Leaders aim to offer pupils an academic education with a strong focus on the sciences. This is what attracts parents and carers and pupils to this school. However, leaders do not have sufficiently high aspirations for all pupils. Sometimes, pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) do not receive the support they need to learn well. Leaders have not made sure that all pupils’ additional needs are identified and planned for effectively. Pupils do not currently have lessons in religious education (RE). The programme for pupils’ personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education is poorly planned and taught. Consequently, pupils do not build up their knowledge and understanding effectively in these subjects. Some pupils told inspectors that they enjoy school and feel safe. However, a number of pupils do not share this view. Many have concerns about staff absence and the number of cover lessons they have. Some pupils feel unable to talk to staff if they have concerns. Others feel that when they do raise concerns, staff do not listen. Leaders are not doing enough to address these issues. Leaders and staff do not manage pupils’ behaviour consistently or effectively. This includes incidents of bullying. In lessons, pupils do not routinely listen to their teachers. Staff do not deal quickly with disruption in classrooms. This distracts pupils and means that they cannot learn what the teacher has planned. Poor behaviour after break and lunch sometimes delays the start of lessons. A significant number of pupils said that bullying is a problem. They felt that staff were not good at resolving issues.