Ofsted

The school was inspected by His Majesty's Inspectorate, OFSTED, in December 2024.

South Molton Community College was awarded a 'Good' judgement in all four categories.

• The quality of education                           Good
• Behaviour and attitudes                           Good
• Personal development                              Good
• Leadership and management                Good

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending this school. They feel safe and know that they can talk to an adult if they have any worries. Pupils who are experiencing difficulties, particularly with their mental health, get high-quality support.

The school has raised its aspirations of what all pupils can achieve and how they behave. Pupils have risen to these increased expectations. Most behave and attend well. Bullying is uncommon. It is usually resolved quickly when it does occur.

Pupils are warmly welcomed into school each morning by staff. This helps pupils to make a positive start each day and be ready to learn. Time is spent celebrating the achievements of the previous day. This helps remind pupils of what is expected of them while at school.

Pupils benefit from a thoughtfully designed enrichment programme which enhances their wider development. The school ensures that all pupils take part in this. Pupils can learn sign language, prepare for the annual school production and take part in a host of sporting and creative opportunities.

Leadership roles help pupils develop their characters, public speaking and sense of responsibility to others. ‘Senior’ pupils, prefects, anti-bullying ambassadors and sports leaders all contribute to the wider school community.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The curriculum is broad and ambitious. The school has increased the number of pupils who continue to study a language at key stage 4. This means that more pupils now take the suite of subjects that make up the English Baccalaureate and so follow a rigorous, academic curriculum for longer.

The school curriculum reflects the high aspirations that the school has for all pupils. In all subjects the knowledge that pupils need to learn at each stage has been identified. This is taught in a logical order and helps pupils to build on what they already know. However, pupils who do not attend well have significant gaps in their knowledge. This prevents them from connecting new knowledge to what they already know.

Teachers check what pupils know and can do. They identify and correct misconceptions. Teaching activities are usually well matched to the ambition of the curriculum. However, sometimes teaching does not provide clear explanations about the learning activities. Pupils are not clear about what they need to do. This is especially the case for some pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). When this occurs, learning activities do not enable pupils to deepen their knowledge and to learn as well as they could.

The school has clear expectations of how pupils should behave. Good attendance and conduct are encouraged and rewarded. Pupil absence has reduced. Learning is rarely interrupted by poor behaviour. However, some pupils miss learning when removed from lessons because their conduct does not meet the school’s expectations.

There is an age-appropriate programme of personal, social and health education (PSHE) in place. It takes account of the risks that pupils are more likely to encounter in the local area. Pupils have a good understanding of healthy relationships and the risks of substance misuse. They know how to stay safe online.

Pupils learn about apprenticeships and local employment opportunities. Visits to universities help to broaden pupils’ horizons about what they can go on to do in the future.

The school has rapidly improved areas such as the curriculum, behaviour standards and attendance. It has an accurate view of its strengths and of the areas that need to improve further. Governors understand their roles and know the school well. They provide effective support, enabling the school to tackle the most pressing issues it faces. For example, governors have provided resources to aid the school in improving attendance and supporting pupils with mental health needs.

Staff, including those at the start of their careers, get the training they need to fulfil their roles. Staff understand the benefits of the changes the school has made recently. So do many pupils. Some parents and carers feel that the school is not responsive enough to them and are less positive about the changes made.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve? (Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Sometimes learning activities are not clearly explained and understood. As a result, activities do not enable pupils, including pupils with SEND, to acquire new knowledge successfully. The school should ensure that teaching consistently enables pupils to learn the curriculum effectively.
• Some pupils miss curriculum time when they are removed from lessons because of their behaviour or because they do not attend well enough. As a result, they do not progress through the curriculum as well as they could. The school should ensure that pupils behave well and attend regularly so that they experience the full curriculum.
• Some pupils and parents are dissatisfied with the way that the school deals with their concerns. They do not have confidence that issues they raise will be dealt with. The school should improve communication with parents and pupils so that they understand the school’s actions.