Haygrove School

Age group 11–16 Inspection date(s) 27–28 June 2012 Inspection number 397489 Haygrove School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 136917 Local authority N/A Inspection number 397489 Inspection dates 27–28 June 2012 Lead inspector Andrew Redpath 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 converter School category Non-maintained Age range of pupils 11–16 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 1,106 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Ms Tina Stoel-Walker Headteacher Mrs Karen Canham Date of previous school inspection 5 February 2009 School address Durleigh Road Bridgwater Somerset TA6 7HW Telephone number 01278 455531 Fax number 01278 427972 Email address office@haygrove.somerset.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 other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked

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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. Inspectors observed 35 lessons taught by 31 teachers and made brief visits to several additional lessons to check on students’ behaviour. They also visited several small group sessions provided to help students improve their numeracy and literacy skills. Discussions were held with senior and middle leaders, staff, members of the governing body and groups of students. They observed the academy’s work, and looked at a range of evidence, including data on students’ progress, students’ work, teachers’ planning, curriculum documents, improvement plans and minutes of meetings. They attended an assembly and observed break and lunchtime activities. The responses in questionnaires of 275 parents and carers, 135 students and 36 staff were also analysed.

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Information about the school

Haygrove School is larger than the average-sized secondary school. It converted to an academy in July 2011. Almost all students are of White British heritage and speak English as their home language. The proportion of students known to be eligible for free school meals is much lower than the national average. The proportion of students supported by school action plus or who have a statement of special educational needs is below the national average. The academy holds modern languages specialist status and has gained several awards, including the International Schools’ Award, Sportsmark, Artsmark and the Award of the Geographical Association. The academy meets the government’s current floor standard, which sets minimum expectations for students’ attainment and 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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Key findings

 This is a good academy where students achieve well. It is improving rapidly, but it is not yet outstanding because the proportion of outstanding teaching is too low and, in a few subjects, not enough students achieve the very highest grades, given their above average starting points.  The academy’s high expectations and broad range of examination courses underpin students’ good achievement. Most groups achieve well, especially in English. The academy has taken action to raise the attainment of students who enter the academy with lower than expected levels of numeracy and literacy and to provide greater challenge for higher attaining students. Early evidence suggests these initiatives are demonstrating success, particularly in mathematics, where achievement has been weaker.  Teaching is good overall and some is outstanding. Teachers have good subject knowledge and plan lessons which promote the development of students’

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Key findings

independent learning. Senior leaders have focused successfully on improving the consistency of teaching and learning across the academy, although features of the very best teaching are not established fully in all subjects.  Attendance is good. Students are proud of their academy and display positive attitudes to learning. Both students and parents and carers recognise how the academy provides a safe and caring environment. Students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is supported effectively through the academy’s arrangements for recognising success, the cultural links established through its modern languages specialism and the extensive range of extra-curricular clubs and activities.  The inclusive approach of the headteacher and senior leaders underpins the academy’s positive ethos. The drive for improvement is enhanced by the involvement of staff at all levels. Senior leaders use performance management

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Key findings

well to raise the quality of teaching. They are adept at harnessing the expertise of staff within the academy to improve the performance of colleagues. 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?

 Improve achievement further by:  measuring the impact of recently introduced initiatives to improve the achievement of more capable students and of those who have below expected levels of numeracy and literacy.  Strengthen the quality of teaching by:  identifying more clearly the features of very best practice, sharing them across subjects and thereby ensuring that a greater proportion of teaching overall is outstanding  ensuring planning in all subjects takes close account of students’ different abilities and gives all the right level of challenge  enabling students to have more opportunities to give extended answers to questions and to develop their own ideas.

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Achievement of pupils

Students are enthusiastic learners, display good independent study skills and work well with each other. Success in examinations and students’ learning and performance observed by inspectors confirm that students make good progress and that their attainment is above average by the time they leave. The proportion of students gaining five or more GCSE passes at grades A* to C including English and mathematics is significantly above the national average. Attainment is particularly strong in English which reflects the academy’s success in promoting speaking and listening, reading and writing skills across the curriculum. Attainment is also high in science, where a large proportion of students study individual science subjects. It has been weaker in mathematics and the academy has taken decisive action to raise the profile of mathematics across the school. An intensive programme of support has been introduced for students who have weak numeracy skills, which is accelerating

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Achievement of pupils

Higher attaining students do not gain the highest GCSE A*/A grade of which they are capable in some subjects. Inspection evidence and the most recent data suggest improvements to the quality of teaching and the use of challenging targets are raising the performance of this group. Students value the academic stimulation of the critical thinking course taken at a local college which leads to several gaining an AS- level pass.

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Achievement of pupils

Girls’ attainment is higher than that of boys, although this is not significantly different from the national picture and the gap is beginning to close. The foundation learning course introduced in Years 10 and 11 is raising the attainment of students who are vulnerable and at risk of disengaging from learning. The quality of learning of disabled students and those with special educational needs is good. A thorough assessment of students’ learning on entry to the academy ensures those in need of 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

additional support are identified at an early stage. Individual tuition and work in small groups are generally used to good effect to raise achievement. Some of these initiatives have been introduced recently and an evaluation of their overall impact has yet to take place.

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Achievement of pupils

The very large majority of parents and carers recognise that their children make good progress.

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Quality of teaching

Classroom routines are well established and students settle quickly to their work. Lessons are generally planned to include a good variety of activities that capture students’ interest. Lessons typically move at a brisk pace and teachers question students skilfully to check their understanding. Occasionally, students are given insufficient time to respond with more detailed answers and to develop their own ideas fully. In a few lessons, students’ attention wanes and the pace of learning slows when the teacher spends too much time speaking to the class. Teaching successfully promotes students’ independent learning and their social development. Good examples were seen during the inspection when students worked in groups to analyse historical evidence and then shared their ideas with the rest of the class, and in a religious education lesson when they discussed moral issues. Students work together well and listen attentively to each other’s views. The use of assessment

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Quality of teaching

information is developing well across subjects, although in some lessons activities are ‘pitched at the middle’ and do not give enough challenge, particularly for some more capable students. Students’ work is marked consistently although the detail of feedback does vary between subjects. In many lessons, students are encouraged to reflect on their own learning and are involved in assessing each other’s work. The teaching of disabled students and those with special educational needs is good and includes a suitable combination of individual and small group sessions and inclusion in the larger class. It is supported by the effective deployment of skilled teaching assistants. The large majority of parents and carers agree that teaching is good.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Students display courteous and mature behaviour around the academy and report that they feel safe. They are respectful of equipment and the accommodation. Students of all ages are enthusiastic about the ‘Achiever Award’ system and many proudly display their badges which are awarded for effort and achievement. Rigorous systems are in place to record and monitor any incidents of inappropriate behaviour or bullying. Incidents of all types of bullying, including cyber-bullying and racism, are low. The academy has received an e-safety award in recognition of its procedures for tackling cyber-bullying. Students particularly appreciate the way they can express any concerns anonymously online and they report that there is a quick and effective response from the designated senior member of staff. Topics on racism and bullying are discussed during assemblies and tutor times. A powerful assembly was observed during the inspection in which students used drama to explore

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

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

emotional issues and to show how to get help.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Students’ behaviour and attendance have improved markedly since the introduction of a wider range of courses in Years 10 and 11, the mentoring of vulnerable students and the sharper systems for managing inappropriate behaviour. Attendance is above average and shows a trend of improvement, while exclusions have fallen dramatically and are now at a low level. The very large majority of parents and carers feel that their child is safe at the academy and that the standard of behaviour is good. However, a small minority of parents and carers who returned inspection questionnaires felt learning is disrupted in some lessons by poor behaviour. Senior leaders are aware that there have been difficulties in a few classes due to the use of temporary staff but report the issue is being resolved. Inspectors made behaviour in lessons a focus of the inspection and found that behaviour was generally good and sometimes outstanding. Occasionally, behaviour was only satisfactory when a lesson

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Leadership and management

The ambition of the headteacher and senior leaders is at the heart of the academy’s culture of high expectations. The performance management and professional development of staff are closely linked to raising achievement. Regular monitoring of teaching takes place in a climate of openness. Staff are keen to collaborate and to share best practice, both within the academy and through the academy’s partnership with other schools. For example, the academy’s strong performance in English has been used to good effect to aid the development of less successful subjects. Senior leaders have been particularly successful in raising the quality of teaching to good overall, although feedback on the quality of teaching is not sufficiently precise in identifying the very best features and using the information to raise more teaching to the level of outstanding. Senior and middle leaders have a good understanding of the

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Leadership and management

strengths and areas for development based on the thorough review of each subject. Data are used well to track the progress of groups and individual students, although this information has not yet been analysed to check the full impact of some recent initiatives. Decisive action has been taken to reduce the number of exclusions and to extend the curriculum in Years 10 and 11, and particularly to help students who struggle with basic numeracy and literacy to catch up. These developments demonstrate that the academy responds decisively to new challenges and has a good capacity for further improvement.

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Leadership and management

The governing body and leaders and managers at all levels have a strong commitment to promoting equality of opportunity and tackling discrimination. The curriculum is broad and balanced and caters for the aptitudes and interests of all students. Strong links exist with local colleges and business, which support effectively the vocational courses. The academic rigour provided by the curriculum is borne out by the much higher than average proportion of students who study a modern foreign language and the individual science subjects of biology, chemistry and physics. International links, trips to foreign countries and projects in art and humanities are effective in promoting students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural 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

development. Procedures for safeguarding are thorough and meet all the requirements. Any concerns about individual students are followed up quickly and effectively. The governing body gives a good level of support and challenge to the school, particularly through its achievement and standards committee. Resources are deployed efficiently and very good use is made of the available accommodation.

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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 Haygrove School, Bridgwater TA6 7HW

As you know, your academy was inspected recently and I am writing to let you know what the inspection team thought about the quality of education you receive. Thanks to those of you who took time to talk to us about your work and life at the academy. We also talked to your teachers and other adults connected with the academy, visited lessons, looked at your work and took account of the views of your parents and carers to find out how the academy is doing. The full report is available from the school or on the Ofsted website. Here are the main points.  Your academy provides a good education and due to the strong leadership and hard work of staff it is continuing to improve.  You are proud of your academy, enjoy learning and display good behaviour.  You achieve well and make good progress because the academy has high expectations and provides a broad range of challenging courses.  Many of you take part in the extensive after-school clubs, trips and visits.

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Inspection of Haygrove School, Bridgwater TA6 7HW

 Teaching is good and helps you to become good independent learners.  You told us that you feel safe in the academy and that staff listen to, and deal with, any concerns you might have.  You like the way the academy recognises your effort and achievement through the ‘Achiever Award’ system. I have asked the school to do a few things to help it improve.  Check more closely that some of the changes brought in to improve your learning are working, particularly for those of you who are more capable and for those of you who struggle with numeracy and literacy.  Share some of the things that make teaching and learning really good more widely among staff.  Make sure teachers ensure you all receive the right level of challenge and give greater opportunities for you to explain in more detail your ideas in lessons. You can help by discussing your work and progress with teachers.

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Inspection of Haygrove School, Bridgwater TA6 7HW

Yours sincerely Andrew Redpath 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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