We are delighted that the The Coleshill School has been graded Good in all areas by Ofsted. The Inspection Team visited the school between 4th and 5th May 2016. Our previous Ofsted grading was Requires Improvement and this is the first time that the school has been graded ‘Good’ in over twenty years. The school converted to being an academy in 2011 and joined the Arthur Terry Learning Partnership (ATLP) in September 2015. The grading of the school as ‘Good’ is testament to the hard work and dedication of both the whole school community and the wider support of the ATLP.
Mr Smith-Childs, Headteacher commented “I hope that parents, feel as proud as I do of all members of the school community when reading the report. We have all worked hard to raise the ‘expectations of teaching and pupils’ achievement’. We believe our pupils are capable of amazing things and I was particularly proud to see that the inspectors recognised that ‘teaching is now characterised by higher expectations’ and ‘better levels of challenge’. As a result our pupils are making better progress: We have achieved our best EVER GCSE results in 2015. 61% of our students achieved the gold standard of 5A*-C including English and maths. Our results have increased year on year and will do again in 2016.” ‘Across all key stages, including in the sixth form, pupils make good progress from their starting points. An above average proportion of pupils in Year 11 achieve five or more good GCSE grades including English and mathematics.’
The report states that leadership, at all levels, in the school is strong. Inspectors were impressed that senior and middle leaders, along with governors and ATLP have ‘created a united learning community that has high expectations and aspirations and very positive relationships’. Governance of the school was seen to be very effective; ‘Governors work closely with school leaders in checking how well pupils are learning’.
Since the last inspection in 2014 staff have worked tirelessly on developing a culture of high expectations and success; this was modelled brilliantly by the pupils during the inspection. The positive attitudes of pupils was seen by the inspectors as being ‘characterised by good behaviour in lessons and around the school’. Pupils who spoke with the inspectors were very positive about the educational experience they are receiving. They said they felt safe and ‘well supported by pastoral staff who are available all day’ as well as appreciating the rewards system and the range of extra-curricular activities that are on offer. Inspectors were particularly positive about the range of personal development at the school and the way in which pupils ‘are well prepared for life in modern Britain’.
The Sixth Form was also graded Good, with inspectors praising ‘Good, quality teaching, high expectations of students’ achievement, conduct and attendance, along with effective leadership and management’. The new Sixth Form leadership team has worked hard this year to develop teaching and achievement across the Sixth Form and this has led to both Year 12 and Year 13 showing significant improvements in progress on previous years, with Year 13 set to achieve over 40% of grades at A*-B this summer. Personal development and careers guidance were also seen as strength with ‘Sixth Form students prepared well for the next stage of their education.’ The Sixth Form will be a key area of growth in the coming years as the school grows.
Mr Smith-Childs said “I would like to thank our parents and carers, for their ongoing support of the school. Many parents will have experienced the journey of the school over recent years and have contributed in so many ways to the developments and improvements we have made. The future of the school is now bright. This affirmation of our progress is just the next milestone in our journey to outstanding, which we aim to achieve in our next inspection. The school is now oversubscribed for the new Year 7 with over 210 students joining us. We have a record number of external applications for our Sixth Form, as well as increased numbers from our own Year 11. We are also welcoming students into other year groups. This is your school for your children and I hope you will join me in thanking all members of the school community and the wider partnership of ATLP for making it a ‘Good’ school.”
