Lift Rawlett

Inspection of The Rawlett School (A Lift Schools Academy) Comberford Road, Tamworth, Staffordshire B79 9AA

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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 Requires improvement

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The head of school is Rebecca Walker. This school is part of Lift Schools Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Rebecca Boomer Clark, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by David Hall CBE. 10 and 11 June 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are beginning to benefit from recent improvements at The Rawlett School. Most pupils know that there is a member of staff they can talk to about worries and concerns. As a result of this, pupils feel safe. Pupils also appreciate the school’s values of ‘respect and equality’ because of the school’s pastoral work. However, some pupils are frustrated by inconsistencies in the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Older pupils say that behaviour is improving, and behaviour expectations are high. Pupils act in an orderly manner in school and are polite. However, some pupils do not always meet these expectations. Some lessons are interrupted by misbehaviour. This results in learning being affected. The school has procedures in place to deal with bullying, but pupils say that it is not always resolved effectively.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations of what pupils will achieve. However, these expectations are not always met. Younger pupils are benefiting from new curriculums, but the delivery of these is variable. Pupils can experience well-structured lessons, but across a range of subjects, learning is irregular. This is compounded by inconsistencies in staff in some subjects. As a result of this, pupils’ achievement in school varies.

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

The trust is working closely with the school to ensure that the curriculum is ambitious and accessible to all pupils. The key knowledge that pupils should learn, and when, has been identified. However, the delivery of the curriculum does not always allow for pupils to build on their prior knowledge in different subjects.

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

In some subjects, teachers use secure subject knowledge to present information clearly. This allows pupils to build on prior learning. However, these practices are not consistent across the school. In some lessons, explanations are not clear, and this means that pupils do not understand the work they are doing. This leads to gaps in knowledge. Incomplete work in some pupils’ books highlight these gaps. Inconsistencies in feedback mean that teachers are not always aware of the gaps in pupils’ learning. This means that some pupils do not learn as well as they could.

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

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are known to staff. Staff have received training on how to support SEND pupils. Nevertheless, adaptations in classrooms are inconsistently applied. Leaders have prioritised reading. Strategies are in place for those pupils who have fallen behind with reading. Most pupils benefit from these in supporting their fluency and confidence to read aloud.

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

The school is instilling its high behaviour expectations in pupils and has made improvements. Suspensions have reduced and pupils are attending school more often. The school is calm during breaktimes and lunchtimes. However, behaviour across the school is varied. In some lessons, low-level poor behaviour and disruption exist and impact negatively on learning. Expectations of behaviour are not always consistently applied, which means the schools policy does not always have the intended impact. 10 and 11 June 2025

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The school has a comprehensive programme to support pupils’ personal development and prepare them for the future. The programme adapts to issues and topics in the local community. However, the delivery of this programme is inconsistent. Graffiti and gaps in work in pupils’ books highlight that some pupils are ‘opting out’ of this programme. Pupils can experience leadership as a member of the ‘year councils’ and ‘transition ambassadors’. Some pupils also benefit from the wide range of opportunities that the school offers, including the school orchestra and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. Pupils benefit from a carefully planned careers programme and almost all pupils move into education, training or employment at the end of Year 11.

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The Trust has provided support and challenge for the school, but the impact of some of its work is in its infancy. The school has accurately identified the strategic action that is needed for further improvement in areas such as the quality of education and low-level disruptions. Feedback from parents reflects the same issues. Behaviour and workload are concerns for some staff, but the majority enjoy working at the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 There are inconsistencies in the way that the curriculum is being implemented in some subjects. As a result of this, pupils do not build up their knowledge as well as expected. The school needs to ensure that the curriculum is implemented consistently well across each subject.  In some subjects, assessment is not used well enough to check that pupils fully understand what they have been taught. This means pupils do not secure knowledge before moving on to new content. The school must ensure that assessment is used effectively in all subjects to check pupils learning.  There are incidents of low-level disruption that affect lessons. This means that some pupils are off task and do not complete the work set. The school should ensure that whole-school behaviour routines are embedded and consistently implemented.  The school’s ambitious vision is not yet fully realised. Currently, there is some inconsistency of practice and expectation. As a result, not all pupils are achieving well

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

enough. The school needs to ensure that staff have the support and guidance to act swiftly to ensure that pupils receive a good-quality education.

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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 10 and 11 June 2025

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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). 10 and 11 June 2025

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School details

Number of pupils on the school roll 1,038

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 29 and 30 November 2022, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The academy is part of the Lift School Trust.  The school uses two alternative providers.  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. Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade. 10 and 11 June 2025

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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the second routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the head of school, executive head and other senior leaders. The lead inspector held meetings with the national director of education and regional education director. Inspectors also met with a range of curriculum leaders and staff.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: mathematics, English, 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

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curriculum 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.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour and interactions during lessons and at breaktimes and lunchtimes and spoke to pupils during the inspection.  The inspectors reviewed the school’s extra-curricular activities, enrichment programme and their careers and personal development programmes with leaders and pupils.  Inspectors took account of the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. Inspectors also considered the responses to Ofsted’s online staff surveys.  Inspectors spoke to pupils about their experiences of school and their views on behaviour and bullying. They also observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and at

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breaktimes and lunchtimes.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documents, including the minutes of trust meetings, the academy improvement plan, and records relating to pupils’ behaviour and attendance.

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Inspection team

Andrew Washbourne, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Liz Todd Ofsted Inspector 10 and 11 June 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 looked-after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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