Crosby High School

Overview

Pupils enjoy attending Crosby High School, feeling part of a "safe and caring community" with "warm relationships" with staff. However, the quality of education and leadership "requires improvement" due to curriculum weaknesses stemming from past leadership instability. While behaviour and personal development are rated "Good," the current curriculum does not consistently meet the needs of all pupils, particularly regarding academic ambition and coherent knowledge sequencing.

Strengths

• Pupils behave well, are "polite and respectful," and benefit from a "calm and friendly" school atmosphere.
• Personal development is strong, with pupils engaging in activities like the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award to build confidence and social skills.
• Reading is "prioritised and promoted," with early identification and effective support for those struggling with phonics.
• Staff feel "highly supportive" of their well-being, and governors are united in supporting necessary changes.
• Safeguarding arrangements are "effective," with a culture that puts pupils’ interests first.

Areas to improve

• The school must clarify essential knowledge in subjects where it is currently underdeveloped, ensuring teachers know precisely what pupils should learn in a coherent order.
• Assessment systems are "ad hoc" and underdeveloped; the school must train teachers to use systems that accurately check knowledge retention and address misconceptions.
• The school must better use information about pupils’ specific needs to ensure the curriculum is "suitably challenging and ambitious" for all, rather than limiting achievement.

Safeguarding

The report states that "the arrangements for safeguarding are effective."