St George's School A Church of England Academy

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: St George’s School A Church of England Academy Cherry Tree Road, Marton, Blackpool, Lancashire FY4 4PH

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Inspection dates: 25 and 26 February 2025

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Outcome

Evidence gathered during this ungraded (section 8) inspection suggests that the school’s work may have improved significantly across all areas since the previous inspection. The school’s next inspection will be a graded inspection.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Graham Warnock. The school is part of the Cidari Trust, which means that other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO) Peter Ashworth, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by John McClelland.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at St George’s School benefit from a highly ambitious culture where they are supported to learn, develop and achieve exceptionally well. Staff promote the highest aspirations for pupils. They equip pupils with the skills and attitudes that they need to realise the school’s ambitious expectations.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy and appreciate this school. They attend school regularly. They benefit from an environment where respect, courtesy and politeness are daily norms. Staff motivate pupils to look after and care for others. Staff model the behaviours and traits that pupils need to do this. This helps pupils to feel safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils understand, and live up to, the exceedingly high expectations for how they should behave. Pupils behave impeccably. This adds to their enjoyment of school. Staff provide proactive and kind guidance to help pupils develop these highly positive behaviour traits.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils appreciate the rich opportunities that they get to enhance their personal development. They benefit from motivational and invigorating ‘morning time’, which prepares them well for lessons. They value and appreciate the extensive range of opportunities to support their wider interests, talents and needs through the school’s carefully designed ‘electives’ programme. 25 and 26 February 2025

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

The school has established an exceptional culture where pupils thrive educationally, personally and socially. Even so, leaders and staff continue to demonstrate a relentless quest to further refine and enhance pupils’ experiences.

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

In recent years, the school has taken highly effective action to strengthen pupils take up of the suitably broad and ambitious curriculum. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), profit from highly ambitious and carefully ordered subject matter.

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

The school rigorously identifies the needs of pupils with SEND. Staff skilfully ensure that pupils are extremely well supported to access the curriculum and overcome any barriers to learning that they may have.

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

Teachers have expert subject knowledge. They explain subject matter clearly. They support pupils with skilful modelling and helpful ways to break down what pupils are learning. This helps them to develop exceptional learning habits. Pupils demonstrate highly positive attitudes and are eager to learn.

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

Teachers provide demanding activities for pupils in lessons. They carefully check what pupils understand and can do. Teachers make well-informed decisions about what pupils should learn next. Consequently, pupils are extremely well supported to overcome any gaps in their knowledge.

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

Teachers skilfully promote and support reading in lessons. Pupils are introduced to an ambitious range of subject-specific vocabulary. They understand and use this vocabulary with confidence. The school carefully checks pupils’ reading knowledge. When needed, pupils are expertly supported with well-matched opportunities to strengthen their knowledge of phonics, vocabulary or comprehension.

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

Pupils, including those who are disadvantaged and those with SEND, gain and use knowledge with confidence in the subjects that they study. They achieve highly across all subjects. Consequently, they are extremely well prepared to progress to aspirational next steps in employment, education or training.

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

Pupils benefit from a carefully thought-out programme that fosters their personal development. They are regularly supported to develop their awareness of how to look after their physical and mental health. For example, they gain a deep understanding of how routine, diet and rest can support their physical health. Furthermore, they have a range of strategies that they can draw on to manage their feelings and emotions.

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

The school is very considerate of staff’s well-being. It routinely consults with staff when reviewing practices and developing new approaches. Staff appreciate what the school does to support them in their roles, for example, by identifying and removing tasks that add to staff’s workload. 25 and 26 February 2025

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Trustees and members of the local governing committee have established highly effective arrangements to ensure a thorough oversight of the school. They diligently fulfil their statutory responsibilities. They skilfully use their deep understanding of the highly positive impact of the school’s work on pupils to support the school’s ongoing commitment for further improvement.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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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 school to be good for overall effectiveness in March 2019.

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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. 25 and 26 February 2025

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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). 25 and 26 February 2025

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School details

Number of pupils on the school roll 1028

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 13 and 14 March 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 St George’s School A Church of England Academy is part of Cidari Multi-Academy Trust.  The school is part of the Anglican Diocese of Blackburn. The school’s last section 48 inspection took place in October 2023. The next inspection is due in the 2026/27 academic year.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.  The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislations, 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

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision. 25 and 26 February 2025

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 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 met with the headteacher and other senior leaders.  Inspectors met with representatives of the academy trust, the local academy committee, the local authority and the Diocese of Blackburn.  Inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at pupils’ work.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, 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.  Inspectors spoke with leaders responsible for SEND and reading. They also looked at

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information about the support for pupils who have additional needs.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in class and around the school site. They also scrutinised behaviour and attendance records.  Inspectors spoke with pupils from all year groups and considered the responses of the pupils who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for pupils.  Inspectors held discussions with staff and considered the responses to Ofsted’s questionnaire for staff.  Inspectors took account of the responses to Ofsted’s Parent View, including the comments received by Ofsted’s free-text facility.

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Inspection team

Michael Pennington, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Christine Mitchell Ofsted Inspector 25 and 26 February 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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