ORCHARD School Bristol is celebrating a highly positive Ofsted report following its latest inspection.
Two inspectors visited the 958-pupil secondary in March and judged that the school had taken effective action to maintain the standards since the watchdog’s previous visits in 2019 and 2015, when it was said to be Good.
Lead inspector James Oldham wrote: “Pupils are happy and safe at this inclusive school. Pupils stand up for the school’s values, such as being open-minded and responsible.”
His report said Orchard School, which has many pupils who are disadvantaged and have special educational needs and disabilities, had recently raised its expectations of children’s achievement, behaviour and conduct.
“The school makes a very strong contribution to pupils’ personal development. Pupils benefit from a wide range of extracurricular opportunities.
“Many pupils have leadership roles. They are very proud to hold these positions. These opportunities build pupils’ confidence and develop their sense of responsibility,” Ofsted reported.
Other strengths noted by the watchdog included:
• Lessons are typically calm and orderly.
• The school does not tolerate poor behaviour.
• The curriculum is increasingly ambitious and broad.
• Pupils receive strong careers advice, information and guidance.
Mr Oldham said leaders at the school, which is part of Trust in Learning Academies, knew what it did well and where it needed to make further improvements. T
“They evaluate insightfully the impact of their work and provide useful information to trustees and local governors. This enables trustees and local governors to maintain strong oversight of the school’s work. Staff are proud to work at the school and are well supported by leaders,” he reported.
To improve further, Ofsted said the school should further strengthen efforts to improve attendance for some pupils. Also, teachers should ensure that pupils discussed content thoroughly in all subjects to deepen their understanding.
Headteacher Melanie Sweet said: “We are delighted with our recent Ofsted report, which shows we are a seriously good, inclusive school where our children are safe and happy and stand up for their values.
“Orchard staff, who, the report notes, are ‘proud to work at the school’, work as a family to ensure that our pupils receive the very best quality of education in order to go on to brilliant post-16 and post-18 destinations, along with the outstanding pastoral support and personal development opportunities that help them thrive as young people ready to take on the world.
“I am immensely proud of how far we have come as a team, and privileged, every day, to lead this beautiful school. Staff, pupils and the wider community deserve this glowing Ofsted report.”
Sue Elliott, CEO of Trust in Learning Academies, said: “I am incredibly proud of the leaders, staff and pupils of Orchard School Bristol.
“They all work incredibly hard to make the school the happy, inclusive and very successful place that it is, and they are all rightly proud of this outcome.”