Merseyside school requires improvement after latest Ofsted report

A secondary school in Merseyside requires improvement after a latest Ofsted report identified key weaknesses in the school's provision. Deyes High School in Maghull is part of the Lydiate Learning Trust and was previously inspected in 2019 when they were awarded a 'Good' rating overall.

From September 2024, Ofsted no longer makes an overall effectiveness judgement for state-funded schools and is limited to rating five assessment categories. The latest Ofsted inspection analysed Deyes High School against this criteria and awarded the three 'Good' ratings and two 'Requires Improvement' ratings.

The Ofsted inspectors' report was published on Tuesday November 12 and included fulsome praise for the majority of the work undertaken at Deyes High School. In relation to the categories of 'behaviour', 'personal development' and 'sixth-form provision', the school is deemed to be delivering positive outcomes - particularly in relation to the strength of its curriculum and the positive relationships pupils have with the school and its teachers.

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"The school has high aspirations for pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). It has ensured that the curriculum is suitably ambitious."

Praise was also reserved for the school's sixth form provision where pupils generally achieve well, the trust's safeguarding arrangements and its 'no negativity' campaign which teaches pupils 'tolerance and respect of of difference'.

However, the school was rated as 'requiring improvement' in two categories as inspectors logged constructive criticism relating to the 'leadership and management' at Deyes High and the 'quality of education'. The report noted: "Some teachers do not use the school’s agreed learning strategies and assessment processes as effectively as they should. This makes it harder for pupils to build a secure understanding in some subjects.

"The school should ensure that teachers benefit from appropriate guidance and support to enable them to deliver and assess pupils’ learning of the curriculum consistently well."

Inspectors felt these deficiencies prevented some pupils from being able to 'embed' their learning before teachers moved onto other areas. The report said this was leading to inconsistent understandings around the potential gaps in pupils' knowledge and prevented the leadership from identifying the 'most appropriate actions that are needed to improve'.

Criticism was also reserved for some aspects of the school's special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) provision. The report noted there are robust systems in place to identify additional needs, but staff are failing to use this information to provide effective support.

The report added: "Some pupils with SEND do not benefit from consistently high-quality support to access the curriculum. Consequently, some pupils with SEND do not achieve well.

"The school should ensure that it carefully evaluates and improves the support that pupils with SEND receive to ensure that they learn successfully and can fulfil their aspirations." Deyes High School and the Lydiate Learning Trust were approached for comment.