pdf Section 3 inspection report - Ofsted
pdf Section 3 inspection report - Ofsted pdf Section 3 inspection report - Ofsted
appropriate basis for school improvement. The monitoring and evaluation of teaching have improved. During this inspection senior managers conducted joint lesson observations with HMI; lessons were graded with appropriate professionalism but there was some misunderstanding of the relationship between the quality of learning and the quality of teaching. The roles of the leadership team are clearly delineated; half-termly departmental reviews provide a useful focus for reviewing the school’s progress. Some middle managers have an improved understanding of their responsibility and are growing in confidence in their role; however, there is undue variation in the quality of leadership and management in departments. Senior staff are more visible in the public areas at the change of lessons; however, there are key areas of the school that are inconsistently or ineffectively supervised. This is having a direct impact on punctuality to lessons. The school needs to take a strategic approach to addressing the persistent problems related to punctuality; similarly, the identification of areas of potential disruption needs a more proactive approach. As reported previously, the school does not comply with the statutory requirement to conduct an act of collective worship. Tutor group periods consistently fail to provide opportunities for the pupils to reflect on spiritual, moral, social or cultural issues. The governance of the school is satisfactory. The work of the governing body is conducted through an appropriate committee structure. The governors have appointed an experienced headteacher to lead the school from September 2005. The pupils’ attitudes and behaviour were at least satisfactory in 34 lessons and good in 13. In lessons where the teachers had high expectations, the pupils behaved well, took responsibility for their work and worked productively. A significant proportion of pupils did not actively engage in the work with interest and concentration, except when lessons were well managed and the teaching increased their curiosity and imagination. The pupils’ lack of positive response was directly linked to the quality of teaching; when the school’s procedures were not applied the pupils exploited the situation. The school’s attempts to tackle poor behaviour in lessons are starting to have a positive effect. The isolation room and individualised group work with disaffected Year 8 pupils have led to a significant reduction in poor behaviour. The overall rate of attendance, at 88 per cent, remains well below the national average for secondary schools. Unauthorised absence remains high as does the rate of truancy in the afternoon. An appropriate rewards system has been introduced to improve attendance but punctuality is still unsatisfactory. The rate of exclusion has decreased significantly; there has been 50 fixed term and one permanent exclusion so far this year. HMI conducted a discussion with a group of
Year 11 pupils who welcomed the new behaviour management strategies and their positive impact. However, they would wish to see: greater consistency in disciplinary matters; a clean environment free from graffiti; improved toilet facilities; greater parental involvement in the life of the school; more interactive teaching; stability in staffing; and transparency in the application of the reward system. The curriculum advice provided by the LEA has been generally well received. The authority has recently made available a transition grant to support the reorganisation of management responsibilities. The LEA, working together with the interim headteacher, staff and the governing body have achieved a great deal in recent months to improve the quality of education. Action taken to address the revised areas for improvement 1: improve teaching The quality of the teaching has been evaluated above. The school provides an increased range of opportunities for the professional development of staff. The most recent initiative matches the weaker teachers with a critical friend; the programme has been carefully organised as a supportive and personal development activity which is not determined by senior managers. Progress on this area for improvement is reasonable. 2: improve learning The quality of learning remains unsatisfactory overall but has improved since the previous inspection. The school has worked hard to implement and access a range of additional initiatives to raise the pupils’ achievement and their awareness of the requirements of public examinations. The profile of homework had increased in some departments; however, the practice of setting homework is uneven. Most unsatisfactory achievement is in Key Stage 3 where pupils have weaker literacy skills. The use of assessment to inform learning will be a feature of the next monitoring visit. A number of heads of department will be invited to join HMI in a scrutiny of pupils’ work that will review the school’s marking and assessment procedures. Progress on this area for improvement is reasonable.
- Page 1 and 2: Institutional Inspections and Frame
- Page 3 and 4: unsatisfactory. The appointment of
- Page 5: learning remains inconsistent; the
Year 11 pupils who welcomed the new behaviour management strategies and their<br />
positive impact. However, they would wish to see: greater consistency in<br />
disciplinary matters; a clean environment free from graffiti; improved toilet<br />
facilities; greater parental involvement in the life of the school; more interactive<br />
teaching; stability in staffing; and transparency in the application of the reward<br />
system.<br />
The curriculum advice provided by the LEA has been generally well received. The<br />
authority has recently made available a transition grant to support the<br />
reorganisation of management responsibilities. The LEA, working together with the<br />
interim headteacher, staff and the governing body have achieved a great deal in<br />
recent months to improve the quality of education.<br />
Action taken to address the revised areas for improvement<br />
1: improve teaching<br />
The quality of the teaching has been evaluated above. The school provides an<br />
increased range of opportunities for the professional development of staff. The<br />
most recent initiative matches the weaker teachers with a critical friend; the<br />
programme has been carefully organised as a supportive and personal development<br />
activity which is not determined by senior managers.<br />
Progress on this area for improvement is reasonable.<br />
2: improve learning<br />
The quality of learning remains unsatisfactory overall but has improved since the<br />
previous <strong>inspection</strong>. The school has worked hard to implement and access a range<br />
of additional initiatives to raise the pupils’ achievement and their awareness of the<br />
requirements of public examinations. The profile of homework had increased in<br />
some departments; however, the practice of setting homework is uneven. Most<br />
unsatisfactory achievement is in Key Stage 3 where pupils have weaker literacy<br />
skills. The use of assessment to inform learning will be a feature of the next<br />
monitoring visit. A number of heads of department will be invited to join HMI in a<br />
scrutiny of pupils’ work that will review the school’s marking and assessment<br />
procedures.<br />
Progress on this area for improvement is reasonable.
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