Sacred Heart's Inspection Success

At Sacred Heart, we are on a journey together with our community - the results of our two inspections in two weeks show how school has progressed and is helping students to thrive reflecting our mission to #ToBeMore.

In October, we welcomed inspectors from both Ofsted and the Catholic Schools Inspectorate (CSI) who left no stone unturned in reviewing and evaluating every single area of life at the school.

Mark O’Hagan said; “It is fair to say that two rigorous inspections in two weeks definitely tested us, but we are absolutely delighted with the outcomes.

“What each report says is that our school is moving forward with a real determination to get the very best for our students – and across the board we are seeing real, sustained and positive progress.”

Overall, our school was graded as being as Good with some Outstanding features by CSI.

In addition, CSI inspectors found that “staff are positive role models for students and provide the highest levels of pastoral care” and “through considered and collaborative leadership at senior and trust level, the school has successfully used its core Catholic educational purpose as a driver for school improvement”.

Ofsted rated our school as ‘Requires Improvement’ across all categories, which is considerable improvement on the last inspection outcome in 2021. The report notes that school is “ambitious for all pupils to succeed” and that the school community is  “united and effective in their desire to ensure that all pupils have access to a high-quality, broad and ambitious curriculum.”

Inspectors also found that “the school shows a strong commitment to ensuring that pupils build the knowledge that they need to be well prepared for life beyond school” and that pupils “behave well and enjoy learning and socialising together”. As a result, Ofsted concluded that “outcomes for all pupils are now improving”.

Mark O’Hagan added: “These reports are testament to what we are trying to achieve at Sacred Heart Catholic Academy.

“We are not looking for quick fixes or easy answers. We are systematically reviewing and improving all aspects of our school - and it is both pleasing and heartening that two separate external organisations have celebrated this progress. 

“These are, however, milestones on a much broader journey. Our motto is aspire not to have more, but to be more. We know that with dedication and focus we can continue to enhance the education and experience for our students.”

Our school joined Pope Francis Catholic MAT in late 2021, and as one staff member stated to inspectors: “the school is unrecognisable from two years ago”. Andrew Dawson, our Trust’s CEO, said: “We are so proud of the whole community at Sacred Heart. We have worked collectively and collaboratively to put strong foundations in place for further success. The school’s leaders and staff, in partnership with the brilliant students and their families, deserve huge praise and credit for all they have achieved.

“As a team, we are fully focused on continuing our programme of improvements to carry on the significant progress already made to enable every young person in the school to flourish and thrive.”

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