The John Frost School is an 11 to 18 mixed comprehensive school, serving the south-western part of Newport, and is maintained by Newport City Council. The school was previously known as Duffryn High School. There are 1,207 pupils on roll, including 95 in the sixth form, which is slightly higher than at the time of the last inspection in February 2014. Around 26% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is higher than the Wales average of 16.4% for secondary schools. Just over half the pupils live in the 20% most deprived areas in Wales. Around 40% of pupils are from a minority-ethnic or mixed-race background and a third come from homes where English is not the main language. Very few pupils speak Welsh as their first language. About 27% of pupils are on the school’s special educational needs register, which is higher than the national average of 22.2%. The percentage of pupils with a statement of special educational needs is 2.8% compared with 2.2% for Wales as a whole. The school has a local authority run specialist teaching facility for pupils with Autistic Spectrum Disorder. There are currently 20 pupils in this facility. The headteacher took up his post in September 2017. The senior leadership team consists of the headteacher, one deputy headteacher and four assistant headteachers. Further information is available from the Welsh Government My Local School website at the link below. http://mylocalschool.wales.gov.uk/Schools/SchoolSearch?lang=en 1 A report on The John Frost School March 2020 Summary The John Frost School is a caring community that provides a calm and purposeful learning environment for pupils and staff alike. Pupils are welcoming and friendly, and convey a strong sense of pride in their school. They behave well in lessons and around the school, and the majority make secure progress in their learning. Most teachers nurture positive working relationships with pupils and many have secure subject knowledge. In the majority of lessons, teachers provide helpful activities and clear explanations. However, in general teachers do not develop pupils’ thinking or independent skills well enough. In a minority of lessons, teachers do not adapt activities sufficiently to meet the needs of pupils of different abilities. The school provides high quality care, support and guidance and promotes tolerance and respect successfully. This ensures that the diverse needs of the school community are met effectively. Pupils are supported well and enabled to develop as caring, well-informed citizens. Leaders provide a clear sense of direction for the school. They understand the school’s strengths and weaknesses well and prioritise wisely. There is a tangible sense of common purpose amongst staff and a strong ethos of teamwork. Staff feel well supported and benefit from a worthwhile programme of professional learning activities. Inspection area Judgement Standards Adequate and needs improvement Wellbeing and attitudes to learning Good Teaching and learning experiences Adequate and needs improvement Care, support and guidance Good Leadership and management Good 2 A report on The John Frost School March 2020 Recommendations R1 Improve pupils’ standards, particularly their speaking, writing and information and communication technology skills R2 Improve teaching and assessment R3 Strengthen the work of the school council R4 Improve the effectiveness of a minority of middle leaders R5 Ensure that reports to parents meet statutory requirements What happens next The school will draw up an action plan to address the recommendations from the inspection.