The Howard School is larger than most secondary schools. It is a boys’ school which admits girls into the sixth form. It has held a sports specialism since 2007. Most students are of White British heritage, with a wide range of other backgrounds represented in small numbers. The proportion of students who speak English as an additional language is below average. The proportion of students for whom the school receives the pupil premium (additional government funding for students known to be eligible for free school meals, those who are looked after by the local authority and children of service families) is average. Around one in six students in Years 7 and 8 benefit from the nationally funded catch-up programme. The proportion of disabled students and those with special educational needs supported through school action is high, and the proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above average. The school no longer enters students for any GCSE examinations before the end of Year 11. The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for students’ attainment and progress. Currently no students attend any alternative off-site provision. Inspectors were aware during this inspection that a serious allegation of a child protection nature was being investigated by the appropriate authorities. While Ofsted does not have the power to investigate incidents of this kind, actions taken by the school in response to the incident were considered alongside the other evidence available at the time of the inspection to inform inspectors’ judgements.