Sackville SchoolCapable | Caring | Creative | Confident

This is a good and improving school. Standards are significantly above national averages and achievement is good overall. Test and examination results show improvement year on year. In the past pupils have not achieved as well as they should given their starting points. Recent successful strategies in English, mathematics and science have halted the trend of past underachievement. School data show that pupils now make good progress in Years 7 to 11. Tracking of pupils’ progress is more robust, with sharper targeting of those at risk of underachievement. This, combined with more consistent approaches to teaching and learning, is securing better achievement but some gaps remain. Not all lessons focus strongly enough on individual pupils’ needs and the use of assessment to set suitably challenging targets is not uniformly applied. Some underachievement in modern foreign languages also remains. The school correctly recognises that achievement, although mostly good, could improve further. The more challenging targets which it has set itself have not yet been realised.

The school’s specialism has given a huge boost to mathematics, science and design and technology and has helped improve the quality of provision across the school.

Pupils’ personal development and well-being are good. Parents say their children enjoy school and feel safe. Arrangements for health, safety and child protection are secure. Care, guidance and support are good. Relationships based on mutual trust and respect and good support help pupils to gain in confidence. Pupils make a good contribution to the local and wider community. Attendance is in line with the national average and behaviour is good. Most teaching and learning are good or better as a result of the intensive training and support programmes. The good curriculum in Years 7 to 11 shows the flexibility required to meet pupils’ needs and this is a strength. Pupils are well prepared for employment, training or further education. Targets are set for pupils and are monitored frequently. Most understand what they need to do to improve, but where pupils are not stretched fully in some lessons achievement suffers.

Leadership and management at all levels are good and are impacting well and raising standards. Recent restructuring and strong appointments of key staff at both senior and middle management levels, and the more robust monitoring systems enable middle leaders to clearly understand the strengths and weaknesses within their areas. The school correctly realises that achievement, although good, could be improved further to reach the challenging targets which it has set itself at GCSE and to seek improvements which it has committed itself to in the sixth form.

“We are delighted that we are judged to be a “good and improving school”. The inspectors confirmed the details of our own self-evaluation, finding many areas of strength, particularly in the teaching in the school. Those areas highlighted for improvement have already been identified and form part of our school improvement plan.”