St Peter's Church of England Aided School

Inspection of St Peter’s Church of England Aided School Quarry Lane, Heavitree, Exeter, Devon EX2 5AP

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Previous inspection grade Good 23 and 24 April 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

At St Peter’s, there is a strong commitment to getting to know each pupil as an individual. This helps pupils to feel that they belong. The school is quick to identify pupils who might find school life more difficult and to adapt their school day to make it easier for them to be successful. There are many examples of pupils who have been supported to persevere through difficult periods.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from consistently effective teaching and strong pastoral care. As a result, most achieve very well. Pupils and staff enjoy warm relationships, which they draw on when navigating any lapses in behaviour, which are rare. Typically, pupils are safe, happy and behave very well in lessons and around school. They reflect the school’s clear and high expectations, for example, in the way they participate in the school and local communities and how they show respect for others.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Alongside academic success, the school places high value on developing character. The school’s ‘character compass’ underpins the qualities and behaviours that pupils develop. Pupils are taught to be good global neighbours and to be leaders of positive change by standing up for others. For example, 1,000 pupils from the school wrote to their local member of parliament suggesting ways to support adolescent mental health. Their efforts reflect the importance placed upon providing effective support for mental health by the school.

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

Leaders and governors are determined that pupils achieve high standards. They regularly reflect on the curriculum to ensure that it meets pupils’ needs. The school is always looking for ways to bring about greater academic success for pupils. For example, pupils read widely across the curriculum, drawing from rich texts that enhance the learning in each subject. This helps pupils to deepen their subject knowledge and expand their vocabulary. There are regular and effective checks on pupils’ learning in each subject. Any gaps are identified and addressed proactively. The consistent implementation of approaches such as these helps to ensure that most pupils achieve well year-on-year.

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

Pupils’ special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are identified quickly and supported effectively. Specialist staff provide focused teaching, which helps pupils who have fallen behind with their literacy. Sometimes, however, these pupils do not study a full curriculum. This limits their opportunities for further study. For example, they may not have the opportunity to study a modern foreign language or as rich a body of literature as their peers. The school is currently reviewing the curriculum and strives to achieve the right balance so that any gaps in pupils’ knowledge can be addressed as part of a wider curriculum offer that is as ambitious as possible.

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

The proportion of pupils who study and gain qualifications in the English Baccalaureate suite of subjects is lower than the national average. There are signs that this is changing. For instance, an increasing number of pupils are achieving well in modern foreign 23 and 24 April 2025

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languages and computing. The curriculum is also ambitious in other ways. Most pupils study separate sciences and work towards a GCSE in religious education.

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Disadvantaged pupils do not achieve as well as their peers. An effective training programme is helping staff to meet the needs of this group of pupils more effectively. Often, this underachievement is due to these pupils’ poor attendance. Leaders and staff are focused on improving this. Overall, pupils’ attendance is improving and is higher than the national average. Nonetheless, there is still work to do to secure consistently high attendance for disadvantaged pupils.

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A great many pupils have leadership roles in the school. They speak enthusiastically about the different causes they support and the experiences they have had. Pupils also benefit from further opportunities for personal growth through outdoor pursuits and volunteering. Pupils’ participation in these programmes is high.

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The school develops pupils’ thinking about relationships and the importance of having respect for one another’s differences. Pupils demonstrate accepting attitudes and show kindness to one another. However, this is not consistently underpinned by detailed knowledge. For some pupils, the personal, health and social education (PSHE) curriculum has not had the impact that the school intends. For example, some are still developing their understanding of the fundamental British values and how they are reflected by our laws and institutions.

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The school ensures that each pupil secures a meaningful post-16 placement in education, employment or training. Pupils appreciate the careers education and advice they receive.

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The school benefits from skilled leadership and insightful governance. The input of governors helps leaders to improve the school. The culture of the school is one where everyone works together constructively to tackle any challenges.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Despite recent improvements, the attendance of some disadvantaged pupils remains low. This makes it difficult for these pupils to learn and achieve as well as they could. The school should build upon its recent work to improve the attendance of disadvantaged pupils.  The curriculum for some pupils is adapted to such a degree that they may not have the opportunity to learn the same range of knowledge as their peers. This limits their cultural development and means they are not well equipped for future study in some 23 and 24 April 2025

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subjects. The school should ensure that pupils have every opportunity to learn a rich body of knowledge.  Some pupils do not develop a secure understanding of elements of the curriculum important to their personal development. The school should ensure that the PSHE curriculum helps all pupils to develop confident knowledge and understanding of the world beyond school.

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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). 23 and 24 April 2025

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School details

Number of pupils on the school roll 1308

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 12 and 13 November 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection, a new chair has been appointed to the governing body.  This is a Church of England school in the Diocese of Exeter. The last statutory inspection of its denominational education and collective worship, under section 48 of the Education Act 2005, was in 2019.  The school uses one registered and six unregistered 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.

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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. 23 and 24 April 2025

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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 met with the headteacher, members of the senior leadership team, the chair, vice-chair and two other members of the governing body. The inspectors held telephone discussions with representatives of the local authority and the diocese.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, science, history, modern foreign languages, computing 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.

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 Inspectors also visited lessons in some other subjects.  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.

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Inspection team

Lydia Pride, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Stephen Lee Ofsted Inspector 23 and 24 April 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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