Setting

CfBT Inspection Services Suite 22 West Lancs Investment Centre Maple View Skelmersdale WN8 9TG T 0300 1231231 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk Direct T 01695 566939 Direct F 01695 729320 glaw@cfbt.com www.cfbt-inspections.com

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Ms C Abbott Acting executive headteacher The Market Weighton School Spring Road Market Weighton YO43 3JF

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Special measures: monitoring inspection of The Market Weighton School

Following my visit with Mr Andrew Henderson, additional inspector, to your school on the 5 and 6 July 2011, I write on behalf of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education, Children's Services and Skills to confirm the inspection findings.

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Special measures: monitoring inspection of The Market Weighton School

The inspection was the second monitoring inspection since the school became subject to special measures following the inspection which took place in October 2010.The full list of the areas for improvement which were identified during that inspection is set out in the annex to this letter. The monitoring inspection report is attached and the main judgements are set out below.

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Special measures: monitoring inspection of The Market Weighton School

Progress since being subject to special measures - satisfactory

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Special measures: monitoring inspection of The Market Weighton School

Progress since previous monitoring inspection - satisfactory

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Special measures: monitoring inspection of The Market Weighton School

Newly Qualified Teachers may be appointed

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Special measures: monitoring inspection of The Market Weighton School

This letter and monitoring inspection report will be posted on the Ofsted website.

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Special measures: monitoring inspection of The Market Weighton School

I am copying this letter and the monitoring inspection report to the Secretary of State, the Chair of the Governing Body and the Director of Children's Services for the East Riding of Yorkshire.

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The areas for improvement identified during the inspection which took place on 6

■ Establish a culture to sustain school improvement by:  raising the expectations of all staff  raising the aspirations of students.

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The areas for improvement identified during the inspection which took place on 6

■ Improve the quality of teaching and in particular, the use of assessment by:  using the outcomes of lesson observations to inform development needs  providing appropriate training to ensure that all staff are accurate in their assessments of students’ work against national standards  using secure assessment information to plan learning activities that support individual learning needs well  developing teachers’ skills in the use of strategies to check that learning is taking place throughout the lesson  providing greater challenge and pace to accelerate students’ progress  making better use of the pockets of effective practice that already exist to improve the proportion of good and better teaching.

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The areas for improvement identified during the inspection which took place on 6

■ Develop the capacity of leadership and management at all levels by:  ensuring that leaders and managers receive support to develop the skills necessary to be effective in their roles  establishing clear priorities for school improvement  producing a plan of action so that everybody understands what is to be done by when and by whom  using the outcomes of monitoring and evaluation to inform the next steps for improving provision and outcomes  holding to account rigorously those responsible for the implementation and impact of agreed actions  providing curriculum leaders with opportunities to experience effective practice elsewhere.

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The areas for improvement identified during the inspection which took place on 6

■ Improve the effectiveness of the sixth form by:  ensuring that students have the necessary skills and abilities from the outset to succeed on academic programmes  tracking students’ progress rigorously and taking steps to effectively counter underachievement  ensuring that leadership of the sixth form has the necessary capacity to make the improvements required  working with the local authority and partners to ensure that organisational arrangements facilitate participation across consortium-wide provision. January 2011 PROTECT-INSPECTION

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Evidence

Inspectors observed the school’s work and scrutinised documents. Students’ work was examined in lessons. Inspectors met with the acting executive headteacher, the partnership director, senior and middle leaders, the Chair of the Governing Body, parent governors, members of staff, students and a representative from the local authority. Inspectors also spoke with students informally during break times and in lessons.

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Context

The executive headteacher, from South Hunsley Academy, continues to lead the school and this arrangement will continue during the academic year 2011-2012. The substantive headteacher resigned his post with effect from 1 April 2011. The governing body has appointed a new acting head of school. He was formerly an assistant headteacher at South Hunsley and has shared co-responsibility for the day-to-day management of The Market Weighton School since February 2011 as partnership director. In September 2011, as part of the review of post-16 provision, the school will not offer any sixth form places to Year 12 students. Instead, those wishing to continue with post-16 studies have been offered places at other establishments including South Hunsley Academy and Bishop Burton College. Year 13 students will continue to follow their sixth form studies at Market Weighton. Decisions about sixth form provision at Market Weighton, from September 2012, are yet to be

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Context

decided. Students in Years 11 and 13 were not present during the inspection. Seven staff will leave Market Weighton at the end of this academic year and five new members will join the school at the start of term in September. South Hunsley School became an academy in April 2011.

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Students' achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning

There has been no examination data published since the previous monitoring inspection. The school’s tracking information for the current Year 11 students, which includes results from early entry GCSE examinations, indicates that a higher proportion of students are making better progress towards meeting their targets than the 2010 cohort. Headline GCSE scores are predicted to increase. Assessment data for Years 9 and 10 is much less positive, indicating that too many students are not making sufficient progress towards meeting their targets. Intensive intervention work, particularly in Year 9, is in place. Better progress is evident in Year 7 and 8, with the majority of students making expected gains.

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Students' achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning

The analysis and use of performance information is increasingly rigorous and well-managed, providing senior and middle leaders and teachers with robust and insightful details of January 2011 PROTECT-INSPECTION

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Students' achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning

Page4 students’ performance. This is accurately identifying underachievement and enabling targeted interventions to occur.

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Other relevant student outcomes

Students’ behaviour continues to be satisfactory with many routinely behaving well in classrooms and around the school. Some low level disruption is evident in some classes, usually where teachers are least adept in dealing with it. In discussion, students are positive about the school’s behaviour policy, showing a clear understanding of rules, boundaries and consequences. They express strong confidence in the staff’s support to manage difficulties when these arise. New internal arrangements have helped improve behaviour in corridor areas during breaks and at lunchtime. Most students continue to be cooperative and work diligently. They respect the authority of their teachers and manage their own behaviour. Students’ attendance remains broadly average.

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The effectiveness of provision

Inspectors observed 18 lessons. Although there is an increase in the proportion of good teaching, satisfactory lessons remain dominant. Nonetheless, there is a general trend of improvement brought about by a well-planned, intelligent approach to training and decisive actions to tackle inadequacy. Lessons are planned with better clarity and consistent use of the school’s planning framework. Improvement is evident in teachers’ subject knowledge; they are better prepared and informed. Questioning techniques show greater range with more teachers proficient at using probing questions to test out students’ knowledge and understanding. The use of interim learning reviews within lessons is emerging so that progress can be checked.

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The effectiveness of provision

The most effective teachers consistently transmit their high expectations and use assessment information astutely when crafting activities. They match enthusiasm and good subject knowledge with challenge so that students willingly engage. This creates a positive environment for learning, resulting in good pace and progress. The climate in these lessons is businesslike and well-structured. Where learning is least effective, teachers provide students with the same task irrespective of their abilities, despite access to tracking evidence which recognises often quite wide differences in students’ prior attainment. As lessons proceed, teachers do not respond sufficiently well to those students who encounter difficulties by modifying activities. Too often they are reactive to students’ requests for help rather than pro-actively planning time to work with targeted groups to support or extend learning. When these factors are present, students tend to comply with teachers’

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The effectiveness of provision

instructions rather than displaying enthusiasm for their work.

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The effectiveness of provision

There is improvement in the way teachers mark students’ work. At its best, marking is increasingly diagnostic, striking an appropriate balance between praise, critical evaluation and guidance on how students’ can improve their work. Some teachers do this particularly well and offer good examples from which others can learn. January 2011 PROTECT-INSPECTION

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The effectiveness of provision

Page5 Progress since the last monitoring inspection on the areas for improvement:

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The effectiveness of provision

 improve the quality of teaching and in particular, the use of assessment – satisfactory

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

The school continues to accrue significant strategic benefits through its partnership with South Hunsley Academy. The highly experienced and effective leadership offered by the acting executive headteacher and partnership director, now acting head of school, has provided much needed leadership stability and has maintained a secure focus on tackling the school’s weaknesses. Collectively, the senior team has worked hard to earn the confidence and backing of the staff and the governing body. The drive to develop the effectiveness of middle leaders is continuing to show positive impact. Roles and responsibilities have become clearer and there is a shift in the degree of accountability for improving provision and students' outcomes. Monitoring and evaluation within departments is strengthening, with staff becoming routinely engaged in scrutinising students’ work, observing teaching and learning and conducting subject reviews. While this shows an

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

improving picture, and work is on-going to raise leadership quality across the school further, some inconsistency remains.

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

The rigour of performance management is becoming sharper and is more directly linked to student and school performance. Expectations of staff reflect heightened expectations of students’ capabilities. Members of the governing body demonstrate an increasingly confident perspective on the school’s performance. They receive well-timed and detailed information from which to consider actions to address weaknesses and are better able to make informed strategic decisions. Deliberations about future sixth form provision are on-going with a resolution expected shortly. While appreciative of the leaders' and staff’s efforts, the governing body continues to be expectant about the school’s performance and continuing progress.

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

Progress since the last monitoring inspection on the areas for improvement:

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

■ establish a culture to sustain school improvement – satisfactory

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

 develop the capacity of leadership and management at all levels – satisfactory

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Sixth form

Sixth form provision was not explored in detail owing to the absence of Year 13 students and very limited opportunities to observe sixth form lessons. The school will not offer places in the sixth form to Year 12 students in September 2011 but will continue with Year 13 arrangements. Decisions about sixth form provision, from September 2012, are currently being decided . January 2011 PROTECT-INSPECTION

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External support

External support from the local authority continues to be good and well-timed. Local authority review and monitoring are insightful in checking on progress and informing decision-making. Targeted support is helping teachers to address weaknesses and is contributing to the lifting of teaching quality. Partnership working with South Hunsley, in addition to its leadership contribution, is strong and continues to provide good support. This external support is combining well, providing the essential engagement which the school requires if improvement is to be maintained.

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