Penkridge Middle School

Overview

Penkridge Middle School is judged to be a good school, providing a "calm and friendly environment" where pupils thrive. Leaders demonstrate strong oversight with clear improvement plans, while staff deliver an ambitious curriculum that supports high expectations and positive behaviour.

Strengths

• Pupils feel "happy and safe," with bullying being rare and effectively managed when it occurs.
• The curriculum is "ambitious for all pupils," including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), ensuring a broad and balanced range of subjects.
• Teachers possess "strong subject knowledge" and use effective reward systems that pupils appreciate and which encourage improvement.
• An "extensive range of extra-curricular activities" is offered, with high pupil participation in sports, arts, and clubs.
• Leaders and governors provide an "appropriate balance of support and challenge," ensuring the school is well led and managed.

Areas to improve

• In a small number of subjects, curriculum sequencing is not advanced enough, meaning new learning does not always build effectively on prior knowledge.
• Pupils’ response to teacher feedback is inconsistent across departments, leading to some gaps in learning where advice is not acted upon.
• The school needs to appoint a permanent special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) to address concerns raised by parents of SEND pupils.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with clear procedures, appropriate staff training, and quick responses to concerns to ensure pupils are kept safe.