Ambitious Les Varendes High School achieves 'Good' rating in key Ofsted areas, is committed to further improvements
- Les Varendes High School received a 'Good' rating for Behaviour and Attitudes, Personal Development and Welfare, and Leadership and Management in its first Ofsted inspection.
- Quality of Education was rated as 'Requires Improvement'.
- The inspection highlighted a welcoming school community and strong leadership post-merger with La Mare de Carteret High School.
- Areas for improvement include assessment precision and meeting students’ needs more effectively.
- School leadership remains committed to improvement while balancing staff wellbeing and workload.
Les Varendes High School has been rated 'Good' in three areas – Behaviour and Attitudes, Personal Development and Welfare, and Leadership and Management – according to its inaugural Ofsted inspection report.
The inspection identified Les Varendes as a welcoming school where "leaders have skilfully and diligently supported pupils and staff through the recent school merger" with La Mare de Carteret High School.
The report praised the school for being "ambitious for students" and having "high expectations for behaviour".
However, the Quality of Education was marked as 'Requires Improvement'.
Principal Verona Tomlin said: “Les Varendes has been on a huge journey over the last two years, as we have merged two schools and undergone a period of significant transformation.
“This inspection has confirmed what we already knew about our school - there were no surprises, and the areas identified for improvement are the same priorities already embedded in our development plan."
She continued, “While we recognise there is still work to be done, we remain fully committed to our journey of growth."
The school offers a broad and balanced curriculum and has engaged proactively in curriculum development work across the Secondary School Partnership, the inspection report indicated.
Noteworthy features include clear routines that aim to reduce classroom disruption and strong personal development offerings, which include a variety of extracurricular activities such as cooking, crafts, dance, gardening, and competitive sports.
Reading interventions were also highlighted, as the school prioritises assistance for the weakest readers to ensure they can catch up with their peers.
Areas for improvement noted in the report focus on the need to enhance assessment accuracy and adapt teaching to meet students' needs more effectively. The report mentioned that checks made by teachers to gauge students' learning often fail to identify individual starting points or knowledge gaps.
Senior leadership's self-evaluation of the school was deemed accurate, with strengths and vulnerabilities already integrated into a detailed development plan.
This plan involves developing subject leaders for better oversight of their respective areas. Leadership has remained committed to a balance between improvement strategies and prioritising staff wellbeing and workload.
With a clear commitment to addressing weaknesses, the school aims for all students to receive high-quality education.
Liz Coffey, Executive Principal of the Secondary School Partnership, remarked that the report highlights how the leadership team has effectively stabilised the school.
“They are actively supporting staff wellbeing and committed to addressing weaker areas so that every student receives a high-quality education," she noted.
Nick Hynes, Director of Education, commended both students and staff for managing through a turbulent period and achieving commendable results.
He remarked on the proactive approach of the leadership and their plans for continued improvement, stating, “With this roadmap already in place, I have no doubt that the school will only go from strength to strength.”
The full inspection report is available here.
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