Yahoo Finance School praised for 'celebrating diversity and engaging with community'
A Blackburn secondary school has been commended for ‘celebrating diversity’ in a recent OFSTED inspection.
Pupils at Blackburn Central High School (BCHS) was also praised for efforts to ‘engage with the local community’.
The inspection took place on December 11 and 12 and rated the school as ‘good’.
The report said that, ‘Diversity is not just tolerated at this school, it is celebrated. Pupils and staff have won national recognition for the work that they have done to promote inclusion.
‘There is a well-established culture of respect. Bullying is rare. Leaders have systems in place to tackle any incidents of bullying or poor behaviour swiftly and effectively. Consequently, pupils are happy and safe.’
It said, ‘Leaders have identified a wealth of opportunities for pupils to develop important skills such as resilience and communication.
‘Roles such as senior students, form captains and the junior leadership team allow pupils to develop their leadership skills. Pupils engage with the local community through fundraising and voluntary work. They enjoy a wide variety of clubs and sports including chess, science, debating and the school choir.
‘Leaders have successfully promoted a love of reading throughout the school. They have identified those pupils from Year 7 to Year 11 who find reading more difficult. Well-trained staff provide effective support to these pupils.’
The report goes on to highlight that “Teachers have a high level of subject knowledge. They present information with clarity and in a way which is accessible to all pupils.
'Leaders have successfully promoted a love of reading throughout the school. They have identified those pupils from Year 7 to Year 11 who find reading more difficult. Well-trained staff provide effective support to these pupils.'
There was room for improvement however with the report saying the curriculum in a small number of subjects is 'not as broad and rich as it could be'.
It adds: ‘This is because some teachers choose a narrow range of resources which are used with multiple year groups. As a result, pupils do not deepen their knowledge in some aspects of the curriculum. Leaders should ensure that teachers chose appropriate resources which enable pupils to strengthen their knowledge.’
Headteacher Mrs Shanaz Hussain said: “The report highlights the work that is carried out by all the team and recognises the bespoke features that makes BCHS so special”.
