A secondary comprehensive school on the outskirts of Bristol has been praised for its ‘ambitious’ pupils and how well it prepares them for their next steps. Wellsway School, on Chandag Road in Keynsham, was rated as ‘Good’ in 2019 and has retained those standards.
The school, which includes a sixth form provision, has 1,329 pupils on its school roll, 214 of them being in further education. The school is part of the Futura Learning Partnership and was inspected on December 17 and 18 last year by Ofsted.
Wellsway School has “high ambitions” of its pupils, who achieve well in published outcomes. At the end of pupils’ time in sixth form, pupils are well prepared to follow their chosen career pathways.
The report said: “Enrichment opportunities run through the veins of the school. The school plans an exceptionally varied range of clubs and trips. Many pupils participate, often pursuing their interests outside of school or contributing to the local community, pupils particularly appreciate the high-quality music and performance opportunities.
“Pupils are very positive about their school. In lessons, pupils focus on their learning and behave respectfully towards one another. When pupils report bullying behaviours, the school acts decisively.”
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“Well-sequenced curriculum”
The curriculum at Wellsway School was described by inspectors as “broad, ambitious and well-sequenced”. The curriculum builds on pupils’ knowledge and alongside teachers’ use of checks, the next stages of learning are planned and pupils know what they need to do and improve.
On “a few occasions”, strategies to adapt learning for pupils are not used well and when this happens, pupils do not progress with learning as promptly. The process of identifying the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) has been “sharpened”, meaning teachers know their pupils well and those with SEND achieve well.
The secondary school checks how well pupils can read and has identified the needs of pupils who are not confident in reading with fluency. But the school has not put into place the learning for pupils who need to build their comprehension skills and as a result, those pupils do not experience a “consistent approach” to developing reading skills.
The report said: “Pupils attend school well and the school monitors this closely, identifying when some groups of pupils attend less well. When this happens, the school acts quickly to follow up. It has robust protocols in place to promote high attendance to school.
“In lessons, pupils engage and listen well. For the minority of pupils who do not respond to expectations, the school uses stepped approaches and suspension appropriately. Pupils appreciate the way in which the school celebrates their efforts and achievements.
“The school has planned a comprehensive careers curriculum from year seven to year 13. It prepares pupils well to make decisions about their next steps. Pupils in year 11 have a robust induction to the sixth form. The school helps pupils to be confident in their choice of courses and students stay on and are successful at completing their chosen qualifications.”
The school evaluates the decisions it makes to improve the school for all pupils and the trust offers high-quality training and support. Staff are “highly positive” of how the school looks after their well-being and the school works actively in the local community, which was praised by Ofsted.
“We are extremely proud”
The headteacher, Rob Pearsall, said: “We are extremely proud of the outcome of this inspection. Ofsted’s positive findings reflect the hard work and dedication of our students and staff and the wonderful support we receive from our community.
“There is much to celebrate in the report, and I am thrilled that the aspects of the school we value most have been officially recognised. We are committed to building on the progress we have made so that we can continue to provide our young people with the excellent education, opportunities and support they deserve.”
Gary Schlick, chief executive of Futura Learning Partnership, said: “Congratulations to everyone at Wellsway for this excellent inspection report, which captures the many strengths of the school. I am confident that the staff and students will maintain these standards and go on to achieve further successes.”
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