Princes Risborough School

Overview

Princes Risborough School is described as a “calm, orderly place” where pupils are “motivated to achieve” and enjoy their education. Leaders maintain “high expectations” that are evident in daily life, fostering strong relationships and a sense of community where “everyone is treated as an individual.” The school provides a broad curriculum with effective support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities, though some areas require further development to match the highest standards.

Strengths

• Pupils are “engaged and concentrate well” in lessons, benefiting from teachers’ “high levels of expertise” and strong subject knowledge.
• Staff effectively support pupil well-being, with sixth-form students acting as mentors and trained ‘ambassadors’ supporting peer mental health.
• The curriculum is “mostly very effective,” particularly in subjects like English, where it is “expertly taught” and supports deep learning.
• Safeguarding arrangements are “effective,” with staff identifying concerns promptly and liaising well with external agencies.
• Governors and trustees are “focused and knowledgeable,” evaluating progress effectively and prioritising staff development.

Areas to improve

• Not all curriculum areas are as strong as the best, resulting in pupils not achieving as well as they could in some subjects.
• The proportion of pupils studying the full suite of English Baccalaureate subjects is “relatively low,” though leaders have plans to address this.
• Some pupils, including those in the sixth form, “miss too much school,” with rates of persistent absence remaining relatively high.

Safeguarding

The report states that “the arrangements for safeguarding are effective,” noting that knowledgeable staff identify concerns promptly and pupils learn how to keep themselves safe.