The head of a Weymouth secondary school has vowed to take action and make improvements after an Ofsted inspection.

It comes after All Saints Church of England Academy was graded as 'Requires Improvement'.

Having become an academy in June 2019 when the previous school was graded 'Inadequate' and requiring special measures, the report shows All Saints, in Wyke Regis and part of Ambitions Academies Trust, is making clear progress - but is not yet graded 'Good' overall.

Principal John Cornish said the school will "continue to work relentlessly to address the areas for improvement identified in the report".

Mr Cornish said it was clear the school had come a long way following the previous report in 2018 - and highlighted the good work going on at All Saints which the report was complimentary about.

Dorset Echo:

In the report, the school was rated as 'good' with behaviours and attitudes and personal development. The quality of education and leadership and management were rated as 'requires improvement'.

Inspectors visited in November 2023, and while they identified effective safeguarding and a comprehensive careers programme, they also noticed gaps in the curriculum for Key Stage 4.

The report stated: “Pupils are happy and safe. The school has a clear ethos of ‘Act wisely, Build Community, Help Others’. The school curriculum extends beyond the academic. For example, pupils’ talents and interests develop through competitive sport and performing in the school production.

"While the school has the ambition for all pupils to achieve academic success, this is not currently realised in the work and examination outcomes of older pupils."

Outlining areas for which the school needs to improve, the inspectors stated: 

  • Pupils in key stage 4 do not study an ambitious curriculum that will prepare them well for further education or employment
  • Assessment information about pupils’ gaps and misconceptions is not used effectively to review and adapt the curriculum
  • The school does not routinely monitor and review the impact of actions and interventions on pupils’ outcomes

Dorset Echo:

Mr Cornish said: "We are pleased with the gradings in two key areas and will continue working relentlessly to address the areas for improvement identified in the report.

"I am pleased that inspectors found that “pupils at this school are happy and safe”, that our work is driven by a “clear ethos” and that “the school has the ambition for all pupils to achieve academic success.

"I am also pleased that inspectors recognised the hard work and commitment of staff that means the “school has raised expectations for pupils’ behaviour” and that we provide a clear range of opportunities for pupils to develop their talents beyond the academic. This is done in many ways such as sports and drama performances.

"The work that we have put into recognising pupil success through our new rewards system has also been identified as an area of strength, along with the leadership roles, the work of the school council and the extra-curricular trips and visits pupils can attend to enrich their curriculum."

He added: "We have already taken action to address the recommendations of the report and will continue to do so. We are fully committed to helping each and every pupil reach their potential. While there are clear areas to focus on we are very proud of our staff team and their enthusiasm to support every pupil.”

Addressing the key areas for improvement, Mr Cornish said: "We continue to enact our plans to continue to improve the quality of teaching and learning, particularly regarding closing the gaps that have been caused by the pandemic. Making sure that every lesson, every day is as consistent as possible is our key target so that all pupils can have the very best education experience."