Derbyshire secondary school ‘delighted’ after improving Ofsted rating to ‘good’

Swanwick Hall School on Derby Road in Swanwick is now rated as ‘good’ following an Ofsted inspection at the beginning of this year.

This is a significant moment for the school as it was previously graded as ‘requires improvement’ by Ofsted in 2019.

In the report published on March 9, inspectors rated the quality of education, personal development, leadership and management, and sixth-form provision as good, but said behaviour and attitudes ‘require improvement’.

The report said: “The school has high expectations of all pupils. Pupils have access to a broad and balanced curriculum. This includes a wide range of GCSE and A-level subjects.

"The school has a new approach to assessment and feedback. This helps pupils to recognise how they can improve their work further. Most teachers address misconceptions well and allow time for pupils to correct and deepen their thinking.”

Inspectors have noticed that the Sixth-form provision is ‘growing’ and said ‘post-16 students’ are benefitting from ‘teachers’ subject expertise’.

Inspectors have also highlighted areas the school should improve.

The report said: “In most lessons, adaptations are made to support pupils with SEND. However, the strategic management of the provision and support for pupils with SEND is not clear. Therefore, pupils are at risk of missing out on the support they need.

“Some pupils do not attend school often enough. Leaders should ensure that they continue to support families and pupils to improve pupils’ attendance.

"Leaders have recently developed new policies connected to behaviour expectations and punctuality. Many older pupils feel that these policies are having a positive impact. The impact of these policies are yet to be felt by all members of the school community.”

Jonathan Fawcett, Headteacher at Swanwick Hall School said: “We are delighted that our recent Ofsted inspection has judged Swanwick Hall to be a good school and that the team of inspectors recognise the school’s many strengths.

"I am proud that the report highlights that Swanwick Hall is a school built on strong values that sit at the heart of all of our work, that students feel safe and have staff that they can talk to. It was also wonderful to see that our high expectations as well as our broad and ambitious curriculum were commended.

“Inspectors spoke of students’ excellent engagement and the pride that they take in their work. They also recognised teachers’ skilled pedagogy and excellent subject knowledge, coupled with strong relationships across the school. These findings rightly reflect the learning environment that we are lucky enough to work in each day.

“We look forward to further working in partnership with our wonderful students and their families to secure further improvements which build upon the strong foundations which are already in place.”

Wesley Davies, Chief Executive Officer of The Two Counties Trust added: “This is a testament to the teamwork and ambition of our staff, coupled with the honesty and determination to learn shown by our students. Swanwick Hall School has shown remarkable drive to implement new policies, standards and practices based on feedback received by previous inspections.

"This new rating is incredibly well deserved and an embodiment of the very mission of all schools within The Two Counties Trust: to enhance the life choices of all our students”