Inspection Summary Report - Sacred Heart Grammar School

Sacred Heart Grammar School

DE Ref No 542-0076

Inspection Summary Report - November 2025

The school’s vision, to promote the spiritual, moral, cultural, intellectual and physical development of the pupils, is fully embedded in, and underpins, every aspect of school life, enabling the pupils to thrive in a special school community, reach their potential and be well prepared for the opportunities, responsibilities, and experience of adult life.
The pupils are highly motivated, curious and enthusiastic learners; they set themselves high expectations and take immense pride in their work and their school.
The planning, teaching and assessment for successful learning was effective in most of the lessons; the pupils benefit from skilful questioning, clear teacher modelling and meaningful plenary sessions.
The pupils across all key stages have access to a well-planned, responsive curriculum with strong currency for future pathways that enables them to progress and achieve. There are limited opportunities for pupils to develop and apply digital skills across the curriculum.
The pupils are provided with highly effective careers guidance and work-related learning experiences, enabling them to progress to the next stage of their education, training or employment.
The very high standards attained by the pupils in examinations and their achievements in a wide range of sporting and cultural activities beyond the classroom are shared, valued and celebrated across the school and through social media platforms.
The pupils play a significant role in contributing to the strategic vision for health, wellbeing and keeping safe, and benefit from the highly effective pastoral programme that is tailored to their needs and supports their social and emotional health and wellbeing.
The pupils are treated equitably, with sensitivity and kindness in a positive learning environment that respects the dignity and uniqueness of each individual. The school is responsive to learner diversity, and the staff use a range of inclusive teaching strategies to help pupils overcome any potential barriers to learning.
The school has a highly effective community of learning; there are extensive, well‑established collaborative networks and partnerships that support the holistic development of the pupils, extend and enrich their learning and development in a relevant and personally meaningful way.
At the time of the inspection, the evidence provided by the school demonstrates that the arrangements for child and adult protection align with the current statutory guidance.

Next steps

Sacred Heart Grammar School is a welcoming and inclusive school inspired by, and living out, the teachings of St Clare and St Francis of Assisi. It is committed to, and developing very effectively, the pupils’ personal faith, respect for others and a strong sense of morality. The pupils are thriving in a supportive, caring environment which develops their confidence, helps them reach their full potential and prepares them very well for the next stage of their education, training or employment; enabling them to live out the advocacy of St Clare, “to go forward secure and with joy on the path of happiness”.

As identified through the school’s self-evaluation process, the next step for Sacred Heart Grammar School is to take forward the area for action, which is to prioritise the gathering of first-hand evidence of learning and teaching to bring about greater consistency in the learning experiences for the pupils, including the development of their digital skills.

The district inspector will monitor the school’s progress in addressing the area for action, as part of ETI’s normal monitoring processes.

Inspectors identified areas of highly effective practice from which others may learn. The aspects of practice which should be shared more widely are:

the cognisance taken of the pupils’ views to shape the strategic vision and direction for health, wellbeing and keeping safe in the school; and
the highly effective and well-established collaborative networks that extend and enrich the pupils’ learning in a relevant and personally meaningful way.