St Augustine's Catholic College

Inspection of St Augustine’s Catholic College Wingfield Road, Trowbridge, Wiltshire BA14 9EN

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Inspection dates: 10 and 11 November 2021

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Sixth-form provision Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Ofsted has not previously inspected St Augustine’s Catholic College under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. However, Ofsted previously judged St Augustine’s Catholic College to be outstanding, before it opened as an academy. From then until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between inspections.

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened in St Augustine’s Catholic College’s effectiveness before and after it converted to academy status. 10–11 November 2021

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say there is a strong community at St Augustine’s. Pupils are keen to come to school. Staff enjoy working at the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe in school. They know who they can talk to if they need help. Students in the sixth form value the support they receive from staff. Pupils are punctual and attend well. They behave well in lessons, but their conduct is not as respectful during social times.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Teachers have strong subject knowledge. However, the curriculum is not planned or taught well enough so that all pupils learn and achieve as well as they should.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are tolerant and keen to engage with different beliefs and values. However, there are gaps in their knowledge around how people live different lifestyles. Pupils learn about personal development but older pupils, including students in the sixth form, have not been taught important content at the right time.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides many opportunities for pupils to develop their talents and interests. Pupils appreciate the many clubs in sport, music, choir, computing and drama. Pupils help out across the school community, for example, in the library and the chaplaincy, and sixth-form students enjoy assisting in languages lessons.

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better?

Leaders want the school to be an ambitious place for all but do not have a clear vision for how they will achieve this. Senior leaders have driven developments in teaching. Some curriculum leaders have developed strong curriculum plans. However, leaders do not routinely check that school improvement work is implemented consistently. This limits the impact of the curriculum.

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better?

Leaders are keen for more pupils to follow English Baccalaureate (EBacc) subjects. They are developing a new languages curriculum to help pupils become more confident language learners. Leaders are considering how to broaden the science curriculum in Year 9 so that pupils are better prepared for the next stage in their learning.

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better?

The curriculum is carefully planned and sequenced in some subject areas. Where this is the case, pupils can recall what they have learned. They build successfully on their prior knowledge. Students in the sixth form say lessons are often interesting and challenging. However, in some subjects, the curriculum does not build precisely enough on pupils’ prior knowledge.

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better?

Leaders have implemented systems to assess pupils’ learning. Where assessment is used well, staff identify what pupils know and can do. Teachers then take this into account when planning future learning. Where it is not as effective, teachers do not 10–11 November 2021

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find out why some pupils do not have a secure understanding. Leaders do not use assessment information well enough to check where the curriculum is working well and what areas they need to strengthen.

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Leaders have an accurate view of the quality of provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They make sure pupils’ support plans contain the right guidance for teachers. This helps teachers to be better informed about the needs of the pupils they teach. However, sometimes, staff do not have high enough expectations for pupils. This is particularly the case for pupils who are disadvantaged and pupils with SEND. This leads to some pupils producing work that is below their capabilities.

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Leaders have developed a programme to raise the profile of reading in the school, however it is not consistently delivered. This means that some pupils have the chance to read more frequently and more widely than other pupils.

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Pupils learn about careers and the school meets the requirements of the Baker Clause, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 8 to 13 with information about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships. However, some older pupils would like more helpful information about their next steps and more opportunities to gain experiences of the world of work.

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Staff feel proud to work at the school. Early career teachers receive appropriate guidance and feel well supported. Leaders and governors are mindful of staff well- being and workload.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Safeguarding leaders are knowledgeable and skilled. They make sure that staff are well trained. Staff and governors are kept well informed of safeguarding matters. Staff confidently identify any concerns. They know that leaders deal with them quickly. The safeguarding team works effectively with other agencies to make sure pupils get the help they need.

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Safeguarding

Pupils know how to keep themselves safe, including when online. They understand that sexual harassment is unacceptable. However, some pupils say that more needs to be done in school to ensure that sexist language and attitudes are not part of school life.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders do not routinely check that their curriculum improvement plans are being implemented well. This means they cannot confidently say what is working well 10–11 November 2021

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and what needs to be improved. The headteacher and senior leaders need to ensure they set clear expectations for staff, with regular checks for consistency and impact.  Assessment information is not always used effectively. In some cases, teachers do not use assessment information to find out why some pupils have an insecure understanding of the content. Staff need to make better use of assessments so that they check on the impact of the curriculum, including for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND, so they can strengthen the curriculum accordingly.  Pupils have not been taught curriculum content at the right time relating to personal development. As a result, pupils have learned about important topics such as healthy relationships and consent, too late in their education. Leaders need to ensure that pupils are taught essential knowledge at the right time.  Staff do not always have high enough expectations for pupils with SEND and

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pupils who are disadvantaged. This leads to pupils producing work that is below their capabilities. Leaders need to ensure the curriculum is ambitious for all pupils and that staff are well trained to teach pupils with SEND.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you are the school and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 10–11 November 2021

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School details

Inspection number 10199396 Type of school Secondary Comprehensive

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sixth form

Website http://www.st-augustines.wilts.sch.uk

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sixth form

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is an average-sized secondary school. It serves the Catholic diocese of Clifton.  A handful of older pupils follow courses at a local college.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, senior leaders and representatives of the governing body. Meetings were also held with curriculum leaders, class teachers 10–11 November 2021

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and the special educational needs coordinator. The lead inspector spoke with a representative from the Catholic diocese of Clifton and the school’s improvement partner.  Inspectors met with the designated safeguarding lead and examined school records and discussed safeguarding cases.  Inspectors completed deep dives in the following subjects: English, history, physical education and science. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, and the views of staff and pupils in Ofsted’s online surveys.

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Inspection team

Tracey Reynolds, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Stuart Wilson Ofsted Inspector 10–11 November 2021

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regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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