St Peter's Catholic High School and Sixth Form Centre

Centre

Address: Stroud Road, Tuffley, Gloucester, Gloucestershire, GL4 0DD Unique reference number (URN): 136982

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Pupils typically attend school regularly. This is reflected in the school’s rates of absence and persistent absence, which are consistently in line with national averages. Leaders promote the importance of attendance. They carefully analyse information to identify any patterns of absence. Leaders use this information to provide effective support to pupils to attend school more regularly.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Leaders and staff build warm, positive relationships with pupils. As a result, there is a real sense of community. The school provides effective pastoral care. Leaders and staff are positive role models, demonstrating kindness and celebrating diversity. Discrimination and prejudice are not tolerated by leaders, staff or pupils.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

On the whole, staff understand and apply the school’s behaviour policies appropriately. Pupils typically behave well. In lessons, they have positive attitudes towards their learning. Pupils treat each other with respect and cooperate willingly. During social times, pupils generally demonstrate self-discipline. Bullying is rare and pupils are rightly confident that leaders will resolve such matters quickly and effectively.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Leaders' recent actions to more swiftly identify any additional needs that pupils may have are beginning to inform the support that these pupils receive. This is reflected in a reduction in the rate of suspensions for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders have designed a coherent personal development programme. The programme develops pupils’ confidence and independence. It fosters their feeling of belonging to the school and wider community.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils, including post-16 students, benefit from a wide range of extra-curricular activities. These opportunities develop their talents and interests, particularly in sport, music and the performing arts. For example, many pupils play in elite sporting teams or take part in high- profile music performances, such as at a local jazz festival. Leaders remove barriers so that pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, can participate in these activities.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils know, and are keen to demonstrate, the school's ‘ROCK’ values, such as 'respect'. They are eager to make a positive contribution to the school community. For example, pupils organise events such as a ‘community day’, which celebrates pupils’ heritages through fashion and spoken word. Pupils participate readily in events to raise money for charity.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Typically, pupils develop a suitable understanding of fundamental British values, such as tolerance. These values are evident in the way that they treat one another. Through voting opportunities, pupils learn about democracy and representation. Pupils develop their knowledge of different faiths and religions, and reflect on spirituality and belief. This helps to ensure that they are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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Needs attention

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe. For example, most pupils have a secure understanding of online risks and how to manage these. There is a suitable relationships education programme. This teaches pupils about important topics, such as sexual health and consent.

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Needs attention

Pupils typically receive suitable careers information and guidance. For instance, they learn about different jobs and industries by attending a local careers fair. Pupils undertake work experience and learn about different pathways into education, employment or training. Leaders evaluate the quality of the careers programme and make improvements when necessary. This helps to ensure that pupils are ready for their next steps in education, employment or training.

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Achievement Needs attention

Pupils’ achievement is not as high as it should be. In key stage 5, students achieve consistently below the national average in end-of-key-stage examinations. In key stage 4, some pupils achieve well in national examinations at the end of Year 11. However, other pupils have gaps in their learning, which hinder their achievement. In addition, some pupils who join the school with high academic starting points do not achieve as well as similar pupils nationally in examinations at the end of key stage 4. In some subjects, the gap in achievement between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils is growing.

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Achievement Needs attention

Across all key stages, the progress that pupils make through the curriculum is variable. For example, some pupils' understanding lacks depth. Some pupils are unable to communicate their understanding in writing as well as they should. While many pupils progress to appropriate destinations, they are often not as well prepared as they should be for their next steps.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Weaknesses in the quality of teaching have a negative impact on some pupils. For example, staff do not identify gaps in pupils’ knowledge and skills precisely enough. As a result, some gaps in pupils' understanding persist. This includes errors in pupils’ spelling or punctuation.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Teachers generally have the subject expertise that they need. However, they do not adapt teaching well enough to meet the needs of pupils, who face barriers to their learning. As a result, these pupils do not learn the curriculum as well as they should.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders and staff do not have high enough expectations of pupils' achievement. For instance, in some subjects, pupils have insufficient opportunities to write in depth. This hinders pupils, particularly pupils with high academic starting points, from applying and deepening their knowledge. Pupils typically have the foundations that they need in reading and mathematics, or receive the support that they need to secure these. On the whole, pupils follow a broad and ambitious curriculum. The curriculum is carefully designed to build pupils' knowledge over time. Leaders understand the improvements that need to be made to the quality of teaching, but their work to do this is at an early stage.

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Inclusion Needs attention

Pupils who face barriers to their learning or wellbeing do not have their needs met well enough. Leaders do not identify some pupils’ needs precisely. Leaders do not regularly review and amend the support that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive. Leaders have begun to strengthen how they identify, assess and meet pupils’ needs. However, this work is in its infancy.

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Inclusion Needs attention

Until recently, staff did not receive sufficient information and training about the support that pupils with SEND require. In lessons there is variability in how well teaching is adapted to help pupils with SEND to access the curriculum. As a result, these pupils sometimes do not learn and achieve well.

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Inclusion Needs attention

Leaders have started to plan and provide appropriate support for disadvantaged pupils. This is beginning to improve how well these pupils attend and participate in school. However, additional funding through the pupil premium strategy is in the early stages of implementation and evaluation. As such, leaders have only recently begun to assess the impact of the support that disadvantaged pupils receive.

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Inclusion Needs attention

Some aspects of leaders' work to support pupils with barriers to their learning are more effective. For example, children in care typically receive suitable support. In addition, leaders make appropriate use of external agencies, such as alternative provision.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders have been too slow to make improvements to the school. This has resulted in weaknesses in teaching, which have hindered pupils’ achievement. Leaders have recently introduced an appropriate professional learning programme for staff. This has started to strengthen the expertise of teachers, including those newest to teaching. However, it is too soon to evaluate the impact of this programme.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders have recently started to take action to improve the school's provision. While their actions are focused in the right areas, much of this work is in its infancy. For example, leaders have started to identify pupils’ barriers to learning more accurately. This is helping to ensure that leaders make decisions that are in the best interests of all pupils. Nonetheless, support for pupils with additional needs remains inconsistent.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Trustees take a rigorous approach to fulfilling their duty to ensure that pupils are safe. However, until recently, trustees had not defined the vision of the school clearly enough. They did not hold leaders sufficiently to account for some aspects of provision, such as the quality of teaching. Recent changes to the ways that trustees gather information about the school have resulted in greater accountability for leaders and improved direction. Trustees now understand the school's strengths and where it needs to improve. However, they have only recently begun to have the insight that they need to drive improvement across all areas of the school. Leaders are supportive of staff wellbeing and take appropriate action to reduce their workload.

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Post 16 provision Needs attention

Post-16 students, including those who are disadvantaged, do not achieve well enough. In examinations at the end of key stage 5, they consistently perform below national averages. This is a consequence of inconsistencies in the quality of teaching and insufficiently high expectations. In addition, some students’ attendance is low, which hinders their learning.

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Post 16 provision Needs attention

Leaders have a broad understanding of the strengths of the post-16 provision and where improvements are needed. There is a suitable range of academic and vocational courses on offer. However, leaders lack sharp insight into the quality of the study programmes, including support for students who face barriers to learning. As a result, leaders do not made improvements quickly enough.

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Post 16 provision Needs attention

Students in the post-16 provision benefit from a range of personal development opportunities. They readily take on leadership roles, such as leading whole-school events, coaching sport and tutoring younger pupils. These positions build students' confidence. On the whole, students receive a suitable programme of relationships and sex education and health education.

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Post 16 provision Needs attention

Students receive suitable careers advice and guidance. They learn about a range of options, including higher education and apprenticeships. Students are generally well prepared to make informed decisions about their next steps.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils do not achieve highly enough. For example, students in the post-16 provision often achieve below national averages in examinations at the end of key stage 5. Similarly, at the end of Year 11, some pupils do not perform as well as they should in national examinations. This includes some pupils who have higher academic starting points when they join the school and some disadvantaged pupils.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Most pupils enjoy learning. However, the quality of teaching that they receive is variable. Teaching does not routinely identify and close gaps in pupils’ knowledge and skills. Staff do not make effective adaptations for pupils who face barriers to learning, such as those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Consequently, pupils do not progress through the curriculum as well as they should.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils benefit from a wide range of personal development opportunities. These develop their confidence and independence. For example, pupils are proud to represent the school in sports and music. There are a range of national and international visits, such as a sporting tour to South Africa. These opportunities develop pupils’ teamwork and build their sense of belonging to the school. The school has a strong sense of community, underpinned by its ‘ROCK’ values. Pupils understand these values and appreciate being rewarded for demonstrating them, for example, when they show ‘optimism’ or ‘kindness’.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils are safe and happy in school. They have warm, respectful relationships with staff, and with each other. Staff are caring and know pupils as individuals. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain. They understand the importance of respecting and celebrating difference. Discrimination or bullying are not tolerated.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils attend school regularly and benefit from effective support to reduce their absence, when they need it. They conduct themselves well and have positive attitudes to their learning.

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Next steps

Leaders should ensure that staff have sufficient expertise to adapt their teaching to support those pupils who face barriers to their learning, so that the needs of these pupils are met well and they learn successfully. Leaders should ensure that teachers use assessment strategies effectively, so that gaps in pupils’ learning are identified and remedied swiftly. Leaders and staff should raise their expectations of what pupils, including those with high academic starting points, can achieve, so that teaching enables them to meet the ambitious aims of the curriculum and achieve highly. Leaders should ensure that the quality of teaching is consistently effective, so that post-16 students and pupils in key stage 4 achieve as highly as they should. Leaders should continue their work to embed the careers programme, so that all pupils benefit from strong careers experiences in preparation for their next steps.

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Next steps

Leaders should ensure that their approach to monitoring and evaluating the impact of their actions to improve the school is sufficiently rigorous and precise, so that they make the necessary improvements and trustees can hold them robustly to account.

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About this inspection

The school is part of a single academy trust. The trust is overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Emmanuel Obbeng.

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About this inspection

This school is registered as having a Catholic religious character. It received its most recent section 48 inspection in February 2025.

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About this inspection

Inspectors carried out this full inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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About this inspection

Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty's Inspectors (HMIs) or by Ofsted inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

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Team inspectors:

Chris Field, Ofsted Inspector Jo Butler, Ofsted Inspector Kathy Maddocks, Ofsted Inspector Sarah Wilson, His Majesty's Inspector Alison Naylor, Ofsted Inspector

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The data was used by the inspector(s) during the inspection. More recent data may have been published since the inspection took place.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils currently at this school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

National average: 1,067 Inspectors spoke with school leaders, teachers, pupils and trustees during the inspection.

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What does this mean?

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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What does this mean?

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the school:

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What does this mean?

The school makes use of 11 alternative provisions, including 10 which are unregistered.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils who can attend the school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan. This covers pupils with more support than is available through special educational needs support.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with reported special educational support needs at the school. National average: 13.4%

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What does this mean?

Based on the English Indices of Deprivation (2019) and the school's location, we have calculated whether the school is located in a more or less deprived area.

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What does this mean?

Whether school has Resourced Provision or SEND unit (if applicable).

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English and maths GCSE

Percentage of pupils who achieved grade 5 or above in English and maths GCSE.

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national average

2024/25 (revised) 43.0% 45.4% Close to average

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national average

2023/24 (final) 46.2% 45.9% Close to average

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Attainment 8

A measure of pupils' point scores across 8 subjects including maths (double weighted), English (double weighted if both language and literature are taken), 3 EBacc measures and 3 GCSE or technical measures.

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national average

2024/25 (revised) 44.1 46.0 Close to average

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national average

2023/24 (final) 45.1 45.9 Close to average

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Progress 8

How much progress pupils made between the end of primary school (key stage 2) and the end of secondary school (key stage 4), compared to pupils across England who got similar results at the end of key stage 2.

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national average

2023/24 (final) -0.09 -0.03 Close to average

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national average

2022/23 (final) -0.13 -0.03 Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after.

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Disadvantaged pupils' English and maths GCSE grade 5 or above

Percentage of disadvantaged pupils achieving grade 5 or above in English and maths GCSE.

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national average

2024/25 (revised) 19.6% 25.8% Close to average

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national average

2023/24 (final) 26.5% 25.8% Close to average

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national average

2022/23 (final) 27.5% 25.2% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils' Attainment 8

A measure of disadvantaged pupils' point scores across 8 subjects including maths (double weighted), English (double weighted if both language and literature are taken), 3 EBacc measures and 3 GCSE or technical measures.

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national average

2024/25 (revised) 31.4 34.9 Close to average

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national average

2023/24 (final) 32.5 34.6 Close to average

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national average

2022/23 (final) 33.4 35.0 Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils' Progress 8

How much progress disadvantaged pupils made between the end of primary school (key stage 2) and the end of secondary school (key stage 4), compared to pupils across England who got similar results at the end of key stage 2.

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national average

2022/23 (final) -0.53 -0.57 Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance gap

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after. The school disadvantage gap is the difference between the performance of the school's disadvantaged pupils compared to the performance of all non-disadvantaged pupils nationally.

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Disadvantaged pupils' English and maths GCSE grade 5 or above

Percentage of disadvantaged pupils who achieved grade 5 or above in English and maths GCSE.

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Disadvantaged pupils' Attainment 8

A measure of disadvantaged pupils' point scores across 8 subjects including maths (double weighted), English (double weighted if both language and literature are taken), 3 EBacc measures and 3 GCSE or technical measures.

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Disadvantaged pupils' Progress 8

How much progress disadvantaged pupils made between the end of primary school (key stage 2) and the end of secondary school (key stage 4), compared to pupils across England who got similar results at the end of key stage 2.

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Destinations after 16

Percentage of pupils staying in education or employment for at least 2 terms after the end of secondary school (key stage 4).

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A-level average point score

The average points that students achieved per A-level entry.

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A-level value added

A score showing students’ progress between the end of key stage 4 and the end of their academic qualification studies.

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Overall absence

The percentage of all possible mornings and afternoons missed due to absence from school (for whatever reason, whether authorised or unauthorised) across all pupils.

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national average

2024/25 (2 term) 8.0% 8.1% Close to average

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national average

2023/24 (3 term) 9.0% 8.9% Close to average

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national average

2022/23 (3 term) 8.2% 9.0% Close to average

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Persistent absence

The percentage of pupils missing 10% or more of their possible mornings and afternoons.

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national average

2024/25 (2 term) 23.6% 21.9% Close to average

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national average

2023/24 (3 term) 27.5% 25.6% Close to average

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national average

2022/23 (3 term) 23.2% 26.5% Close to average

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other schools can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The school reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The school is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The school needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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