Lymm High School

Overview

Lymm High School is rated ‘Good’ for overall effectiveness, with ‘Outstanding’ provision for the sixth form. The report describes a school where pupils “do well academically” and “enjoy coming to school,” supported by an “ambitious and well-structured curriculum.” Leaders have made “substantial improvements” to curriculum design, ensuring pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), access broad subject ranges and achieve high results.

Strengths

• Sixth-form provision is ‘Outstanding’, with students displaying an “exceptional attitude towards their learning” and benefiting from “extensive support.”
• The curriculum enables pupils to “revisit prior learning over time,” helping them to “know and remember more.”
• Pupils with SEND “access the full curriculum and achieve well” due to effective identification systems and clear information sharing with teachers.
• Strong personal development is fostered through the ‘Life programme’ and ‘Gateway programme’, which equip students with skills for “future success.”
• Staff well-being is prioritised, with the school reducing “unnecessary workload” to allow more focus on pupil education.

Areas to improve

• Teachers must ensure pupils have a “secure understanding” of taught content before moving on, particularly in key stage 3, to remedy misconceptions.
• Older pupils struggling with reading require more “targeted support” to address gaps and develop fluency, as current provision is less developed than for younger pupils.
• Key stage 4 pupils need better opportunities to learn about different faiths and cultures to be “better prepared for life in modern Britain.”

Safeguarding

The report states that “the arrangements for safeguarding are effective.”