Following the report on Friday last week of Ofsted’s latest inspection of Christ the King College, this in from the College. Ed
Ofsted declares Christ the King College could be just twelve months away from Outstanding Ofsted inspectors, who visited the College only 20 months after their previous visit in July 2012, have described Christ the King as “a good school, with key leaders relentless in their drive for excellence and with teachers throughout the college very conscientious and highly committed.” The popular and oversubscribed school was said to be “knocking very loudly on the door of outstanding.”
Tribute to the teaching staff
Pat Goodhead, Principal, paid tribute to the teaching staff, the vast majority of whom are described by inspectors as having “high expectations, good subject knowledge, keep themselves updated about new developments and readily share their expertise with each other.”
Inspectors also reported that the college, which now has a full and growing Sixth Form where no teaching was found to be less than good, has outstanding capacity to continue to build on its achievements. Inspectors were particularly impressed by the excellent quality of the college’s sixth form and the speed with which it has been so successfully established.
Outstanding leadership
The report states that, “Leadership and management of the Sixth Form are outstanding” and “courses tailored to students’ individual current and future needs are in place.”
The report also praises the rigorous monitoring of students’ performance in the sixth form, the effective one-to-one tutorial system and the high quality of teaching. Guidance towards future pathways is also described in the report as excellent with over two thirds of the current Year 13 already in receipt of good offers of university places.
Achievement
Teaching was found to be typically good across the college with many examples of
outstanding practice. As a result of such good teaching, achievement is good and the already good standards are rising in the vast majority of subjects.
Furthermore, Ofsted stated how good achievement is for all students at the college, regardless of age, ability or background: for students from Year 7 through to Year 13; for the most able and for those students for whom learning is a significant challenge for a range of reasons; for those students long established at the College and new students; within both vocational and academic subjects; for students in receipt of Pupil Premium. Such inclusivity is completely at one with the College’s ethos where every individual, regardless of background, is supported to achieve.
Committed staff
Speaking of the staff, Pat Goodhead stated,
“The College is blessed with highly skilled, committed and conscientious colleagues whose practice is undeniably outstanding. Where there is less than good teaching and inconsistency of practice, we are working together to address those issues, using the highly prevalent best practice across the College as models to share and support those colleagues.”
Positive attitudes to learning
Inspectors also found the overwhelming majority of students exhibited positive attitudes to learning and were keen to do well, showing a resilience and determination to succeed.
Inspectors were high in their praise of the students’ behaviour, finding them smart, calm and polite with the college promoting high standards of behaviour. The report also stated that, “The overwhelming majority of parents would recommend the college to others.”
“Inspirational leader”
Principal Pat Goodhead, who is described in the report as “an inspirational leader, unstinting in seeking excellence and who has created a shared vision for the college,” has thanked all parents and carers for their support in making Christ the King College such an excellent school and has paid tribute to staff, students and governors for their ongoing support. Pat Goodhead expressed some disappointment that Ofsted visited before the college so soon since its last visit.
Commenting on this, she said,
“The visit was unexpected and proved to be challenging and very robust. Given the very good results of our previous Ofsted visit in July 2012, such a return visit would not normally be expected for at least 3 years. This would, of course, have given us the necessary time to secure our third set of GCSE results this August and, importantly, our first set of A Level results; it would also, hopefully, have given us the time and additional exam result evidence to secure the outstanding judgement to which we are relentlessly working.
“However, I am absolutely delighted with this report. Once again, it recognises what a truly good school Christ the King College really is and identifies extremely clearly what we need to do to secure the outstanding judgement. Actions were already in place to move forward on these important areas and we look forward to a very exciting and successful future. Ofsted’s visit has also validated our new sixth form as outstanding, a wonderful accolade for the young people in the sixth form and those aspiring to be part of it in the future.”
Remarkable journey
The Ofsted visit to the college, seemingly prompted by the development of its new sixth form, certainly found much to praise. Also of particular note in the report is the breadth of curriculum the college offers, the accurate knowledge that leaders have of the school and the strength of the Governing Body who, throughout this remarkable journey of Christ the King College, continue to bring support and challenge to its work.
David Lisseter, the Chair of Governors, expressed his pride in the college and the relentless work of all the staff to provide the very best education for the wonderful young people who make up the strong community. He describes the College as “a very special place indeed.”
Cllr Chris Whitehouse, who represents the ward of Newport in which Christ the King is located and also speaks for the Conservative Group of Councillors on education today added:
“This is a great report. Christ the King remains the only ‘good’ high school on the Island and it is fantastic that already its Sixth Form is acknowledged as good with outstanding leadership and management. Well done to the
leadership team, the staff and, above all, the students. Be proud of yourselves!”
Image: © Christ the King College
