Inspection report: South Craven School, 12 – 13 March 2013 5 of 9
A * standard. Similarly, outstanding teaching in a Year 11 English lesson enabled students to identify where they could improve their work in preparation for the GCSE examination.
• Lessons comprise continuous feedback to students on how well they are doing. If teachers believe that progress is not quite as rapid as it should be, they modify their approach to ensure that all students, irrespective of their ability, are on track to reach the learning targets. Marking is regular, accurate and provides students with detailed comment on how they improve their work and raise their standards further. On occasion, however, teachers do not give students sufficient opportunity to respond to the feedback they receive.
• Parents who responded to the on-line questionnaire are generally entirely satisfied with the quality of teaching their children receive.
The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding
• Parents rightly believe their children are happy and safe in school because, in their view,‘ Staff are motivating, friendly and approachable and the support and guidance students receive are outstanding.’ Students agree and show how proud they are to attend the school with comments such as,‘ We are proud of each other and there is a will for everyone to succeed.’ Without doubt, the school’ s exceptional support for students on the autistic spectrum is mirrored in the support it provides for all groups.
• Indeed, students’ conduct and engagement in learning are exceptional: they are invariably polite to visitors, are keen to support and look after each other and display very good manners. They are delighted to show visitors their work and to talk about all aspects of school life.
• They have a profound understanding of the dangers of bullying in all its forms, including cyberbullying and bullying based on prejudice. They say that bullying does occur, but that it is rare and is always dealt with promptly and effectively by staff. They feel safe as a result, and also value the emphasis the school places on them using the Internet safely.
• The school promotes students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development outstandingly well. For example, as part of their sports leadership programme, sixth-formers support younger students in the inter-form games; sixth-formers also usefully take part in paired reading with students in Key Stage 3. Music and drama play a vital role in students’ cultural development and their multicultural awareness is promoted by their partnership with schools in Sri Lanka and Ghana. Students take the lead in organising activities to raise money for a wide range of charities, to support‘ Help for Heroes’ and the Air Ambulance, for example.
• Students benefit from a variety of extra-curricular subject clubs and other activities, including sport, engineering and recreational games such as chess. They also receive visitors from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, who talk to them about university life and how to aim for the highest standards.
• Staff make regular visits to the local colleges which provide vocational courses for students. Students say they are safe there and enjoy the activities.
• Attendance is well above average and has been so since the academy opened. Students are punctual to school and to their lessons.
The leadership and management are outstanding
• At all levels, leaders and managers have a very clear view of how successful the school can be and have the highest ambitions for students and staff alike. The talented headteacher, supported to the full by the committed senior leadership team, leads by example and shows great determination in driving forward improvements in both the main school and in the sixth form. The school’ s procedures for checking and improving the quality of teaching are faultless, as are its systems to monitor students’ progress and attainment. The school knows itself exceptionally well and its procedures for gaining an accurate view of its performance are honest