reach high standards of attainment and make rapid progress. Their results are better than those achieved by boys and girls of similar age and ability in maintained schools. At GCSE and at A level, candidates achieve results that are better than those of pupils in maintained schools, and in a few subjects are better than those achieved in selective maintained schools. Able and less able pupils do well in almost all subjects. Pupils with special educational needs (SEN) and those for whom English is an additional language (EAL) make good progress in relation to their abilities and backgrounds.
The Quality of Pupils’ Learning, Attitudes and their Behaviour
The quality of pupils’ learning, attitudes and behaviour is good. Pupils of all ages and abilities have a very positive attitude to learning. They are courteous and their behaviour is mostly sensible and sound. They form very good relationships, and they show very great respect for the values and beliefs of others, as well as for the ethos of the school.
The Quality of Teaching
The quality of teaching is consistently good. It meets the needs of nearly all pupils in each year and each class. It makes a significant contribution to their attainment and progress. Many teachers in all years encourage pupils to think for themselves. They reinforce the learning of weaker pupils, and they set extension tasks to the more able. Staff have secure subject knowledge, they maintain good discipline, and they have very clear objectives.
Other Aspects of the School
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Attendance
Levels of, and arrangements for, attendance are good. Unauthorised absence is minimal and the level of authorised absence is reasonable. Arrangements for monitoring attendance are very thorough. Pupils arrive, for the most part, on time for lessons. The admissions registers comply with statutory requirements.
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Assessment and Recording
The methods used for assessing and recording pupils’ achievements, progress and needs are good. They are accurate, consistent and effective. Pupils are assessed on entry and thereafter. Learning support teachers carefully oversee the individual education plan (IEP) of each SEN pupil.
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Curriculum
In general, the curriculum is sound. It is very broad and flexible, but not always balanced in science and in design and technology (DT). Curricular provision for SEN and EAL pupils, and for those who are academically more able, is good. The school augments the timetabled curriculum with its very good programme of activities and external visits.
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Teaching and Non-teaching Staff
The provision of staff is good. Teaching staff are well deployed. Arrangements for the induction of new teachers are good, and the school attends thoroughly to their professional development. Non-teaching staff provision is generally good. Arrangements for recruiting, training and deploying the non-teaching staff are uneven, and do not fully meet regulatory requirements. Staff, teaching and non-teaching, are very committed and caring.
Resources for Learning
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Resources for learning are generally good. They are effectively used to support the teaching, learning, and recreation of pupils in all years. The very good information and communication technology (ICT) resources are well used in many, but not all, departments. All subjects have adequate non-ICT resources, and many have well-organised stocks of specialist equipment, materials and books for effective teaching. The school has ample audio-visual equipment and many departments use interactive whiteboards.
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Libraries
The libraries offer good support for the curriculum. The pupils use them effectively and they are a good resource for personal study.
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Premises and Accommodation
The buildings, accommodation and other facilities are, in general, sound. They are well used and they enable the curriculum to be taught effectively. The boarding houses and the dining hall are, however, inadequate. The surroundings, gardens, décor and wall displays contribute positively to pupils’ educational experience.
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Links with Parents and the Community
Links with parents and the community are good overall. Parents returning questionnaires gave the school strong support. In particular, they praised the extra-curricular programme, although a significant minority were critical of the boarding facilities. The school, in the main, keeps parents well informed, but end-of-term reports are not well presented.
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Pupils’ Personal Development
Provision for the personal development of pupils, day and boarding, is good. The school gives pupils good opportunities to develop spiritual awareness and a moral code. It encourages them in their cultural and social development. The school’s multi-cultural environment and the citizenship programme teach them to respect the beliefs and values of others. Many pupils benefit from taking responsibility for others.
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Pastoral Care
Pastoral care, welfare, health and safety are sound overall. Pastoral care is very good. Pupils see the school’s rules and sanctions as fair. The school provides good support for boarders, including overseas pupils, and those with SEN. It provides good careers education and guidance. Child protection procedures are appropriate and understood. The dining hall serves nutritious meals but is crowded. Measures to promote health and safety are inadequate although, in the main, pupils are aware of potential hazards. The school has yet to respond to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act (SENDA) 2001.
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Boarding Standards
No Commission for Social Care Inspection team took part in the inspection.
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Governance and Management
The governance and management of the school are good overall. The well-informed governing body supports senior management well. The head, the second master and senior staff give a strong lead. Middle management is good. Teaching staff have clear responsibilities and lines of communication, while administrative staff are quick, courteous and efficient. The non-teaching staff structure, however, is not systematic and is not always effective, so that the school has not made all necessary regulatory checks and assessments. Planning for development covers buildings, but not all aspects of the school.
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Achievement and Quality in Activities
In achievement and quality, the range of pupils’ activities is extensive and very good. Activities are important in pupils’ development. Many pupils achieve very high standards in sport, while others achieve success in dance, drama, music and a wide variety of hobbies. A significant number of pupils take part in service and charitable work. The programme is very well coordinated and made possible by the goodwill and expertise of the staff.
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Progress Made by the School since its Last Inspection
An ISC Accreditation, Review and Consultancy Service inspection took place in October 1998. The school has since grown considerably, and it has enhanced its reputation. It has made good progress in meeting most, but not all, of the recommendations made in the ARCS report. It has developed teaching techniques to challenge the more able, and it has improved the ways in which it monitors the marking of pupils’ work. It has expanded the professional development of teaching staff. In a few areas, the school has made less progress. In particular, flexibility of choice in the curriculum still leads some pupils to make unsatisfactory choices. The school has yet to monitor risk assessments centrally.
The National Care Standards Commission (NCSC), now replaced by the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI), sent a team to inspect boarding in April and May 2003. While praising good boarding systems and the staff’s knowledge and support for pupils, they recommended greater opportunities for the presentation of pupil views, provision of a full salad bar in the dining hall, the establishment of a communal meeting area for pupils, and improvements to accommodation, particularly toilet and shower facilities, in the boarding houses. The school has responded to most of the team’s recommendations, but has yet to provide a meeting area and to improve all the boarding accommodation.
