Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic High School

Inspection of Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Engineering College Glenburn Road, Skelmersdale, Lancashire WN8 6JW

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

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are increasingly proud of their school. They recognise and appreciate the many improvements that the school has made. For example, the school now has high expectations for pupils’ behaviour. Typically, pupils behave well in lessons and around the school site. These positive changes have made the school a more enjoyable place to be.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ learning experiences have also improved considerably. However, some pupils do not achieve as well as they should. There is more to do to ensure that all pupils receive a good quality of education and that pupils’ attendance meets leaders’ high expectations.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff build supportive relationships with pupils. This means that, for the most part, pupils feel that they have someone to talk to in school if they have a concern. This helps most pupils to feel safe and happy in school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils take part in various clubs and activities that broaden their interests. For example, they participate in sports clubs and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme. Opportunities for pupils to contribute to the school community are increasing. For instance, pupils can become reading buddies for younger pupils or join the school council.

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

Although leaders and staff have worked to revise the curriculum, these changes are not securely embedded in all subjects and year groups. It is too early to see the full impact of the renewed curriculum on pupils’ learning over time.

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

In the main, the school checks the quality of pupils’ learning effectively. Staff are supported to improve their work in the classroom when necessary. Specific training aimed at improving pupils’ learning experiences is in place. However, the delivery of the curriculum remains inconsistent. Sometimes, teaching strategies, including the selection of resources, do not help pupils to learn the knowledge in the curriculum sufficiently well. This means that some pupils do not understand the key information that they have been taught.

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

The additional needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are identified quickly. Staff are provided with relevant information to help them adapt learning to meet these pupils’ needs. Some staff use this information well. However, this is not consistent. There is still too much variability in how well the needs of pupils with SEND are met in the classroom. As a result, some pupils with SEND find it hard to access learning and do not achieve as well as they should.

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

The school has prioritised reading. Pupils who struggle with reading are supported well, for example through a tiered system of phonics and comprehension programmes and new online literacy programmes. Pupils enjoy their visits to the well-resourced library, where they have been instrumental in choosing books to stock. 23 and 24 April 2025

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Most pupils behave sensibly in lessons and as they move around the school. New behavioural standards are becoming better understood by pupils and are being used more consistently by staff. Most pupils attend school regularly. The school has implemented effective strategies to identify and to better understand the barriers affecting pupils’ attendance. Increasingly, a coordinated, whole-school approach is ensuring that most pupils are not missing education. Despite this, some pupils remain persistently absent. The school is working closely with the local community to improve this. However, these pupils continue to miss important learning.

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Pupils benefit from a detailed programme of personal development. For example, they are taught about healthy relationships, fundamental British values and what is meant by consent. Pupils learn about issues in the wider world and have opportunities to discuss them. They receive appropriate and timely careers information and guidance.

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A number of parents and carers who provided feedback to Ofsted during the inspection expressed positive views regarding the school’s engagement with them. However, a minority of parents have less than positive views of the school. These parents reported concerns that the school does not communicate with them as effectively as it could. This hampers how well these parents understand and support the school’s vision and values.

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The interim executive board (IEB) knows the school very well. It shares the ambitions of leaders and staff to ensure the academic, social, and emotional success of pupils. The IEB has established strong systems to evaluate the effectiveness of leaders’ actions. It poses challenging questions. Staff are overwhelmingly positive about the way in which leaders support their well-being. Early career teachers are unanimous in feeling well supported.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 There is inconsistency in the implementation of the curriculum across subjects. In some areas, the school’s teaching strategies are not yet fully embedded. This hampers how well some pupils achieve. The school should continue to prioritise the development of teachers’ understanding of effective pedagogical approaches, ensuring these are applied consistently and successfully across all subjects.  Some teachers do not make effective use of the information available regarding the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). As a result, these pupils are sometimes unable to access the curriculum fully and do not make the progress of which they are capable. The school should ensure that staff are fully equipped to successfully adapt the delivery of the curriculum for pupils with SEND.  Some parents do not understand the rationale for the changes that are being made, particularly around staffing and behaviour. Consequently, these parents sometimes

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have a negative view of the school. The school should ensure that its communication with parents allows the school’s vision and values to be better understood and supported by parents.  Some pupils, including pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils, still miss too much school. This hinders how well these pupils learn. The school should ensure that these pupils and their families understand the importance of, and achieve, regular school attendance.

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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

Dates of previous inspection 16 and 17 July 2024, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has a religious character. It is part of the Archdiocese of Liverpool. The school’s last section 48 inspection took place in October 2023. The school is awaiting confirmation from the archdiocese about its next section 48 inspection.  The school makes use of four registered providers of alternative provision for a small number of pupils.  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 inspection under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We deemed the inspection a graded (section 5) inspection under the same Act. 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 23 and 24 April 2025

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provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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In accordance with section 13(4) of the Education Act 2005, His Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that the school no longer requires special measures.

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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued 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.  Inspectors held discussions with the headteacher, senior leaders and staff.  The lead inspector met with representatives of the IEB.  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 took account of the responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View,

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including the free-text comments. They also considered the responses to the staff survey. Inspectors considered the views of pupils through discussions held with them during the inspection.

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Inspection team

Rebecca Sharples, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Neil Johnson 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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