Manor School

Age group 11–19 Inspection date(s) 29–30 May 2012 Inspection number 395614 Manor School and Sports College Inspection report

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Unique reference number 137613 Local authority N/A Inspection number 395614 Inspection dates 29–30 May 2012 Lead inspector Elaine Taylor 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 Academy School category Non-maintained Age range of pupils 11–19 Gender of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils in the sixth form Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 843 Of which, number on roll in the sixth form 158 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Dudley Hughes Headteacher Linda Brooks Date of previous school inspection 13 May 2009 School address Mountbatten Way Raunds Wellingborough NN9 6PA Telephone number 01933 623921 Fax number 0808 2801079 Email address head@manorschool.northants-ecl.gov.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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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. Inspectors observed 41 teachers delivering 43 lessons, of which four were joint observations with senior leaders followed by a round-table discussion of the lessons seen. In addition, short visits were made to a range of lessons to look at how well teachers used questions to challenge students, how engaged students are in their work and, as a joint undertaking with the headteacher, to check the quality of marking. Meetings were held with 14 parents and carers, groups of students, governors and staff. A visit was made to the Sure Start centre and the inspector met with the leader of the provision and staff. Inspectors observed the school’s work, and looked at development plans, self-evaluation documents, data on students’ current progress, behaviour and attendance, and other documents provided by the school to support their self- evaluation judgements. They scrutinised 131 parental questionnaires, 127 from

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Information about the school

Manor School is slightly smaller than the average-sized secondary school. It became an academy in November 2011. Most students are White British. The proportion of students from minority ethnic groups, and those learning English as an additional language, is much lower than the national average. The proportion of disabled students and those with special educational needs supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below average, as is the percentage of students known to be eligible for free school meals. The school has achieved Gold Partner status with the Youth Sports Trust, Sportsmark Gold and International School awards, and has Healthy Schools status. The school meets the current minimum floor standards required by the government.

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Information about the school

Sixth form provision is through partnership with the East Northamptonshire College. The school provides initial teacher education as an employment-based initial teacher training provider, leading training through the Graduate Training Programme for five secondary and twelve primary schools. A Sure Start children’s centre provides a range of facilities for families with young children. The school also provides activities for students and their families before and after school and at the weekend. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is ina dequate 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. It is not outstanding because key literacy and numeracy skills are not consistently developed in all lessons; with the result that progress has, until this year, been slower in English and mathematics than in other subjects. Students make good progress, but more-able students make slightly less progress than others because teachers do not always take every opportunity to challenge them and students are not consistently supported to take responsibility for their learning.

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Key findings

 Students join the school with below average standards, especially in literacy and numeracy and leave attaining standards that are above average. All groups, including disabled students and those who have special educational needs, are making better progress than similar students nationally. Above-average numbers go into jobs with training or into further and higher education.

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Key findings

 Teaching is good, ensuring students achieve well. Teachers provide interesting activities which engage and motivate students, but do not always encourage them to be independent by explaining how each task will help them to meet the objectives of the lessons. Teachers do not provide for more-able students models of what success at a high level in that activity would look like.

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Key findings

 Students have positive attitudes to learning and behave well. Their attendance is average, but good in the sixth form. They feel very safe and parents and carers are very happy that the school keeps their children safe.

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Key findings

 The school’s leaders take effective action in addressing any issues promptly. Rigorous monitoring of the quality of teaching and management of performance have resulted in an increase in the proportion of teaching that is good or better. Leaders have maintained high levels of staff morale and embedded a common vision for the further development of the school. The broad curriculum supports students’ spiritual and cultural development well, especially in sports subjects.

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Key findings

 The sixth form is good. Teaching is good. As a result, standards are rising and Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is ina dequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Key findings

numbers in the sixth form are increasing.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Build on the improving outcomes in mathematics and English by increasing the proportion of lessons that make a contribution to the development of literacy and numeracy skills.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Accelerate progress further by:  ensuring teachers model for students what success at higher levels will look like in each activity in the lesson  taking every opportunity to support students to take responsibility for their own learning.

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Achievement of pupils

Attainment has been rising for the last three years. The percentage of students achieving five or more A* to C grades including English and mathematics at GCSE caught up with the national average in 2011 and is set to be above average this year. Reading standards are very low on entry to the school, but effective additional support ensures they rise and this enables almost every student to gain useful qualifications. Parents and carers are very happy that their children are making good progress.

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Achievement of pupils

In over half the lessons observed, students were making good and sometimes outstanding progress. Students display positive attitudes to learning and work collaboratively in groups and pairs, supporting their social development.

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Achievement of pupils

The very small numbers of students in different groups are making the same good progress. Accurate assessment that is carefully moderated ensures the school targets intervention very effectively for those in danger of falling behind. Disabled students and those who have special educational needs progress well because of the high quality support they receive from specialist staff who understand their individual needs exceptionally well.

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Achievement of pupils

Students are learning well across different subjects with no major weaknesses. Until recently, very few chose to study a modern foreign language in Key Stage 4 despite good achievement in French and German. The subject will now be taught to a wider group as part of their English Baccalaureate pathway. This is intended to support students’ already good cultural development, achieved partly as a result of the work towards International School status. Students achieve well in vocational subjects.

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Achievement of pupils

Students in the sixth form make good progress from their below average starting points. A higher-than-average proportion continue in education or employment with Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is ina dequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Quality of teaching

Teachers have high expectations and use their good subject knowledge to plan appropriate learning objectives for the different levels of ability in their groups. They do not always model for more-able students what success at the highest levels will look like. As a result, these students make good but not better progress. The most successful lessons contain opportunities for individual, group and pair work, and often use resources of a very high quality and imaginative nature, including information and communication technology. Examples were seen in history, where video clips had the students engrossed in watching a staging of the execution of Charles I; in geography, where students were investigating maps of social network usage across the world; and in physical education, where digital monitors provided direct evidence of the impact of exercise on the body.

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Quality of teaching

Many teachers go to great lengths to provide additional materials to support students who might find the work difficult. Other adults in lessons provide very good support for disabled students and those with special educational needs, including those who have complex individual needs or require physical support.

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Quality of teaching

Assessment of the learning taking place is a weaker feature of a small minority of lessons. Outstanding practice in questioning students was observed, but teachers do not always use question and answer sessions well, allowing one or two students to dominate the sessions, especially in the lower year groups. Occasionally, teachers provide extended answers for the students instead of using supplementary questions to promote deeper understanding.

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Quality of teaching

Some lessons make an outstanding contribution to the development of key literacy and numeracy skills, especially in sport. However, this is inconsistent across subjects. Opportunities are provided to support students’ reading skills by encouraging them to read aloud, for example. Additional intensive teaching of reading for individual students has successfully raised their reading ages. Homework tasks build well on the learning in the lessons, but some parents were concerned that the tasks were not always marked and, in a small minority of books, marking is variable in the quality of the feedback it provides. Where it is good, students know exactly how to improve their work. Students are kept well-informed about their progress and know how well they are doing in all subjects.

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Quality of teaching

Teaching in the sixth form has the right balance of input by the teacher and opportunities for individual research by the students. Sixth form students told inspectors that they found lessons interesting, challenging and enjoyable.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Students are considerate, polite and behave sensibly around the school. Parents, carers and students are confident that the school will keep them safe. Students have Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is ina dequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

a good understanding of risky and unsafe behaviours. They attend regularly and are punctual to school in the morning and to lessons. Their enjoyment was summed up by one parent who wrote, ’Days fly by with the children always happy to get up for school each day!’

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Praise is used well to motivate students and the postcards sent home are greatly appreciated by parents and carers, some of whom use them creatively to boost their children’s confidence. Detailed information is kept and monitored regularly to identify patterns and provide support where needed. As a result, the school could point to a number of students who had been supported to modify their poor behaviour and go on to considerable success.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

The number of incidents of bullying is low, including of those which are prejudice- based. Many parents spoke of the effective action taken by the school. The school’s house system ensures communication is regular and intervention prompt and effective. Racist incidents occasionally occur, but the school has started a series of events to address the issues.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

A very small minority of parents expressed concern about disruption in lessons. During the inspection, no such disruption was observed and students responded promptly to teachers’ instructions and redirection on the very few occasions where the work did not fully engage them and they wandered off task. Students showed good social development in their ability to work together in groups. In some lessons, especially in younger year groups, students were over-reliant on the teacher and lacked some of the essential skills to drive their own learning forward.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Students in the sixth form demonstrate excellent behaviour and are outstanding role models for the younger students. They manage the challenges of moving between schools in the consortium well, demonstrating maturity and determination to succeed.

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Leadership and management

Leaders at all levels communicate high expectations and ambition for the school, resulting in outcomes for students that have risen each year. Increasing numbers of students meet or exceed their challenging targets. All students are known as individuals and have equal access to the opportunities provided. Good use is made of additional funding to support those who might otherwise find it difficult to participate. Tolerance and mutual respect are promoted well through the house system and tutor time, where different year groups work together.

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Leadership and management

The profile of teaching and learning is improving, with a substantial proportion that is good or better. Leaders make good use of a range of strategies to develop teaching through well-targeted professional development. Involvement in initial teacher education develops mentoring skills and keeps teaching and learning at the heart of improvement work. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is ina dequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Leadership and management

The school has a rich curriculum which offers the students a wide range of subjects and meets the needs of all students well. Strong partnership working provides additional opportunities such as additional vocational subjects at A level. A young apprentice scheme prepares students well for the world of work and opportunities are provided for students to develop their leadership skills. Well-received musical productions support students’ cultural development well and forge strong links with the local community.

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Leadership and management

School leaders have a very accurate view of the strengths and areas for improvement. Rigorous monitoring of all aspects of the school’s work takes place and staff are held to account for agreed expectations of outcomes in their areas of responsibility. Searching self-evaluation has led to a re-structuring of the faculty system to strengthen already good subject leadership.

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Leadership and management

The governing body supports and challenges leaders well. It brings to its role a wide range of valuable skills that have ensured a smooth move to academy status and financial security. It has ensured that safeguarding arrangements meet statutory requirements. It oversees the work of the Sure Start centre diligently.

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Leadership and management

Staff morale is very high. The responses to the inspection questionnaire for staff were overwhelmingly positive. All of those who responded agreed that they know what the school is trying to achieve and that it is well led and managed. The overwhelming majority are proud to be a member of the school.

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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 54 42 2 2 Primary schools 14 49 32 6 Secondary schools 20 39 34 7 Special schools 33 45 20 3 Pupil referral units 9 55 28 8 All schools 16 47 31 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 to 31 December 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

Floor standards: the national minimum expectation of attainment and progression measures.

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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 Manor School and Sports College, Wellingborough, NN9 6PA

On behalf of myself and the other inspectors, I would like to thank you for the friendly, helpful way in which you contributed to the inspection.

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Inspection of Manor School and Sports College, Wellingborough, NN9 6PA

We judged your school to be good and could see how the standards you attain are rising each year. We were particularly pleased to see the rise in standards in English and mathematics. We would like all teachers to support you in developing skills related to these subjects in their lessons. You attend well and behave well, although one or two of you can be rather immature at times and make learning difficult for others. We also noticed that you rely on your teachers too much in some lessons. Those of you in the sixth form are excellent role models for the younger students.

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Inspection of Manor School and Sports College, Wellingborough, NN9 6PA

Teachers teach well and provide you with many interesting activities and opportunities in lessons. They do not always make it fully clear how the activities will help you meet the learning objectives or demonstrate for you what success would look like if you attained the higher levels. Nevertheless, you make good progress in lessons and work well together in groups.

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Inspection of Manor School and Sports College, Wellingborough, NN9 6PA

School leaders have provided a good range of subjects and lots of different options in examination courses. The headteacher and senior team make sure they check the work of the school regularly and successfully take action to make sure things improve.

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Inspection of Manor School and Sports College, Wellingborough, NN9 6PA

We have asked the school to do several things to improve things even more.

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Inspection of Manor School and Sports College, Wellingborough, NN9 6PA

 We want teachers to create more opportunities to develop your skills in literacy, and numeracy. You can help by applying yourself well in these tasks.  Teachers have been asked to make it clear why they have created each activity and what a top grade model of an answer would be.

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Inspection of Manor School and Sports College, Wellingborough, NN9 6PA

We wish you every success in the future and hope that you will read the full report which contains more details.

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Inspection of Manor School and Sports College, Wellingborough, NN9 6PA

Yours sincerely Elaine Taylor 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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