OFSTED inspection - June 2026
AGS praised by inspectors
A team from Ofsted visited the school in May and we are now delighted to share with you the final report. Thank you to everyone who completed a questionnaire or took part in the visit; the whole school community from parents and carers to governors, staff and students.
Ofsted's findings
In the report card and letter to parents, both of which can be found below, you will find greater detail and explanation of the new Ofsted system of reporting, but the highlights of the report are that AGS met all seven of Ofsted's expected standards: achievement; curriculum and teaching; inclusion; leadership and governance; attendance and behaviour; personal development and wellbeing; and post-16 provision.
The inspectors identified only one area for development which relates to how teachers support pupils to remember what they have been taught more securely. This had already been identified by the school as a priority.
Headteacher, Phil Nicholson, said:
'I am proud to announce that Appleby Grammar School has been judged as Expected Standard across all areas with Safeguarding met. I think it is important to note that meeting the Expected Standard is not a ‘basic pass’; it represents a high, secure level of quality and means our students are getting the education they need and deserve. In all aspects of school life that it the case for our students'.
Some highlights from each area of the report are:
- “Pupils are well prepared for the next stages of their lives.” (Achievement)
- “There is a calm learning environment around school…” (Attendance and behaviour)
- “All pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), access the same ambitious curriculum.” (Curriculum and teaching)
- “Leaders hold high expectations for all pupils, including those who face barriers to their learning.” (Inclusion)
- “Leaders, together with governors, share an ambitious and unwavering commitment to every pupil in this close-knit school.” (Leadership and governance)
- “Pupils benefit from highly effective pastoral support.”
- “The personal development programme is thoughtfully designed and makes a meaningful contribution to pupils’ character.” (Personal development and wellbeing)
- “Students benefit from increasingly effective teaching.” (Post 16 provision)
What happens next?
Ofsted reports include a Next Steps section where areas for improvement are identified. Our May 2026 report left us with one area to work on:
“Leaders should build on their work to ensure that teachers make use of assessment information to revisit in gaps in learning so that over time pupils remember what they have been taught more securely.”
As the report says we are already working on this area through our recently introduced (September 2025) Teaching and Learning framework which features a three-part lesson structure. These 3Ps (Prepare, Practice and Prove) are part of our on-going school improvement and will continue to be so. Staff are now refining these areas to bring greater consistency and address the area identified by the report. In January 2026 we also introduced a new Assessment and Feedback Policy too and its impact is now becoming more obvious across the school.
There is always more to do to be better regardless of Ofsted inspection outcomes. Our school improvement planning continues to ensure we are committed to working to provide the best education we possibly can for all our students, across all areas of the school. Our Ofsted report shows we are on the right track to achieving that aim.
What means the most to us?
The comments above, and the report in general, gives us a real sense of satisfaction but it is the section entitled: What it’s like to be a pupil at this school that gives us the greatest sense of pride. Please read that carefully, as it reflects very much what we feel about our school:
“Pupils live out the school’s values of kindness, respect and community.”
“a calm, orderly and purposeful environment where all pupils can flourish.”
“Pupils feel safe, happy and genuinely listened to by adults in school.”
