Dawlish College is ‘delighted’ to have retained its Ofsted ‘Good’ rating following an inspection at the end of November.

Inspectors visited Dawlish College on November 26 and 27 and judged that the school had ‘taken effective action to maintain the standards identified in the previous inspection’.

However, they suggested that there is still work to be done to improve attendance.

This was the first time Dawlish College had been inspected since it became an Academy in December 2019 and the first inspection since Sam Banks was appointed as headteacher in November 2022.

‘This is both a satisfying and thoroughly well-deserved outcome for everybody associated with our school and the wider community,’ Mr Banks said.

Inspectors were impressed by the school’s ‘Warm Welcome’ where students are greeted by staff on arrival and encouraged to prepare for a day of learning. ‘Inspectors saw the value of our Warm Welcome and its contribution to a school culture of warm relationships more generally, built on staff knowing students really well as individuals,’ Mr Banks pointed out.

Ofsted also noted ‘the school’s ‘daily timetabled personal development programme’, which enables pupils to ‘gain new experiences and pursue their interests’ in activities such as painting with watercolours, planning school performances, playing rugby or netball, or tending the school garden. These enable pupils ‘to build their confidence and try new things’.

The school’s ‘broad and ambitious curriculum’ was highlighted as a strength with inspectors referring to the structure of learning so pupils are building on what they already know.

However, there were concerns that, in a few subjects, the school does not give pupils enough guidance in how they can improve their learning. ‘When this happens, pupils do not have a knowledge of what they need to do to get better over time. The trust needs to make sure sufficient and clear information is provided so pupils can progress through their learning,’ the report stated.

Students with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) at Dawlish College are well catered for. ‘The school identifies pupils with SEND quickly and accurately,’ Ofsted said. ‘Teachers have detailed knowledge about what support pupils with SEND need. They use this to adapt learning when pupils need it,’ the report added.

Behaviour at Dawlish College has improved, the report noted. Suspensions, which had increased as the school tightened up its behaviour expectations, have now begun to decrease as most students have responded positively to revised expectations, the report continued.

‘We make our behaviour expectations to students very clear,’ commented Mr Banks. ‘We do not shy away from the fact that consequences or sanctions (e.g. suspensions) are one of the tools necessary to achieve this improvement in standards for all, and the report recognises this,’ he added.

‘It is encouraging for the inspection team to have noticed that ‘pupils enjoy the celebration and recognition of their efforts’ – something that has been a major focus for us in recent months,’ he concluded.