St Gerard’s School is a welcoming and inclusive environment where pupils, staff, and parents share a common goal of promoting learning, wellbeing, and ambition. The school fosters strong professional relationships, with staff using an effective blend of praise, encouragement, and challenge to build pupil confidence and engagement. This approach leads to high-quality outcomes, with nearly all pupils taking pride in their work and engaging eagerly with learning activities. Teachers at St Gerard’s use effective questioning to promote curiosity, critical thinking and independent learning. They ensure lessons are academically rigorous, connecting prior knowledge to new material and keeping the pace of learning high. Empathy and support are key features, ensuring no pupil is left behind. The school has a well-coordinated approach to inclusion, working effectively to create individualised learning strategies supported by detailed pupil profiles. This ensures that pupils receive tailored support within a nurturing environment. Pupils at St Gerard’s readily embrace challenge and are unafraid of making mistakes in their pursuit of excellence. They exhibit curiosity and perseverance, proudly sharing their achievements with others. Nearly all pupils appreciate the school’s supportive atmosphere, and their behaviour reflects the school’s focus on kindness and respect. Most pupils are confident speakers and skilled listeners, with many older pupils demonstrating advanced argumentation and summation skills. The school has made rapid and significant progress in addressing the recommendations from its last inspection. Refined structures and processes, including those related to quality assurance, allow leaders to plan effectively for improvement. Senior leaders work collaboratively to provide strong strategic and operational leadership. This approach supports rapid progress for pupils in both academic and pastoral areas. A newly appointed personal, social and health education (PSHE) and careers coordinator ensures that the PSHE curriculum is well-planned, promoting self-esteem and covering topics like relationships, health, and wellbeing. These themes are reinforced through assemblies and integrated effectively into the wider curriculum. Careers guidance for older pupils centres around tailored support for career planning and future pathways, including lessons that promote financial literacy and develop employability skills.