The high school, which was inspected in November last year, was found to assess the individual needs of pupils with barriers to learning, but the support provided was not precise enough to meet the needs.
‘The way in which the curriculum is taught is not adapted precisely enough to meet the needs of some pupils. Consequently, these pupils do not learn the curriculum as well as their peers. The school should ensure that teachers have the necessary information and expertise to meet the needs of all learners,’ the report said.
‘The checks that teachers make to assess how well pupils have learned the curriculum do not accurately identify pupils’ starting points or gaps in their knowledge. This means that some pupils do not receive the support or challenge that they need to learn well.
‘The school should ensure that teachers’ use of assessment identifies exactly what pupils have successfully learned to inform what comes next.’
The school was graded ‘good’ in behaviour and attitudes, personal development and welfare and leadership and management.
The personal development programme was identified as a strength of the school and found that pupils who had taken on student leadership roles were proud to act as role models to others.
The report said the newly-formed school was ambitious for pupils and had high expectations for the way pupils conduct themselves.
‘Clear routines have ensured that disruption to learning is reducing and not tolerated. The school provides a wide range of effective
support for pupils to help them to improve their behaviour and engagement with learning,’ it said.
Its personal development programme, with an extensive range of clubs and activities to encourage the development of talents and interests, including cooking, crafts, dance, gardening and competitive sport, were popular, and pupils were being well-prepared for adult life and were largely positive about the support given for their next steps in education or beyond.
There is a focus on reading, described as a priority area, with support given to weaker readers, but work to develop and promote reading is at an early stage and not reaching all pupils.
Improving attendance was also highlighted, with the school having raised expectations and tracking it closely.
‘The school provides a wide range of effective support for pupils to help them improve their behaviour and engagement with learning.’
Director of education Nick Hynes said the staff and students of Les Varendes had gone through a time of ‘significant instability’ since the school opened.
‘The inspection recognises that the leadership team are aware of areas for development, and that there is a clear commitment and plan in place to improve,’ he said.
‘Recent staff training on the new code of practice and high-quality inclusive practice demonstrates this proactive and focused leadership approach, which is the key to continued improvement.
‘With this roadmap already in place, I have no doubt that the school will only go from strength to strength.’
LES VARENDES principal Verona Tomlin said there were ‘no surprises’ in the report and recommendations issued by Ofsted following its inspection of her school.
Her reaction was the same nearly three years ago when an inspection of the school she led at that time, La Mare de Carteret, also found that the quality of education needed to be improved.
She said the most recent inspection confirmed what she and her colleagues already knew about Les Varendes.
‘Les Varendes has been on a huge journey over the last two years, as we have merged two schools and undergone a period of significant transformation,’ she said.
‘This inspection has confirmed what we already knew about our school – there were no surprises, and the areas identified for improvement are the same priorities already embedded in our development plan.
‘While we recognise there is still work to be done, we remain fully committed to our journey of growth.
‘Our school has been stabilised, merged and enhanced with great care, and honesty and clarity are central to our approach. I am so proud of the work staff across the school have done to date to achieve this result – I am looking forward to what’s ahead and the improvements I am confident we will achieve together.’
The inspection report said that senior leaders at Les Varendes, and the Education Office, were accurate in their self-evaluation of the school.
Subject leaders were being developed and supported to ensure sharp oversight of their areas of responsibility.
They were aware of weaknesses within the school and there was a commitment to improve for all pupils.
Liz Coffey, executive principal of the Secondary School Partnership, said the report showed that Mrs Tomlin and her leadership team understood the school after a period of change.
‘They are actively supporting staff wellbeing and committed to addressing weaker areas so that every student receives a high quality education,’ she said.
‘It is so pleasing that staff have been active participants in the work undertaken across the Secondary School Partnership, particularly relating to curriculum alignment. This is supporting the required areas for improvement in the “Quality of Education”.’
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