Seaton Sluice Middle School

Overview

Seaton Sluice Middle School continues to be a good school, providing an inclusive and caring environment where pupils are proud of their community. Leaders view academic outcomes and personal development equally, ensuring that every pupil is supported to succeed through a well-adapted curriculum and effective behaviour management.

Strengths

• Pupils display "excellent behaviour" and are "polite and confident," with bullying being rare and incidents addressed immediately.
• The school’s approach to promoting "mental health and well-being" is a strength, supported by a school counsellor and a wide range of enrichment opportunities.
• Leaders have developed a curriculum adapted to match pupil needs, using assessment effectively to ensure pupils "do not have gaps in their knowledge and skills."
• Staff make suitable adjustments to support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), with leaders regularly reviewing support strategies.
• Governors undertake their role effectively, possessing a "wide range of skills that allow them to support and challenge school leaders."

Areas to improve

• Some pupils’ knowledge of other faiths and cultures is weak because this aspect of the spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) curriculum is "underdeveloped."
• In some subjects, such as mathematics, pupils do not encounter challenging concepts as often, which "limits their understanding of more complex subject material."

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with staff who "know pupils well but are not complacent" and who report concerns quickly.