South Molton Community College

Inspection of South Molton Community College Old Alswear Road, South Molton, Devon EX36 4LA

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Inspection dates: 10 and 11 December 2024

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Previous inspection grade Good 10 and 11 December 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending this school. They feel safe and know that they can talk to an adult if they have any worries. Pupils who are experiencing difficulties, particularly with their mental health, get high-quality support.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has raised its aspirations of what all pupils can achieve and how they behave. Pupils have risen to these increased expectations. Most behave and attend well. Bullying is uncommon. It is usually resolved quickly when it does occur.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are warmly welcomed into school each morning by staff. This helps pupils to make a positive start each day and be ready to learn. Time is spent celebrating the achievements of the previous day. This helps remind pupils of what is expected of them while at school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a thoughtfully designed enrichment programme which enhances their wider development. The school ensures that all pupils take part in this. Pupils can learn sign language, prepare for the annual school production and take part in a host of sporting and creative opportunities.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leadership roles help pupils develop their characters, public speaking and sense of responsibility to others. ‘Senior’ pupils, prefects, anti-bullying ambassadors and sports leaders all contribute to the wider school community.

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

The curriculum is broad and ambitious. The school has increased the number of pupils who continue to study a language at key stage 4. This means that more pupils now take the suite of subjects that make up the English Baccalaureate and so follow a rigorous, academic curriculum for longer.

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

The school curriculum reflects the high aspirations that the school has for all pupils. In all subjects the knowledge that pupils need to learn at each stage has been identified. This is taught in a logical order and helps pupils to build on what they already know. However, pupils who do not attend well have significant gaps in their knowledge. This prevents them from connecting new knowledge to what they already know.

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

Teachers check what pupils know and can do. They identify and correct misconceptions. Teaching activities are usually well matched to the ambition of the curriculum. However, sometimes teaching does not provide clear explanations about the learning activities. Pupils are not clear about what they need to do. This is especially the case for some pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). When this occurs, learning activities do not enable pupils to deepen their knowledge and to learn as well as they could.

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

The school has clear expectations of how pupils should behave. Good attendance and conduct are encouraged and rewarded. Pupil absence has reduced. Learning is rarely 10 and 11 December 2024

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interrupted by poor behaviour. However, some pupils miss learning when removed from lessons because their conduct does not meet the school’s expectations.

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There is an age-appropriate programme of personal, social and health education (PSHE) in place. It takes account of the risks that pupils are more likely to encounter in the local area. Pupils have a good understanding of healthy relationships and the risks of substance misuse. They know how to stay safe online.

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Pupils learn about apprenticeships and local employment opportunities. Visits to universities help to broaden pupils’ horizons about what they can go on to do in the future.

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The school has rapidly improved areas such as the curriculum, behaviour standards and attendance. It has an accurate view of its strengths and of the areas that need to improve further. Governors understand their roles and know the school well. They provide effective support, enabling the school to tackle the most pressing issues it faces. For example, governors have provided resources to aid the school in improving attendance and supporting pupils with mental health needs.

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Staff, including those at the start of their careers, get the training they need to fulfil their roles. Staff understand the benefits of the changes the school has made recently. So do many pupils. Some parents and carers feel that the school is not responsive enough to them and are less positive about the changes made.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Sometimes learning activities are not clearly explained and understood. As a result, activities do not enable pupils, including pupils with SEND, to acquire new knowledge successfully. The school should ensure that teaching consistently enables pupils to learn the curriculum effectively.  Some pupils miss curriculum time when they are removed from lessons because of their behaviour or because they do not attend well enough. As a result, they do not progress through the curriculum as well as they could. The school should ensure that pupils behave well and attend regularly so that they experience the full curriculum.  Some pupils and parents are dissatisfied with the way that the school deals with their concerns. They do not have confidence that issues they raise will be dealt with. The school should improve communication with parents and pupils so that they understand the school’s actions. 10 and 11 December 2024

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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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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 10 and 11 December 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chairs of governing body Sue Madgwick and Helen Smith

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 10 and 11 December 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school uses two unregistered alternative provisions and one registered alternative provision.  The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 8 to 13 with information and engagement about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade. 10 and 11 December 2024

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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives into these subjects: English, mathematics, modern foreign languages, geography and physical education.  For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also discussed the reading curriculum and visited reading sessions.  Inspectors also discussed aspects of the curriculum and visited some lessons beyond the deep dive subjects. These included science, computing and PSHE.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors: reviewed the single central

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record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  An inspector met with governors and with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors considered responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, and the views of staff in Ofsted’s online survey. Inspectors also spoke to pupils and staff in meetings and around the school site.  An inspector contacted some of the alternative providers that the school uses, and talked to pupils who attend them.

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Inspection team

Sarah Favager-Dalton, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Matthew Collins Ofsted Inspector 10 and 11 December 2024

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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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