Abbeywood Community School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thrive at Abbeywood Community School. They value the warm, supportive relationships they have with members of staff. This helps pupils to engage with learning and achieve well.

The school has high expectations for pupils' social, emotional, physical and academic development.

Pupils have positive attitudes to learning. In lessons and around the school, pupils behave very well.

They know the routines of school and are punctual to lessons. They demonstrate empathy, politeness and kindness towards each other.

Through the curriculum, pupils have an impressive breadth of cultural, sporting and artistic opportunities.

For example, pupils can... participate in enrichment activities such as rounders, creative writing and crafts.

Sixth-form students value the extensive number of subjects they can study. For example, they have the opportunity to study subjects such as game design, criminology and engineering.

They are positive about the support they receive to achieve well. In 2024, students achieved very well in a range of subjects.

Across the curriculum, pupils learn about life beyond school.

For example, they learn about the importance of freedom of speech through class discussions.

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

The school is led well. Leaders' vision and relentless focus on developing the quality of education is shared by staff.

The curriculum is well structured, enabling pupils to build progressively on their prior knowledge as they move through the school. The curriculum is academically ambitious. Teachers' subject knowledge is strong.

This means that pupils, including sixth-form students, acquire a breadth of knowledge about their respective subjects. Across the school, staff ensure that pupils remember what they have learned through frequent recap of prior learning. However, in a few areas, teachers do not address gaps in some pupils' knowledge through adapting the teaching of the curriculum.

Consequently, a minority of pupils do not learn some subjects as well as they could.

Reading is prioritised across the school. Pupils routinely engage in whole class reading of novels.

For instance, pupils were observed engrossed in listening to their teacher read 'Private Peaceful' by Michael Morpurgo. The school has established an effective literacy programme to support pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), who struggle with reading and writing. In all subject areas, staff teach the reading and writing requirements of their respective subjects well.

As a result, pupils are well supported to learn and write about their knowledge with accuracy and maturity.

Sixth-form students are positive about the quality of provision at the school. Through careful management of transport between the sixth-form sites, students are supported well.

Students value the bespoke opportunities to develop their knowledge of further education, apprenticeships and employment. They receive effective guidance which ensures that students are well prepared for their next steps. Students develop strong leadership skills through participation in the leadership group and supporting younger readers in the school.

Students have been enabled to support the development of the sixth form provision. For example, they worked closely with the school to provide more study spaces and computers.

Pupils with SEND receive strong pastoral and academic support.

The school identifies their needs well and appropriate, personalised support is in place. Pupils are happy and fully integrated into the life of the school.

Pupils' attendance is strong.

They value the importance of education in enabling them to access their next steps. However, some pupils in receipt of pupil premium funding do not attend as regularly as they should. Consequently, these pupils miss a lot of the educational and pastoral opportunities that the school offers.

The guidance about careers, apprenticeships and further education is detailed and informative. The school is innovative in using the many industries in the local area to support pupils' knowledge about the world beyond school. For example, pupils have opportunities to visit many engineering businesses near the school.

Pupils also benefit from local industries providing work experience and interview practice.

The school offers a breadth of enrichment opportunities such as theatre trips and visits to local cultural icons. This prepares pupils well to engage with the world around them.

The school and the trust work collaboratively to enhance and enrich the academic and pastoral curriculum. Governance is strong. Governors and trustees challenge and support the school's work in equal measure.

Staff are overwhelmingly proud to work at the school. The school supports their workload and well-being well.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, staff do not adapt the teaching of the curriculum to address the gaps that some pupils have in their knowledge. Consequently, these pupils do not learn as well as they could. The school must ensure that staff in all subjects use assessment information about what pupils know and do not know to plan adaptions to the teaching of the curriculum so that pupils learn successfully.

• Some pupils in receipt of pupil premium funding do not attend school regularly. This means that they miss out on the educational and pastoral provision at the school. The school should work closely with parents and carers so that these pupils attend school regularly and catch up on the education they have missed.

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