Ashfield Girls' High School

Overview

This Sustaining Improvement Inspection found that while the school has made "good progress" in mathematics, it has not sufficiently demonstrated the capacity to identify and bring about improvement for all learners. Consequently, the report concludes that the school’s future inspection arrangements will be adjusted to reflect this finding.

Strengths

• GCSE mathematics results at grades A* to C have increased by ten percentage points since 2014, now aligning with the Northern Ireland average for similar schools.
• The mathematics department’s action plan is "well-informed by the analysis of a range of qualitative and quantitative data," leading to better awareness of individual pupil needs.
• There is a "more cohesive whole-school approach" to developing pupils’ numeracy skills to support progression.
• The school is improving the consistency of the quality of learning experiences, though these strategies are currently at an early stage of development.

Areas to improve

• The school must raise overall GCSE outcomes, as the percentage of pupils achieving five or more grades A* to C is on a downward trend and remains below the regional average.
• Leadership must address "undue variation in the performance of individual subjects" at GCSE level.
• The self-evaluation process is "not sufficiently robust" to identify and address the decline in outcomes, requiring significant strengthening.

Safeguarding

The report states that arrangements for safeguarding now "reflect the guidance issued by the relevant Departments."