Sir John Hunt Community Sports College

Age group 11–18 Inspection date(s) 29 February−1 March 2012 Inspection number 378727 Sir John Hunt Community Sports College Inspection report

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Unique reference number 113533 Local authority Plymouth Inspection number 378727 Inspection dates 29 February−1 March 2012 Lead inspector Simon Rowe

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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 Community 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 840 Of which, number on roll in the sixth form 119 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mr William Wraight Principal Mrs Wendy Brett Date of previous school inspection 9−10 December 2008 School address Lancaster Gardens Whitleigh Plymouth PL5 4AA Telephone number 01752 201020 Fax number 01752 201102 Email address admin@sirjohnhunt.plymouth.sch.uk 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

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other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.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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You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days' notice. Forty-two parts of lessons were observed and 35 teachers were seen. Meetings were held with groups of students, members of the governing body and staff. Inspectors took account of the responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) in planning the inspection, observed the college’s work, and looked at, amongst other things, the college’s self- evaluation document, development plan, achievement data and latest attendance and exclusion figures. The inspection team scrutinised questionnaires completed by 86 parent and carers, 151 students and 66 staff.

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Information about the school

This is a larger-than-average sized school. The great majority of students are from White British backgrounds. There is a higher than average proportion of disabled students and those with special educational needs. The college is one of the partners of Woodview Learning Community and shares a site with a special school, a primary school and a children’s centre. A federated governing body is responsible for all the provision on the site. The college opened a sixth form 2 years ago and now works with other local sixth forms within a consortium to broaden the offer available to students.

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Information about the school

There have been changes to the senior leadership team since the last inspection and the college has experienced significant issues with staffing, especially in the leadership of English and mathematics. There is also a new Chair of the Governing Body. The college meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for students’ attainment and progress. Since the last inspection, the college has gained Investor in People status and received awards from the Youth Sports Trust and Get Set Network. 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 satisfactory college. To become good the college needs to raise achievement further and to ensure teaching is consistently good or better. The principal, ably supported by her senior leadership team, has implemented many new initiatives, systems and procedures that have significantly raised expectations and improved the quality of teaching. However some of these are not yet fully embedded. The sixth form is good. Whilst this provision is only in its second year, there is strong leadership which is passionate about this provision. The curriculum offer is comprehensive as part of a consortium and numbers are growing quickly. The care and guidance provided for these students is a strong feature and the college’s achievement data indicate that students are making good progress.  Behaviour is good. Students are polite and courteous. Over time incidents of poor behaviour have decreased considerably.

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Key findings

 Achievement has improved and is satisfactory. However, at times, poor communication skills hamper the progress of many students.  Although there is much good and some outstanding teaching in the college, a considerable amount of satisfactory teaching remains. Opportunities are often missed to deepen and extend students’ learning through questioning, especially in the plenary session. Many lessons do not proceed at a quick enough pace or provide opportunities for independent learning. Marking does not inform students about what they need to do to improve. In the best lessons, there are effective relationships between students and staff, rigorous planning, and lessons proceed at an appropriate pace and provide opportunities for independent working.  The college is well placed to continue to improve. Key to this has been the drive for improvement by senior leaders, especially in raising teaching performance.

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Key findings

Work is continuing to strengthen the impact of middle leaders some of whom are new in post.

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Key findings

Schools whose overall effectiveness is judged as satisfactory may receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection. 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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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise achievement further by implementing and embedding strategies for improving students’ communication skills.  Improve the proportion of good and better teaching by:  ensuring lessons proceed at a faster pace, engage all students and provide good opportunities for students to develop independent learning skills  utilising the practice of the most effective teachers across the school to share and develop good practice with others  use high-quality questioning techniques to deepen students’ learning, especially in plenary sessions  ensure marking consistently informs students how to improve their work.  Strengthen leadership and management by:  using senior leaders and the best middle leaders as role models in developing the skills of other leaders to promote rapid improvement  fully embedding new systems and procedures.

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Achievement of pupils

Students’ achievement is satisfactory. Students enter the college with levels of attainment that are significantly below average. As well as this, around 40% enter the college with low levels of literacy and/or numeracy. Attainment by the end of Year 11 has risen over many years, albeit from a very low starting point, and is now broadly average. The gap between the college’s standards and national averages has narrowed. When vocational qualifications are taken into account, some key measures have been significantly above the national average but when they are not included they remain significantly below the national average. The college’s accurate assessment records show that the progress students make has risen in 2012 and is now satisfactory. This is due to the raising of expectations by the senior leadership team. Targets set are now more challenging, with more effective monitoring of progress and a greater focus on learning in lessons. Disabled students and those

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Achievement of pupils

with special educational needs, as well as students known to be eligible for free school meals, are also making progress in line with other students nationally. They receive good support in lessons and this enables their learning to proceed at a similar rate to other students. The college has started to provide additional support to accelerate the progress of students who enter the college with weak communication skills. However, new strategies are not fully embedded and have not yet had sufficient time to show their impact.

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Achievement of pupils

Most students say they learn well. During the inspection, students often made good progress when they worked in groups and discussed the tasks. This enabled them to 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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Achievement of pupils

deepen their understanding and also to develop their communication skills. For example, in a good science lesson, students were researching in groups using the internet. They created a presentation for the whole class and explained their findings very clearly, demonstrating a good understanding of the topic and extending their communication skills. Most parents and carers feel their child is making good progress at the school. Inspectors found this to be the case in many lessons although in about a third of lessons progress was no better than satisfactory.

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Quality of teaching

Teaching is satisfactory overall although some is good and occasionally outstanding. In lessons where teaching is satisfactory or inadequate, there was often a lack of pace and challenge, especially for the higher attaining students. Opportunities were missed to use questioning to deepen students’ thinking and participation and to assess their progress. This was particularly evident in plenary sessions, which were often not planned or rushed.

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Quality of teaching

Characteristics of the best lessons are very good planning that is well matched to each student’s ability. There are positive relationships between students and their teachers and the lessons proceed at an appropriate pace. Good opportunities are provided to challenge students and lessons involve a variety of activities. Less able students and those students whose circumstances have made them vulnerable are supported well. In an outstanding French lesson, students made excellent progress by having activities that were practical and allowed them to assess each other’s work. There were also excellent opportunities to practise the skills learnt during the lessons. Most parents and carers feel their child is taught well. Students agree with this.

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Quality of teaching

Marking is variable and does not always show students what they need to do to improve. Some high quality assessment occurs. For example, in an English class, student’s assessment folders had each section of work marked with the level at which the student was working identified. The teacher wrote positive comments and provided guidance on what was needed to improve the work. Students responded to these comments, indicating they were very clear on how to get to the next level. In other lessons, marking was minimal.

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Quality of teaching

Inspectors observed some good teaching to develop students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. In a history lesson, which involved role play regarding crime and punishment and the gunpowder plot, students explored the moral issues surrounding torture to gain confessions and information. Insufficient opportunities are provided at present within the planned curriculum for students to develop their communication skills, especially their literacy, reading and extended writing skills.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Behaviour is good. Students are typically considerate and respectful, which results in a well ordered and safe college. Inspectors observed much good and occasionally 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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Behaviour and safety of pupils

outstanding behaviour in lessons, and when teaching failed to engage students fully, they were usually tolerant of this. Most students consider that behaviour is good in lessons and around school although a few parents and carers did not feel this was the case. Exclusions continue to decrease and the college provides good support for those students whose circumstances make them more vulnerable. Instances of bullying are dealt with effectively, although a few students and parents and carers disagreed with this. This may be partly due to the very high profile work the college has undertaken recently to highlight bullying and the different kinds of bullying. Students are very aware of different types of bullying and are clear on how to stay safe. The vast majority of students feel safe at the college and this is echoed by parents and carers. Students are punctual to lessons and attendance is broadly average and increasing. Persistent absence is decreasing but remains an issue for a

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

few students. The college is working closely with other agencies to engage the families of these students.

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Leadership and management

Many senior leaders are relatively new in post. Under the principal’s strong leadership, expectations have been raised, especially with regards to the progress students are expected to make and the quality of teaching. New systems and procedures have been put in place and staff are being held accountable for any underperformance. This is also evident in the procedures for the performance management of staff. There have been staffing issues in securing some middle leaders but these have now been resolved. Some middle leaders are very new to their posts and have yet to develop their roles in driving up standards. The new initiatives around the progress students are expected to make and improving teaching are beginning to make an impact but have yet to be fully effective in raising the quality of all teaching to good. The college’s capacity to improve is demonstrated by the improving trend in students’ achievement.

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Leadership and management

Senior leaders are giving a clear steer to improving the quality of teaching. Robust systems have been implemented to tackle inadequate performance and also to develop the skills of teachers whose teaching is predominantly satisfactory. Professional development is linked to performance management objectives. There is some evidence of the impact of this as inspectors observed good teaching from teachers whose teaching was previously deemed satisfactory. The college promotes equality and tackles discrimination well as is shown by improving achievement, narrowing the gaps with national standards and the reduction in exclusions. Although the curriculum provides a range of vocational and non-academic courses for students and is strong in the sixth form, it does not provide well-structured opportunities to develop students’ communication skills. The sports specialism is a strength and has helped students to develop their collaborative skills and confidence. Strong

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Leadership and management

partnerships exist through this specialism and are effective in working with local primary and secondary schools.

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Leadership and management

The governing body has provided support to the principal and some challenge over raising attainment. They have not, though, had a firm understanding of the progress 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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Leadership and management

that each student is expected to make. This is being addressed. The governing body has ensured that the arrangements for safeguarding the well-being of students meet statutory requirements.

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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. 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). 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. 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

Attendance the regular attendance of pupils at school and in lessons, taking into account the school’s efforts to encourage good attendance.

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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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carers to share with their children. It describes Ofsted’s

main findings from the inspection of their school.

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Inspection of Sir John Hunt Community Sports College, Plymouth, PL5 4AA

Thank you for your help during the college’s recent inspection and for taking the time to talk with us. I am writing to tell you about our main findings.

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Inspection of Sir John Hunt Community Sports College, Plymouth, PL5 4AA

We judge your college to be satisfactory overall. A number of things are beginning to improve, especially teaching and your progress. The targets you are being set now really challenge you. This is helping you get better examination results. Your attendance is rising. Behaviour is good in the college and poor behaviour is reducing because of better management systems. The college cares for you well and you tell us that you feel safe.

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Inspection of Sir John Hunt Community Sports College, Plymouth, PL5 4AA

The college is in a stronger position now to maintain and continue its improvement. The principal and her senior team are committed to ensuring this happens.

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Inspection of Sir John Hunt Community Sports College, Plymouth, PL5 4AA

These are some of the areas we have asked leaders and managers to do to improve the college further.

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Inspection of Sir John Hunt Community Sports College, Plymouth, PL5 4AA

 Help you to develop your basic skills, especially your communication skills.  Make sure teaching is consistently good or better by:  ensuring lessons proceed at a good pace and give you the opportunity to work on your own and in groups  using your best teachers to help other teachers to improve their practice  ensure teachers use questioning well to develop your learning  ensure marking makes sure you know how to improve your work.  Make sure that all leaders in the college help other teachers so that you improve quickly and apply the new systems and procedures consistently.

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Inspection of Sir John Hunt Community Sports College, Plymouth, PL5 4AA

You can all help by continuing to behave well and contributing as much as possible to your lessons.

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Inspection of Sir John Hunt Community Sports College, Plymouth, PL5 4AA

Simon Rowe Lead 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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