Congleton High School was most recently inspected by Ofsted in February 2023. Inspectors spent two days at the school, experiencing many aspects of everyday school life and also observing students' behaviour both in and out of the classroom. Formal meetings were held with the senior leadership team, governors, teaching staff and trustees. In addition to scrutinising samples of the students' work, the inspectors also talked with students about their experiences at Congleton High and their behaviour. The views of parents, carers, staff and students were also sought via Ofsted's anonymous online feedback questionnaires and taken into consideration.
The subsequent report (see below) positively addresses all aspects of the school, including leadership, teaching, governance and the student body, praising Congleton High as ‘a warm, welcoming place to learn and work’.
The report praises many of the other strengths of the school, including:
- ‘Pupils, staff and leaders embrace the vision for the school community. They strive to ‘achieve success together’.’
- ‘From Year 7 to 13, pupils respect each other and are considerate of each other’s differences.’
- ’Pupils are confident that leaders and staff will listen to their concerns. They trust staff to sort out any concerns they may have.’
- ‘Leaders are ambitious for all pupils.’ and ‘Leaders place as much emphasis on pupils’ personal development as they do on their academic achievement.’
- ‘Leaders, governors and trustees have put in place a broad and balanced curriculum.’ and ‘The curriculum is shaped well to meet pupils’ needs, interests and aspirations.’
- ‘Teachers have strong subject knowledge…they use this expertise to help pupils remember and apply the essential knowledge and skills they have been taught.’
- ’Pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are typically successful in their learning.’
- ‘The school’s careers programme is highly effective.’
- ‘Almost all pupils in Year 11 and Year 13 progress to employment, education or training.’
The report gives a fair assessment of what we do well at Congleton High School and also provides us with a focus for how we can continue to be even better. We will be using this information, along with the views of students, parents, carers and staff to make our next steps on this journey of improvement.
CHS has now been graded as a ‘Good’ school since 2010 and we are delighted that they have confirmed that our work in safeguarding students remains ‘'effective'. ‘Leaders ensure that the protection of pupils from risk and potential harm is at the forefront of their work. The experienced safeguarding team is supported by staff who are knowledgeable and alert to any issues pupils may face.’
Thank you to all parents and carers who provided feedback to Ofsted by completing their online Parent View questionnaire. We were delighted to hear that so many parents/carers who responded would recommend the school to another parent/carer. Parents and carers may be interested to know that you can give your views of our school to Ofsted at any time of the school year and not just during an inspection. All you need to do is register with an email address and password at http://parentview.ofsted.gov.uk. Once your login has been activated, it only takes a few minutes to complete answers to 12 short questions about the school, such as how well we deal with bullying, the quality of teaching, whether the level of homework given to your child is appropriate, and whether you would recommend the school to other parents. Thank you.
If you do not have a computer or an email address or if you would like help to use Parent View, please come into school and ask at reception.
Ofsted Reports for CHS
Ofsted Inspection Information for Parents and Carers
For information about joining the Congleton High School community in Year 7 or above, please see the 'Becoming a Student at CHS' page in the Parents and Carers section of this website. Click here to be redirected.
