The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. You, alongside your leadership team, have created a culture of high expectations. You are ambitious for pupils, students and staff alike. ‘For everyone the best’ is your mantra. You are committed to ensuring that staff develop professionally. Staff are proud to work at the school and they feel highly valued. Staff benefit from an array of training opportunities. Leaders’ ongoing commitment to staff training as well as opportunities for staff to share strong practice continue to secure developments in the quality of teaching. Teachers have a strong knowledge of their subjects. They have fostered supportive and effective working relationships with pupils. As a result, effective teaching is allowing pupils to make good progress across the curriculum. Pupils value the wide range of extra-curricular activities on offer. They appreciate the opportunity to grow their talents across a range of sporting activities. Pupils also have the chance to take on other worthwhile challenges, such as the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. The majority of parents and carers feel that their children are happy and well cared for by staff. They are confident that their children make good progress. Those responsible for governance bring to their roles skills and knowledge across a range of sectors, including education and finance. Governors and trustees are extremely knowledgeable about pupils’ progress at the school. This ensures that governors ask pertinent questions of leaders. Governors demonstrate a strong understanding of the school’s strengths. For example, they are aware that students in the sixth form make excellent progress in applied subjects. This is particularly the case in sports studies. Governors are also aware which aspects of the school require further development. For example, they are aware that the attendance of disadvantaged pupils is below the national average for all pupils. You and your leadership team have an accurate understanding of what aspects of the school require further development. You do not shy away from remedying weaknesses. For example, at the previous inspection, inspectors asked you to improve teaching in academic subjects in the sixth form. You have made a number of changes to develop further the quality of teaching in the sixth form. There have been improvements in the quality of teaching. For example, improvements in teaching are securing better outcomes for students in mathematics, psychology and physics. However, inconsistencies in staffing have hampered your efforts. You acknowledge that the journey of improvement continues in this area. Inspectors also asked you to improve the quality of teaching in order for the most able pupils to make better progress. Since the last inspection, the progress made by the most able pupils at key stage 4 has improved considerably. This has particularly been the case in science. Where the most able pupils make the most progress, teachers plan learning that challenges pupils to make good progress from their high starting points. This is because teachers use assessment information effectively to plan learning. You acknowledge that the more effective use of assessment information by teachers to plan learning would further benefit the quality of teaching across the school. Safeguarding is effective. Leaders and governors have ensured that safeguarding procedures meet requirements. The system to check that all adults at the school are safe to work with children meets requirements. Staff have received appropriate safeguarding training. This means that staff understand the procedures they must follow if they have concerns about a pupil. Leaders follow up any concerns appropriately. Records of leaders’ work with external agencies are well organised. Staff and pupils are confident that the school is a safe place. Alternative providers have appropriate procedures in place to safeguard pupils. Pupils learn about how to keep themselves safe as part of the curriculum. Pupils are confident about how to keep themselves safe, including online. Incidents of bullying in school are rare and when they do arise, teachers deal with these incidents effectively. Pupils demonstrate an understanding of different faiths and cultures. For example, they learn in religious education about the negative effects of religious stereotyping. Staff and pupils do not tolerate racist and homophobic behaviour. Pupils and students report that members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community feel free to be themselves.