St Bernards Catholic High School, Barrow

Overview

St Bernard’s Catholic High School is described as a “positive learning community” where pupils feel valued, safe, and happy. Leaders maintain high expectations for behaviour and achievement, fostering a calm and orderly environment where students demonstrate resilience and pride in their work.

Strengths

• Pupils benefit from a “broad range of subjects” and an “extensive programme of activities” that widen their horizons.
• The “personal development curriculum is very effective,” preparing pupils well for life in modern Britain through lessons on health, safety, and different cultures.
• Leaders identify the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities accurately, ensuring they access the same “ambitious curriculum” as others.
• There is a “strong focus on developing pupils’ reading and vocabulary,” with effective support for those at the earliest stages of learning to read.
• Trustees and governors hold leaders to account successfully, while staff report being proud to work at the school.

Areas to improve

• Leaders should ensure curriculum changes maximise the number of pupils following the full English Baccalaureate suite of qualifications at key stage 4, as the current proportion is low.
• In a small number of subjects, leaders must finalise curriculum thinking so teachers are clear about essential knowledge, preventing gaps that slow pupil progress.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with a “strong culture of safeguarding” where staff are vigilant, report concerns quickly, and work effectively with external partners.