The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. This is a welcoming school. Leaders are ambitious to meet the needs of the communities they serve. There is a genuine desire to care for all pupils and ensure that they succeed. Relationships are strong, and pupils are conscientious, considerate and cooperative. You now provide opportunities for them to learn increasingly well and to have wider experiences outside of school. Pupils, parents, carers and staff are very supportive of leaders’ work. One parent’s comment is typical of many: ‘This is a very good school. I am happy with the teaching and how pupils are guided academically and spiritually.’ You became principal relatively recently but you know the school well, having previously served as a senior leader. This includes a time as acting headteacher. You have worked closely with the St John Bosco Multi-Academy Company, which the school joined in 2013, with governors and with an effective and challenging school improvement partner. There is a strong network of peer leaders, and your work with primary schools is successful. Leaders are keen to learn from and share with others. Pupils’ progress at key stage 4 has been good over time. Absence and exclusions have been consistently below national averages. At the previous inspection, you were asked to focus on the performance of disadvantaged pupils. The progress made by this group of pupils is now strong and within the top 20% of schools nationally. Other key strengths include outcomes in English and the overall progress made by pupils of middle ability. In addition, the progress of students studying vocational courses in the sixth form was strong in 2016 and 2017. Leaders have not addressed all areas for improvement identified at the last inspection and there remain some shortcomings in school performance. These include cumbersome planning and review systems, too much subject variability, slow progress for most-able pupils and at A level. Leaders have a track record of improvement and consolidation of strengths in certain areas. There is, therefore, the capacity to address the issues that need further attention. Pupils are a credit to you. They are polite and friendly. Pupils are supported by the promotion of Catholic values of tolerance, respect and care. These are evident in the culture and atmosphere of this forward-looking, inclusive and happy school. Leaders told inspectors that teachers have high expectations of pupils and they challenge their thinking. Leaders also said that pupils’ attitudes to learning are excellent. These features were consistently observed in lessons, especially in English. During our meetings, I explained how the school website does not meet requirements on the publication of specified information. Safeguarding is effective. You have ensured that the school has a strong culture of safeguarding and that this is given the highest priority. The leadership team has ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. Inspectors reviewed procedures and scrutinised key documents. There was also testing of the system used to remove pupils from the school roll. Rigorous, robust and efficient systems are in place. These include checks on staff before they are employed and comprehensive training. A strong team leads on safeguarding, and staff are determined to make a difference to all pupils, particularly the more vulnerable. All pupils spoken to by inspectors said that this is a safe school. Pupils could give examples of how they are taught to stay safe online, for instance. Inspectors observed an assembly delivered by the police, supporting pupils on how to keep safe during the summer holiday. Inspection findings Leaders, governors and the school improvement partner feel that formal selfevaluation lacks necessary precision. Inspectors agree that documentation is overly detailed and should be more rigorous in addressing key issues. Nonetheless, in discussions, leaders and governors are clear about school priorities. These include stronger progress for most-able pupils, an improvement in the performance of some subjects to reduce what leaders call ‘in-college variability’, and addressing the recent decline in A-level performance. Leaders accept that some of these issues were raised during the 2015 inspection, but there is now an urgency to address them, and some improvements are already evident.