St Edmund Campion Catholic School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: St Edmund Campion Catholic School Sutton Road, Erdington, Birmingham, West Midlands B23 5XA

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Inspection dates: 14 and 15 January 2025

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Outcome

St Edmund Campion Catholic School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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Outcome

The principal of this school is Alan Grant. This school is part of St John Paul II Multi Academy Company, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Teresa Cotter, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Maria Stirrop.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a school which lives its mission statement to the full: ‘develop and inspire every unique child’. Relationships between pupils and staff are respectful and harmonious. Pupils know that staff will go the extra mile for them. This helps pupils to feel happy at school. They speak warmly about it.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for all its pupils in all it offers. This includes pupils’ behaviour, where leaders have been very clear about the school’s standards, which are well understood by the whole community. Pupils are attentive in lessons and behave in a mature and polite way to each other, to adults and to visitors. Pupils are clear that difference is celebrated, which means that bullying is not tolerated. They are also confident that if they have concerns, these will be dealt with appropriately by the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s high expectations have a clear focus on pupils’ achievement. This means that pupils achieve well across a range of subjects. Older pupils especially appreciate the time staff spend with them to ensure their learning is secure. They also appreciate the opportunities they have to deepen their understanding.

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

Leaders have reviewed the school’s curriculum to ensure the key knowledge is clearly 14 and 15 January 2025

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defined and taught in the right order. Thanks to this ambition, they have increased the number of pupils taking the English Baccalaureate suite of qualifications. Through the school’s ‘framework for excellence’ it has ensured that there is a common understanding of effective teaching. This means the tasks teachers select typically build well on what pupils already know. Teachers check for understanding thoroughly. This helps pupils to learn the curriculum securely over time. This is reflected in the strong published outcomes in external examinations in 2024. On the rarer occasions when the selection of the task is less precise, pupils’ learning of the key knowledge they need can be less secure. In the sixth form, students make strong progress through the curriculum and enjoy positive working relationships with their teachers.

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Provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is a strength. These pupils have their needs identified with precision. The school ensures that staff have the information they need to support the learning of these pupils. The curriculum is systematically and appropriately adapted. This helps to ensure that these pupils achieve well. This is also the case for more disadvantaged pupils, who are supported well to achieve in line with their peers.

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The school has a programme for pupils who need to develop the fluency of their reading. There is early identification of these pupils, and prompt and effective support is in place to ensure they can read well and access the curriculum. There is also a well-established and strong approach to whole-school reading.

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Pupils’ attendance is strong for a variety of reasons, not least because pupils are positive about their experiences in school. There are effective systems in place to review and monitor absence. The school ensures pupils and their families understand the importance of regular attendance in school.

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The school has high expectations for pupils’ conduct, which it teaches to all pupils explicitly. This means they understand how they should treat each other and adults in the school. Time is not typically lost to low-level disruption, for example, and pupils behave with courtesy to each other and adults at social times. There is significant and personalised support for the small number of pupils who find it hardest to meet the school’s behaviour expectations. This is generally having an impact, although there remain some pupils who are more likely to experience repeat suspensions and miss time in school.

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The provision for pupils’ personal development fully reflects the school’s values with a wide range of opportunities, external speakers and trips. There is focused guidance to enable pupils of all ages, including students in the sixth form, to access aspirational careers and destinations. Leaders monitor the uptake of wider opportunities to ensure the more vulnerable especially benefit.

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With the support of the trust, leaders have taken the necessary steps to improve provision across the school. Together they have a deep understanding of the quality of provision and the next steps needed to make further improvements. Governors and trustees are well informed about the school’s progress and fulfil their role effectively. Staff are very positive about the engagement of leaders with them and the opportunities offered for 14 and 15 January 2025

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 On occasions, the teaching strategies adopted do not give pupils the opportunity to fully practise and apply what they know. This means that a minority of pupils build a less secure body of knowledge over time. The school should ensure teachers select or adapt the most appropriate teaching strategy to enable the pupils to learn the curriculum as leaders intend.  A small number of pupils find it hard to meet the high expectations the school has for their behaviour. This means they are more likely to be suspended from school on repeat occasions, missing valuable learning time and personal development opportunities. The school should ensure pupils who find it hardest to meet their high expectations for behaviour are supported effectively to do so.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school, St Edmund Campion Catholic School and Sixth Form Centre, to be good for overall effectiveness in January 2018.

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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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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). 14 and 15 January 2025

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provision

Number of pupils on the school roll 1,133

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form

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school is part of St John Paul II Multi Academy Company. There are nine academies in the trust.  The school has a Roman Catholic ethos and is part of the Archdiocese of Birmingham. The last section 48 inspection took place in January 2023.  The school uses six registered alternative provisions.  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. 14 and 15 January 2025

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Information about this inspection

 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.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors reviewed the single central 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.  As part of this inspection, the inspectors met with senior leaders, subject leaders, teaching staff and other employees in the school. Inspectors also talked informally to pupils to gather general information about school life. The lead inspector also met the trust’s CEO, trustees and governors, as well as a representative of the archdiocese.

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Information about this inspection

Governor and trustee minutes were scrutinised.  Inspectors visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspectors discussed with leaders and pupils the school’s extra-curricular activities, enrichment programme and their careers and personal development programmes.  The inspectors reviewed the school’s behaviour and attendance records with school leaders. One alternative provision was contacted by phone by the lead inspector.  A range of documentation was scrutinised, including plans to improve the school.  The inspectors met with members of staff and spoke to pupils, both formally and informally, at various points in the inspection. They took account of responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff and pupils and Ofsted Parent View, including the free text responses.

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Inspection team

Andrew Madden, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Clare Considine Ofsted Inspector 14 and 15 January 2025

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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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