All Saints' Catholic Voluntary Academy

Inspection of a good school: All Saints Catholic Voluntary Academy Broomhill Lane, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire NG19 6BW

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Inspection dates: 23 and 24 February 2022

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Outcome

All Saints Catholic Voluntary Academy continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations of all. Pupils, including sixth-form students, respond well to this challenge. They are determined to succeed. Pupils often work with great concentration in lessons. They achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff model the considerate behaviour they want pupils to have. Pupils have excellent manners. They will, for example, readily hold open doors for visitors.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy at school. They feel safe. Pupils say they always have someone to turn to if they have a problem. They behave well in classes and at breaktimes. Pupils follow the ‘All Saints Way’, the school’s approach to good, caring behaviour. They show respect to everyone in the school community. Most pupils agree that bullying is rare. They say that if bullying does take place leaders deal with it well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a highly inclusive school. Pupils of all faiths or no faith feel included in school life. One pupil reflected others’ views by saying, ‘This is a school where people get on.’ Pupils benefit from the values the school promotes, such as kindness and compassion. They raise funds for many charities, including the British Heart Foundation and CAFOD (Catholic Agency for Overseas Development).

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school provides a high quality of education for its pupils. Leaders ensure that the curriculum is ambitious. Most pupils study subjects that meet the requirements of the English Baccalaureate at GCSE.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Teachers are clear about what they want pupils to know and remember over time. The curriculum is structured around the ‘All Saints Absolutes’. These are the key pieces of knowledge teachers expect pupils to know at each stage of their education. This approach helps to ensure that pupils’ knowledge is secure when they take the next steps in their learning. Leaders are at the early stage of introducing this approach to the sixth form. 23 and 24 February 2022

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Teachers check pupils’ knowledge regularly, including through questioning and quizzes, to see whether pupils can remember what they should have learned. Their strong subject knowledge supports the curriculum well. Teachers use their skills effectively to explain topics and help pupils when they have misunderstood a point.

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Pupils have many opportunities to think about social, moral, spiritual, and cultural issues as they learn. During a Year 10 English lesson, for example, pupils explored the complex moral issues raised by the death penalty. This aspect of the curriculum is of a high quality.

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Parents and carers and pupils are positive about the school’s provision for remote education during the pandemic. Pupils currently affected by COVID-19 join in with their classes online.

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Teachers often help pupils structure their writing. However, there are too few opportunities for pupils to write independently and at length. Pupils’ spelling and punctuation vary across subjects. Sixth-form students produce written work of a high standard. In history, for instance, students write high-quality essays. Sixth-form students confidently use academic conventions, such as footnotes and bibliographies.

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A small number of pupils struggle with reading. Leaders have an effective programme to help these pupils become fluent readers. Following the most recent national lockdown, leaders are providing some pupils with extra help with their reading or mathematics. This support is allowing pupils to catch up with their peers.

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Pupils achieve well. Procedures to identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are effective. Teachers adapt their approach to ensure that pupils with SEND learn well. A small number of parents of children with SEND do not think that their children get as much help as they need.

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Leaders offer a wide range of opportunities for pupils to develop their interests, including team sports. Pupils can also take part in many other activities, ranging from virtual stock market club to swing band. Leaders make sure that pupils have opportunities to develop their leadership skills. Pupils’ options include the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme, peer mentoring, and becoming house captains.

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The school’s careers education programme includes work experience placements in Year 10 and in the sixth form. Some pupils would like more time to learn about their career opportunities.

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Leaders do not allow pupils to disrupt the learning of others. They deal swiftly with any instances of poor behaviour.

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Leaders and governors make decisions about the curriculum based on pupils’ best interests. Senior leaders communicate well with staff. They ensure that staff’s workload is carefully managed. During the pandemic, staff’s well-being has continued to be a priority for leaders and governors. 23 and 24 February 2022

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff work together as a team to ensure pupils are safe. Staff know the signs that a pupil might be at risk of abuse or neglect.

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Safeguarding

Leaders work well with other agencies to find pupils help when they need it. The school’s onsite John Paul centre supports pupils well.

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Safeguarding

Leaders manage staff recruitment safely. They make all the necessary checks to ensure that only suitable people work with children.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe. They understand the risks young people face. These include risks from their peers, and knife crime.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Pupils in key stages 3 and 4 do not have enough opportunities to write independently. They do not develop the skills or knowledge they need to produce extended pieces of writing without teachers’ support. Pupils’ written work is not consistently technically accurate. Leaders should ensure that pupils in key stages 3 and 4 have sufficient opportunities to practise their writing knowledge and skills independently. They should ensure that these pupils are supported to write with accurate spelling and punctuation across all subjects.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the predecessor school, All Saints RC Comprehensive School, to be good in March 2012. 23 and 24 February 2022

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How can I feed back my views?

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. 23 and 24 February 2022

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School details

Local authority Nottinghamshire County Council

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School details

Inspection number 10212514 Type of school Secondary comprehensive

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provision

Number of pupils on the school roll 1,115

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form

Date of previous inspection 17 January 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 All Saints Catholic Voluntary Academy is part of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Multi- Academy Trust.  The school is a Roman Catholic secondary school. The Diocese of Nottingham last inspected the school under section 48 on 21 January 2020.  A small number of pupils attend alternative provision with three registered providers.

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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 of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher and other school leaders. The lead inspector met with three representatives of the governing body and a director of the multi-academy 23 and 24 February 2022

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trust. She also held a discussion with the chief executive officer and another trust officer.  Inspectors examined the school’s arrangements for safeguarding by meeting with the designated lead for safeguarding. They also scrutinised policies, procedures and record-keeping and reviewed the checks made on staff when they are recruited.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in: English, mathematics, history and business. During each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, read a range of pupils’ work and held discussions with teachers and pupils. An inspector also visited lessons in other subjects to understand how well pupils were learning across the school.  Inspectors spoke informally to pupils around the school site and held meetings with pupils. They also considered pupils’ responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for pupils.  An inspector met with support staff to understand their views of the school. They also

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considered staff’s responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for staff.  Inspectors reviewed a range of school documents, including policies and behaviour management records.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, the online inspection questionnaire, including parents’ free-text comments.

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Inspection team

Ellenor Beighton, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Adrian Rollins Ofsted Inspector 23 and 24 February 2022

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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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