Cardinal Langley Roman Catholic High School

Cardinal Langley Roman Catholic High School Inspection report

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Age group 11–18 Inspection date(s) 25–26 January 2012 Inspection number 377310 Unique Reference Number 105844 Local authority Rochdale Inspection number 377310 Inspection dates 25–26 January 2012 Lead inspector Angela Headon HMI

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Type of school Secondary School category Voluntary aided Age range of pupils 11–18 Gender of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils in the sixth form Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 1,090 Of which number on roll in the sixth form 150 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Pam Oliver Headteacher Colin Mason Date of previous school inspection 20 March 2007 School address Rochdale Road Middleton Manchester M24 2GL Telephone number 0161 6434009 Fax number 0871 9941804 Email address admin@clrchs.co.uk You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child's school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when.

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achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children's services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Introduction

Angela Headon Christine Birchall Mary Lanovy-Taylor Johan MacKinnon Stephen Rowland Her Majesty's Inspector Additional inspector Additional inspector Additional inspector Additional inspector

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days' notice. The inspection team observed 39 lessons across a range of subject areas and key stages. In addition, inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, senior and middle leaders, teachers, groups of students, and governors, including the Chair of the Governing Body. Inspectors took account of the responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) in planning the inspection, observed the school's work, and scrutinised a full range of documents, including the school’s self-evaluation document, assessment information, records of lesson observations and information related to students’ behaviour and their safety in school. Three hundred and forty seven questionnaires from parents and carers, and all those returned by students and teachers were analysed.

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Information about the school

Cardinal Langley Roman Catholic High School is an above average-sized secondary school serving local communities in Middleton and North Manchester. The proportion of students known to be eligible for free school meals is above average. The percentage of disabled students and those with special educational needs is below average. Most students are from White British backgrounds. The school’s awards include the Sportsmark and Healthy School status. The school has held specialist sports status since 2004. Extensive building work is currently taking place at the school, with a significant number of subject departments working in temporary accommodation. This is due for completion in August 2012. The school meets the current floor standard. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Key Findings

 This is a good school where all students are valued as individuals and achieve well, both academically and personally. Students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding is strong and is evident in all that they do and the way they relate to each other and adults alike. Students are proud of their school and their enjoyment is reflected in their improving level of attendance.

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Key Findings

 Students make good progress from their starting points and leave with GCSE examination results that are significantly above the national average in key performance measures. This is particularly evident in the proportion of students attaining five A* to C grades, including English and mathematics. Results in English, history and physical education have also increased significantly over time, at both expected and higher levels. The sixth form is satisfactory. Students make satisfactory progress overall, however there is significant variation in the examination results for different courses and subjects.

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Key Findings

 The school has high expectations of its students and behaviour is good. Many classes are currently housed in temporary accommodation, however, behaviour and movement around the school site is both sensible and orderly. In lessons, students are positive, keen to do well and good relationships are evident. Students feel safe and report that any bullying, if it occurs, is dealt with effectively.

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Key Findings

 The quality of teaching is good overall. In the best lessons, teachers use assessment information well to challenge students of all ability levels and accelerate their progress. This practice was evident in the majority of lessons seen by inspectors. The school recognises that this best practice is not yet consistent across the school. Variation is evident between classes, subjects and key stages.

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Key Findings

 Forward-looking leadership, accurate self-evaluation, greater rigour in monitoring procedures and a shared approach to whole-school improvement are ensuring that the school continues to demonstrate success in improving students’ academic outcomes and ensure that they receive a rich, varied and inclusive educational experience.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen the overall quality of teaching to achieve greater consistency between subjects and key stages by:

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

- ensuring that all teaching is at least good, with a high proportion of outstanding practice

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

- sharpening the use of assessment in lessons, with a focus on differentiation, questioning, particularly for the more-able, and feedback in workbooks

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

- promoting greater levels of student engagement and independent learning

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

- sharing more widely the best practice that exists in the school.

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Achievement of pupils

In the majority of lessons observed by inspectors, students, including disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, made at least good progress, confirming the school’s analysis of the quality of teaching and its impact on achievement over time. Students made the most progress when assessment was used well and they were given opportunities to make a full contribution to their learning, through the use of challenging questioning or activities. However, this practice is not yet wholly consistent across all subjects and key stages.

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Achievement of pupils

The school’s most recent GCSE examination results show that students’ attainment in key performance measures and across their best eight subjects was significantly above average. Groups, including disabled students and those with special educational needs, and those known to be eligible for free school meals, achieved better than their peers nationally. Attainment, however, in design and technology, religious education and for more-able students in a number of subject areas was significantly below average. In the sixth form, although progress overall was satisfactory and the proportion of students attaining AS- and A-level qualifications increased significantly in 2011, considerable variation between subjects was evident.

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Achievement of pupils

The school recognises the need to eradicate these inconsistencies and has already taken steps to address the variability in performance between and within key stages with evidence of improved achievement for key groups and in targeted subject areas. Assessment information also indicates that students’ achievement overall in Key Stage 3 is continuing to improve, with positive gains evident across the curriculum. The school is currently revising its targets for students in all key stages to ensure maximum challenge for individuals in all subject areas. Most parents and carers agree that their children are making good progress at the school.

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Quality of teaching

Students have positive attitudes to learning and relationships between adults and students are good, fostered in a climate of mutual respect. Students listen carefully in lessons, work well together and, where possible, make an effective contribution to their own learning. Most parents and carers agree that teaching in the school is effective.

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Quality of teaching

Good and outstanding teaching is evident in the majority of lessons and is characterised by teachers’ high expectations; well-targeted activities that match students’ ability levels; the effective use of skilful questioning to check students’ understanding and challenge their thinking and ideas; and increased opportunities for students to discuss and share their thinking with their peers and the teacher, promoting independent learning with high levels of engagement. The school’s strong emphasis on developing students’ literacy skills across the curriculum is also evident in these lessons and those students who have additional learning needs are supported well by teaching assistants and are given every opportunity to succeed.

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Quality of teaching

In those lessons, observed by inspectors, where students were unable to make good or better progress, notable differences included over-lengthy teacher input; similar work for students which did not take full account of their different ability levels; more limited use of questioning to challenge students; and missed opportunities to adapt the lesson to students’ responses.

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Quality of teaching

The quality of marking also reflected this variation. Effective marking provided students with constructive advice linked to individual targets, for example, in English and history. However, this practice is not evident across all subject areas. Senior leaders are fully aware of these inconsistencies and have introduced more rigorous lesson monitoring procedures to tackle individual variation and to strengthen teaching quality overall.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Students appreciate belonging to a supportive community where everyone is valued for their contribution and encouraged to make the most of the opportunities available in the school and as part of the wider curriculum. Their enjoyment of school life is reflected in the rising trend in attendance, which is broadly average. Senior leaders are now building on this overall improvement, and that of those with a track record of persistent absence, with a more strategic approach to both attendance and punctuality, including the targeted analysis of key groups and the wider involvement of staff at all levels.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

The very large majority of parent and carers indicate that the school keeps their children safe. This view is endorsed by a similar proportion of students, who report that they feel safe and that they are well cared for by adults in the school. They say that any bullying, if it occurs, is dealt with effectively. School records over time reflect few incidents with appropriate action taken. Behaviour in lessons and around the school site is good. Students have adapted well to the considerable changes in accommodation, due to the ongoing building developments. They have a good understanding of their own responsibility for their actions. Students’ behaviour is particularly good in those lessons where teaching motivates and challenges them and, in these, students are able to make a significant contribution to their learning. The school strategies to support improvements in behaviour including ‘pastoral support programmes’, the judicious use of ‘isolation’

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

and the impact of the rewards system have resulted in a reduced number of behaviour incidents and exclusions over time.

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Leadership and management

The headteacher’s skilful and effective leadership, promoting an ethos of inclusion and achievement, has ensured that the school has maintained its focus on continuous improvement since the previous inspection. In this, he is well supported by senior leaders, middle leaders and staff across the school.

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Leadership and management

Building on the school’s success, the recent restructuring of leadership roles and responsibilities, with clear lines of accountability between senior and middle leaders, is already starting to secure further improvements in provision, achievement and attendance. Self-evaluation is very accurate. As a result, there are clear strategies in place to tackle the current variation in subject and key stage performance and further develop the role of middle leaders in monitoring the quality of provision and student outcomes. Improvements in English, in particular, since the school’s most recent inspection have been significant. These developments demonstrate the school’s good capacity to sustain improvement.

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Leadership and management

Whole-school improvement planning reflects this sharp focus on the key issues. The school is aware that subject plans and individual performance objectives are not yet as well targeted. However, greater rigour in the monitoring of teaching across the curriculum has ensured that the school is now able to target more precisely professional development activities to improve the consistency of students’ learning experience.

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Leadership and management

The school’s strong provision for students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is at the heart of the school’s work. There are many examples of students supporting more vulnerable individuals in school and further afield. These include the work of the Genesis group, the ‘pyramid club’ and students’ contribution and involvement with an orphanage in Kenya. The effective curriculum, enhanced through the specialist status and including a wide range of enrichment activities, also promotes students’ personal development, as well as their achievement. Partnerships arrangements with feeder primary schools and local sixth form providers are effectively supporting further curriculum developments, with a focus on individual needs, interests and aspirations.

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Leadership and management

The governing body is well-informed and monitors the school’s performance effectively. Equality of opportunity is actively promoted, and although variation in subject performance exists, there is no significant difference in the achievement of key groups. Despite the building disruption, the governing body and school leaders have successfully maintained a clear focus on improving outcomes for students. Safeguarding arrangements meet statutory requirements, and mandatory staff checks and required child protection procedures are in place.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding These features are highly effective. An outstanding school provides exceptionally well for all its pupils' needs. Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well. Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its pupils. Grade 4 Inadequate These features are not of an acceptable standard. An inadequate school needs to make significant improvement in order to meet the needs of its pupils. Ofsted inspectors will make further visits until it improves.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Nursery schools 46 46 8 0 Primary schools 8 47 40 5 Secondary schools 14 38 40 8 Special schools 28 48 20 4 Pupil referral units 15 50 29 5 All schools 11 46 38 6

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

New school inspection arrangements have been introduced from 1 January 2012. This means that inspectors make judgements that were not made previously.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

The data in the table above are for the period 1 September 2010 to 31 August 2011 and represent judgements that were made under the school inspection arrangements that were introduced on 1 September 2009. These data are consistent with the latest published official statistics about maintained school inspection outcomes (see www.ofsted.gov.uk ).

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

The sample of schools inspected during 2010/11 was not representative of all schools nationally, as weaker schools are inspected more frequently than good or outstanding schools.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Primary schools include primary academy converters. Secondary schools include secondary academy converters, sponsor-led academies and city technology colleges. Special schools include special academy converters and non-maintained special schools.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning and development taking account of their attainment.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attainment: the standard of the pupils' work shown by test and examination results and in lessons.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Behaviour how well pupils behave in lessons, with emphasis on their attitude to learning. Pupils' punctuality to lessons and their conduct around the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving based on its self-evaluation and what the school has accomplished so far and on the quality of its systems to maintain improvement.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Leadership and management: the contribution of all the staff with responsibilities, not just the governors and headteacher, to identifying priorities, directing and motivating staff and running the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Learning: how well pupils acquire knowledge, develop their understanding, learn and practise skills and are developing their competence as learners.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Overall effectiveness: inspectors form a judgement on a school's overall effectiveness based on the findings from their inspection of the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Progress: the rate at which pupils are learning in lessons and over longer periods of time. It is often measured by comparing the pupils' attainment at the end of a key stage with their attainment when they started.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Safety how safe pupils are in school, including in lessons; and their understanding of risks. Pupils' freedom from bullying and harassment. How well the school promotes safety, for example e-learning.

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to share with their children. It describes Ofsted's main

findings from the inspection of their school.

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M24 2GL

Following our inspection of your school, we would like to thank you for making us feel so welcome and for speaking to us in lessons, meetings and social times about your experiences. As well as looking at your work, we also read the questionnaires that you completed.

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M24 2GL

We are pleased to tell you that your school is a good school. The quality of teaching is good overall and you make good progress, with above average attainment in GCSE examinations. The sixth form is satisfactory.

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M24 2GL

We were impressed by your behaviour in lessons and around the school site, particularly considering the building work and the temporary classrooms, and your contribution and involvement in helping others in the school and further afield.

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M24 2GL

However, although Cardinal Langley is a good school, we know it wants to be even better. We think, and senior leaders agree, that the quality of lessons overall needs to improve further with more good and outstanding teaching and greater consistency, so that you can achieve well in all subject areas and key stages.

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M24 2GL

We hope that you will continue to play your part by attending regularly and continuing to make a full contribution in your lessons. We wish you every future success.

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M24 2GL

Angela Headon Her Majesty's Inspector procedures set out in the guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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