A headteacher says he is confident that improvements will be made quickly in the wake of an Ofsted inspection.
Nether Stowe School was given an overall rating of ‘requires improvement’ following the visit in April.
Inspectors said areas such as behaviour of pupils, personal development, sixth form provision, and leadership and management were ‘good’.
But the overall grading came after the quality of education was also rated as ‘requires improvement’ at the school, which is part of the Arthur Terry Learning Partnership.
The Ofsted report said:
“Pupils at Nether Stowe are safe and happy.
“Leaders have prioritised and redesigned the curriculum to ensure that it is ambitious for all pupils. However, some pupils find it hard to rise to these new expectations as they struggle to recall the key learning they need to succeed in a range of subjects.
“Teachers’ subject knowledge is strong. They use a range of activities and learning methods to help pupils know and remember more.
“Teachers use assessment to identify pupils’ misconceptions before moving them on in the curriculum. However, there is variability in how well this is done.
“In some subjects, teachers do not use assessment methods sufficiently well to pinpoint and address the precise gaps in pupils’ learning. This means that some pupils struggle to recall basic knowledge, which makes it harder for them to progress to more challenging work.”
Ofsted report
In a letter to parents, headteacher Glyn Langston-Jones said that issues raised were being addressed “quickly”.
“The report rightfully recognises and praises the strengths of the school.
“The judgement for quality of education, while recognising the strong subject knowledge of teachers and that a range of learning activities and methods are used to help pupils to know and remember more also identified that, sometimes, assessment was not always used well enough to ensure that gaps in learning are addressed.
“Nevertheless, we are confident that the historic, current and future work of the school is quickly addressing our areas for improvement identified in the report.”
Glyn Langston-Jones
The full inspection report can be seen on the Ofsted website.
My children have been to two Arthur Terry schools, and I have t been impressed with either – the Primary school especially.
This school was in Special Measures some time ago, so improvements are being made. It’s a great school.
Nether Stowe has always been the worst school in the area. That’s not going to change anytime soon. I was glad my kids didn’t have to go there.
A reputation will continue if people keep bringing up the past. Look forward and support the school to do better.