Secondary school rated as requires improvement

William Brookes school was previously rated "good" in 2017

A secondary school and sixth form has had its rating of good downgraded to requires improvement.

Ofsted said behaviour was an issue at William Brookes school in Much Wenlock, Shropshire, with some students disrupting the education of others.

Despite a zero tolerance approach to racist and homophobic language there was too much "unpleasant name calling", pupils said.

The 3-18 Education Trust, which oversees the school, said the school community had been working hard to make improvements since the inspection in February.

"We understand that we need to do more work to ensure all children reach their potential," it said in a statement to the BBC.

"The inspectors have accurately identified areas that the school knew of and wants to enhance further."

It added that the report made positive observations about the school, and acknowledged the progress it had made.

"With good co-operation between our parents, students and staff we will continue this journey of improvement for the benefit of the whole community," it said.

Issues highlighted by inspectors included barriers to learning, due to inconsistent delivery of the curriculum, and pupils not catching up with missed work.

Pupils’ understanding of fundamental British values was not well developed, the report said.

"This means they are not as well prepared as they should be for life in modern Britain."

However, inspectors praised the school for making students feel safe and said they benefited from extra-curricular activities.

"Numerous clubs, and exciting residential visits, broaden their experiences and cultural understanding," they said.

The sixth form was also praised in the report with sixth form provision the only area given a rating of good.