Sanderson High School

Overview

The inspection team found that staff, led by the headteacher and depute headteacher, deliver a breadth of learning experiences that positively impact attainment and achievement. Young people are described as confident, proud, and respectful, feeling safe and included within the school community. The report concludes that the school has the capacity to continue to improve, with no further visits planned in connection with this inspection.

Strengths

• Staff work effectively to deliver relevant learning experiences that raise young people’s attainment and achievements.
• Principal teachers provide high levels of support for pastoral and learning needs, fostering positive relationships that make young people feel "safe, understood and included".
• Young people are "confident and proud of their school," taking on leadership opportunities with pride and showing respect towards others.
• Staff collaborate with partners to support senior phase young people in engaging in meaningful community learning, helping them move on successfully to further education or training.

Areas to improve

• Senior leaders should continue to support staff at all levels to become confident leaders to increase their involvement in improving the school.
• Senior leaders and teachers should develop a consistent approach to high quality learning and teaching, planning learning that is engaging and motivates all young people.
• Staff should further develop approaches to meeting the needs of young people with the most complex needs, including adopting a clear strategy for the Anxiety Lowering Learning (ALL) provision.

Safeguarding

The report states that staff teams work very well together to develop positive relationships with young people, leading to them feeling "safe, understood and included at the school."