Risedale School

Risedale Sports and Community College Inspection report

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Age group 11–16 Inspection date(s) 5–6 March 2012 Inspection number 380296 Unique Reference Number 121663 Local authority North Yorkshire Inspection number 380296 Inspection dates 5–6 March 2012 Lead inspector Stephen Wall

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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 students 11–16 Gender of students Mixed Number of students on the school roll 458 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair John Dennis Executive Principal Associate Principal Michael Hill John Kelly Date of previous school inspection 24 November 2009 School address Hipswell Catterick Garrison DL9 4BD Telephone number 01748 833501 Fax number 01748 836149 Email address enquiries@risedale.org.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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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

Stephen Wall Julie McGrane Additional inspector Additional inspector Patrick Hargreaves Additional inspector

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days' notice. The inspectors observed teaching and learning in 30 lessons taught by 28 members of staff. They also scrutinised samples of students’ written work. Inspectors observed students’ behaviour in lessons and around the college. The inspectors held meetings with staff, groups of students, members of the governing body and the Executive Principal. The inspectors took account of the responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) in planning the inspection. They observed the college’s work, and looked at a wide range of documentation including: the college’s evaluation of its effectiveness; the college development plan; records relating to attendance and behaviour; records of monitoring teaching and learning; and minutes of meetings of the governing body. The inspectors analysed 105 questionnaires returned by parents and carers, as well as questionnaires returned by staff and students.

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Information about the College

Risedale Sports and Community College is smaller than the average 11−16 high school. It is situated in the heart of the largest army garrison in the United Kingdom and about half of its students come from serving army families. As a result, many more students than usual join and/or leave the college at other than normal times. The proportion of students known to be eligible for free school meals is broadly average. Most students are of White British heritage. However, a significant number of students are from abroad, mostly from Nepal, and speak English as an additional language. The proportion of students who are disabled or who have special educational needs is broadly average. Since September 2009, Risedale has been hard federated with Northallerton College which has students in the 14 to 19 age range. The two colleges share a federated governing body. An Executive Principal oversees both colleges, while an Associate Principal leads and manages Risedale Sports and

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Information about the College

Community College specifically. In 2011, the college met the government’s floor standard, which sets minimum expectations for attainment and progress. The college has Healthy Schools status and is a Stonewall School Champion. It has gained the Inclusion Quality Mark and the Basic Skills Agency Quality Mark. The college is a specialist college for sport. 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. It is improving rapidly and securely because good leadership and management, including the leadership and management provided by the federated governing body, are driving it strongly forward. The college is not yet good because the quality of teaching, although improving securely, is still inconsistent.   From generally low starting points, students make satisfactory and improving progress. Achievement is rising rapidly and securely because the quality of teaching is improving and expectations of what students can achieve are growing. Students generally have very low literacy skills on entry to the college but these are improving very rapidly because of the sharp focus the college provides on this key aspect. All groups of students make satisfactory and improving progress, including disabled students and those who have special educational needs, and students who join the college at other

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Key Findings

than normal times.   Teaching is satisfactory. Its quality and impact are improving rapidly because leaders and managers are setting higher expectations and providing sharply focused professional development provision. However, some shortcomings remain such as lack of consistency in challenge and inconsistency in matching tasks closely to students’ needs and abilities.   Students’ behaviour is satisfactory and improving. Attendance has risen significantly since the previous inspection and is now high. Students say that they are enjoying learning much more and that they feel very safe in the college because of the very effective support and guidance it provides.   Good, federated leadership and management provide very clear strategic direction and a sharp focus on improvement. Shared staff development programmes and increasingly successful sharing of good practice are leading to secure improvements in

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Key Findings

the quality of teaching and students’ achievement. Senior leaders evaluate the college’s effectiveness accurately and use the outcomes astutely to underpin performance management and drive improvement.  Schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory may receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

  Further raise attainment and accelerate progress by making sure that the quality of teaching is at least consistently good to ensure that: - students’ prior learning is taken fully into account in making tasks consistently challenging enough - tasks are always matched closely to students’ needs and abilities - students are given more opportunities to take greater responsibility for their own learning - students are always clear about what they need to do to improve their work.

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Achievement of students

Students’ overall achievement is satisfactory and improving rapidly. Most questionnaires returned by parents and carers show that they are satisfied with the progress their children are making; inspectors agree with this view.

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Achievement of students

In lessons students are generally eager to learn. They are industrious and strive to give of their best. Most students are keen to answer questions, although sometimes they are too passive, especially when the tasks they are set are sometimes too easy or too challenging. Students enjoy working in pairs and in groups where they willingly contribute their thoughts and ideas. Most students listen respectfully to the views of others.

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Achievement of students

From attainment levels that are generally low on entry to the college, students make satisfactory and improving progress. Since the previous inspection, attainment by the end of Key Stage 4 has remained low, despite year-on-year improvement. However, in 2011 attainment rose sharply, especially the proportion of students who attained the key measure of five or more GCSE higher grade passes including English and mathematics. The gap with national averages was closed significantly. College data, confirmed by inspection findings, show that this steep rise in attainment and achievement is set to continue because of the rapidly improving quality of teaching and much higher expectations set by leaders and managers at all levels. Students’ writing, reading and communication skills are improving very rapidly from generally very low starting points because of the highly effective, whole- college focus on literacy that is evident in nearly every lesson. The improvement in students’

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Achievement of students

literacy skills is underpinning the general rise in achievement across the college. Disabled students, those who have special educational needs and students known to be eligible for free school meals also make satisfactory and improving progress because of the effective support they receive. The needs of students who join the college at other than normal times, including students from abroad, are accurately and quickly assessed so that targeted support can be provided. As a result, these students also make satisfactory and improving progress.

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Quality of teaching

Teaching is satisfactory. The amount of teaching that is good or better is increasing rapidly because teachers are using assessment data with greater confidence and to much better effect. Despite this, inconsistencies remain, especially in the level of challenge that teaching presents to different groups of students. Where teaching gets the level of challenge exactly right, students make very rapid progress. In one Key Stage 3 German lesson, for example, students made outstanding progress in using complex sentence structures because the teaching was appropriately challenging and varied. Expectations were high and students took obvious relish in rising to the challenge of mastering the complexities of using advanced grammatical constructions with correct word order. In another Key Stage 4 religious education lesson, challenging teaching led to excited and enthrallingly competitive debate on the nature of good and evil. All students made confident and insightful

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Quality of teaching

comments. Enjoyment and learning were outstanding in all respects as a result. However, some teaching does not take enough account of what students already know and time is wasted by repeating subject matter that students have already mastered; this acts as a brake on accelerating progress faster. Teaching gives students plenty of opportunities to work in groups and pairs. However, expectations are not always made explicit with the result that teaching sometimes has to resort to guiding students too much rather than encouraging students to assume responsibility for their own learning. The teaching of English and mathematics is improving securely leading to rapid improvement in attainment and progress in both subjects. Teachers mark students’ books regularly but the quality of their comments is inconsistent in showing students what they need to do to improve their work.

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Quality of teaching

Teachers are consistently adept at using questioning effectively to encourage students to give extended answers and justify their reasoning. This improves students’ speaking skills and makes a valuable contribution to their social, moral, spiritual and cultural development by developing their levels of self-confidence, self-belief and their ability to reflect on problems in a reasoned and mature manner. Students improving progress is supported by a good curriculum that is well-matched to students’ interests and abilities. Enterprise activities and personal, social and health education lessons are taught well and are valued by students.

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Quality of teaching

Students say that the quality of teaching is improving and that they are enjoying learning more as a result. Questionnaires returned by parents and carers show almost unanimous satisfaction with the quality of teaching, although a few parents and carers comment that some teaching is not challenging enough, thus reflecting inspectors’ views.

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Behaviour and safety of students

Behaviour is satisfactory and improving. Questionnaires returned by parents, carers and students show some concern about behaviour in lessons. However, students say that behaviour is improving and that fewer lessons are now interrupted by poor behaviour. Only when teaching lacks some pace or sets tasks that are too easy or too difficult does behaviour sometimes deteriorate. Inspection evidence confirms these views. College records relating to incidents of poor behaviour show a significant decrease in their regularity and severity since the previous inspection. Students now take on many more responsibilities in the college. For example, older students enjoy helping younger students with their work, especially in reading. This is increasing students’ commitment to the college and nurturing their sense of self-worth and maturity.

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Behaviour and safety of students

Students say that bullying of any kind is no longer a significant problem and that incidents are dealt with effectively. However, a small minority of parents and carers say that bullying is a problem for their children; this has been brought to the attention of senior leaders and managers by inspectors. The college tackles homophobic bullying effectively. For example, recent input from members of the armed forces on the topic of homophobic bullying was very effective. Students say that it opened their eyes and that homophobic name-calling has virtually ceased as a result. Students, parents and carers all believe the college is a safe place to be. Students show sound awareness of what constitute potentially unsafe situations and how to tackle or avoid them. Procedures for checking on and promoting the importance of attendance have been tightened and extended. As a result, and because of students’ increasingly positive attitudes, attendance has risen sharply and is now high.

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Leadership and management

The college has benefited significantly from being federated with another college. The shared governing body is astutely led. It provides good levels of support and challenge in the drive for improvement under the umbrella of providing the best possible life chances for both sets of students. Shared professional development of staff and sharing of good practice have been instrumental in driving up the quality of teaching and students’ achievement at Risedale. The college’s specialism in sports has also been influential in sharing and promoting good practice and improving achievement. Staff morale is high and teamwork is strong in pursuit of improvement. Middle leaders and managers are becoming much more effective in developing their areas of responsibility. The management of performance is linked closely to strategic planning to ensure that the college continues on its path of improvement. Rapidly rising achievement, much higher levels of attendance and much more

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Leadership and management

positive student attitudes all demonstrate the college’s good capacity to continue on its upward trajectory.

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Leadership and management

The college provides a good quality curriculum that is closely matched to students’ differing needs and abilities. It underpins students’ growing aspirations and rising levels of achievement. The positive impact of the curriculum is seen in the sharp reduction it has brought about in the numbers of students leaving the college who are not in employment, training or education. The college provides highly effective care, guidance and support, especially for students whose circumstances may make them vulnerable and for those who join the college at other than normal times. As a result, these students are fully included in the life of the college and make similar rates of progress to other students. Any discrimination is tackled rigorously. Equality of opportunity is effective. Its impact is evident in the fact that all groups of students are making satisfactory and improving progress.

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Leadership and management

Students’ social, moral, spiritual and cultural development is good. Students have a wide range of opportunities to take on responsibilities to develop their social and caring skills. Links with other schools in more challenging circumstances both at home and abroad raise students’ awareness and appreciation of diversity and the need for tolerance of those who are different or less fortunate.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding These features are highly effective. An outstanding school provides exceptionally well for all its students' needs. Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its students well. Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its students. 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 students. 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 students' work shown by test and examination results and in lessons.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Behaviour how well students behave in lessons, with emphasis on their attitude to learning. Students' 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 students 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 students are learning in lessons and over longer periods of time. It is often measured by comparing the students' 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 students are in school, including in lessons; and their understanding of risks. Students' 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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DL9 4BD

Thank you for the warmth of your welcome during the recent inspection of your college.

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DL9 4BD

Your college provides you with a satisfactory and rapidly improving quality of education. It is improving because good leadership and management are setting much higher expectations and because the quality of teaching you receive is becoming much better and more effective in helping you to learn. You told us that behaviour is improving and the evidence we gathered during the inspection confirms this. Your attendance levels have shot up since the previous inspection – well done! It was good to see how the students who join your college from abroad are treated with respect and welcomed into the college community.

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DL9 4BD

In order to help your college improve even faster, we are asking it to do make sure that the quality of teaching is consistently at least good to ensure that:  what you already know is taken fully into account in making tasks consistently challenging enough for you  tasks are always matched closely to your needs and abilities  you are given more opportunities to take greater responsibility for your own learning  you are always clear about what you need to do to improve your work.

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DL9 4BD

I am confident that you will continue to work hard to make sure your college goes from strength to strength in the coming years.

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DL9 4BD

Stephen Wall 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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