There is a family feeling about this school. It has a warmth and a friendliness to it. Across both the Newton Aycliffe and Shildon sites, the school is calm and has a peaceful atmosphere. Pupils feel well supported by staff, especially by the ‘Progress and Guidance’ team. Pupils are not worried about bullying at school. They know that it occasionally happens, but the school takes it seriously and steps in to stop it. Pupils seem happy at school and told inspectors that they feel safe. The leaders of the school want the pupils to achieve as well as they can. However, this is dependent on which teachers pupils get. Some teachers are more skilled and ambitious for their pupils than others, and better at dealing with low-level disruption than others. There is a deep commitment to the arts in school and how pupils’ lives can be enriched by them. Leaders have increased pupils’ opportunities to access the arts subjects and changed the curriculum to try to bring this about.