Bury Church of England High School

Overview

The report describes a school where leaders have made "positive changes" to school life, resulting in an "ambitious curriculum" and effective support for pupils. Pupils are "happy," feel safe, and benefit from "personalised and highly effective" pastoral care that addresses barriers to learning.

Strengths

• Personal development is at the "heart of leaders’ work," fostering pupils who understand "tolerance, democracy and the rule of law" and contribute positively to the community.
• Pastoral care is "personalised and highly effective," with timely access to mental health professionals and counselling that "reduced barriers to pupils' learning and/or wellbeing."
• Leaders have improved the curriculum's ambition and logical order, ensuring pupils receive "independent careers advice" and move on successfully to further education or employment.
• Behaviour is calm and respectful, with bullying described as "rare"; leaders use high expectations and positive rewards to ensure pupils "enjoy social time" and remain focused in lessons.
• Staff appreciate the "clear vision and direction" set by leaders, who prioritise staff workload and wellbeing, creating a culture where staff are "proud to work at the school."

Areas to improve

• Leaders should strengthen the "consistency of teaching across the school" to ensure pupils can fully learn the ambitious curriculum, as some teachers do not identify misconceptions swiftly enough.
• Strategies must be developed to improve attendance rates, particularly for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, whose attendance "remains below national averages."

Safeguarding

The safeguarding standards are met, with leaders establishing an "open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility" and concerns are actively identified and managed.