Malton School

Age group 11–18 Inspection date(s) 22–23 February 2012 Inspection number 380301 Unique Reference Number 121681 Local authority North Yorkshire Inspection number 380301 Inspection dates 22–23 February 2012 Lead inspector Jan Bennett HMI

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

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Type of school Secondary School category 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 736 Of which number on roll in the sixth form 215 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Lucy Legard Headteacher Rob Williams Date of previous school inspection 9 May 2007 School address Middlecave Road Malton YO17 7NH Telephone number 01653 692828 Fax number 01653 696871 Email address admin@maltonschool.org 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

Jan Bennett Mark Colley Her Majesty's Inspector Additional inspector Steven Goldsmith Additional inspector Patrick Feerick Additional inspector

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days' notice. Inspectors observed teaching and learning in 36 lessons taught by 34 different teachers. Meetings were held with three groups of students; members of the governing body; and school staff, including leaders and managers. Inspectors took account of the responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) in planning the inspection, observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents, including the school’s self-evaluation, safeguarding and inclusion policies, student tracking and assessment information and minutes of governing body meetings. They analysed 185 parental and carers’ questionnaires and others completed by students and staff.

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Information about the school

Malton School is a smaller than average secondary school. Most students are of White British origin and the proportion of students speaking English as an additional language is below average. The proportion of disabled students and those with special educational needs is slightly lower than average and the percentage with a statement of special educational needs is below average. Fewer students than average are known to be eligible for free school meals. The sixth form, which now operates in partnership with Ryedale School, has grown rapidly since the previous inspection. Malton has been a specialist science school since 2004. The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the 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

■ Malton School provides a satisfactory education. The overall effectiveness of the school is satisfactory rather than good because students’ achievement and the quality of teaching are both satisfactory. Attainment in the main school has improved in recent years and is above average. In 2011, Year 11 students only made the progress that is expected, based on their Key Stage 2 results. The overall pass rate at A Level is broadly average, although in some respects attainment in the sixth form has fallen in the last two years as students have not always made the progress expected. However, students overall obtained higher grades in their AS examinations in 2011 and there are indications that current students are making better progress.

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Key Findings

■ Teachers have good subject knowledge and use a wide range of learning strategies and resources to engage students. Students are set targets and these are monitored throughout the year, but teachers are not using the information to plan lessons that meet the differing needs of all the students in the class. Teachers make effective use of questioning to check understanding in lessons but the quality of written feedback given to students lacks consistency, leaving too many unsure about what they need to do to improve.

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Key Findings

■ Behaviour around the school is good, students say that they feel safe and the number of fixed term exclusions is below the national average and falling. Students are punctual to lessons and behaviour for learning was good in around half the lessons observed. Attendance is above average and is improving. Provision for disabled students and those with special educational needs is very strong. Students are monitored and supported very well and many with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties are successfully integrated back into mainstream classes.

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Key Findings

■ The leadership team knows the strengths and weaknesses of the school but is not making sufficient use of data to measure the school against national benchmarks, leading to self-evaluation judgements that are over-generous. Middle leadership is more robust than at the previous inspection and governance is extremely strong. ■ The sixth form is satisfactory. It has a history of above average achievement but rapid expansion in 2008 led to a decline in the last two years. Teachers were not fully prepared for the large increase in class sizes and the wider range of ability of the students. The curriculum has now been reviewed and more appropriate courses are being offered with more rigorous entry requirements. Teaching and the tracking of students’ progress have improved and the impact of the actions taken is beginning to show. Sixth formers say that they are very well supported and their teachers give very

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Key Findings

freely of their time to help them. A higher than average proportion of Year 12 students chooses to continue with their studies in Year 13.

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Key Findings

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?

■ Increase the amount of good or better teaching by:  ensuring that activities match the needs of everyone in the class  improving the consistency and quality of written feedback so that all students know exactly what they need to do to improve their work.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

■ Improve achievement by using data more effectively to:  set and monitor individual student’s targets  inform lesson planning  compare the school’s summary data with national benchmarks. 

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Achievement of students

Students in the main school are making similar progress to students nationally. Students made satisfactory progress in the majority of lessons observed and good progress in most others. In the best lessons, students were engaged fully and tasks were pitched at levels that enabled everyone to make rapid progress. In a very effective lesson in which students analysed a scene from a Willy Russell play, skilfully directed questions enabled students of all abilities to contribute and demonstrate their learning. A good variety of time limited tasks ensured that learning moved at a lively pace and there were regular opportunities for students to assess and consolidate their learning. Students worked at a level appropriate to them and the teacher made sure that everyone was stretched. In less effective lessons, however, the pace of learning slackened as the more-able students waited for the rest to catch up and others waited for the teacher to help them with work that was too difficult.

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Achievement of students

The school’s tracking data show students’ progress is increasingly better in Key Stage 3. Attainment is improving and examination results at the end of Key Stage 4 are above average. Results are significantly high when considering only GCSE results and no other equivalent qualifications. Disabled students and those with special educational needs make the progress expected overall. The numbers are small and there have been fluctuations in the progress made by different cohorts but there are no long-term patterns of under- achievement. The gap between the attainment of students known to be eligible for free school meals and others is wider than the average and is not closing. Most parents and carers believe that their child is making good progress but they do not have the benefit of comparative data showing that similar students in many other schools make better progress.

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Quality of teaching

The large majority of parents and carers think that teaching is good but inspectors found the quality to be satisfactory. Teachers are passionate and enthusiastic about their subject but the use of assessment to enhance learning is under-developed. Where teaching is less effective, everyone in the class is expected to complete the same work which does not challenge more-able students and leaves others struggling. In the best lessons, teachers use their knowledge of the students to target questions well and they provide challenging extension tasks and extra support where necessary. They also encourage students to work confidently both in teams and independently. In a well-planned lesson on the water supply, for example, students worked together in small groups, producing posters to illustrate the key facts. They then moved around the room, learning from each other and sharing ideas. The effectiveness of teaching assistants varies with the quality of teaching. In the best

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Quality of teaching

lessons, teaching assistants and the teacher work very effectively together, making sure that all students are well supported and challenged. In weaker lessons, teaching assistants are inactive for stretches of time or used to hand out resources. The quality of teaching in the sixth form is getting better and teachers have adapted their approach to match the changing demands of students.

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Behaviour and safety of students

Students and their parents and carers think that the school is a safe place and a very large majority say that the school deals effectively with any instances of bullying. Inspectors agree and although the site is very open, the school does all that it can to make it safe. Parents and carers are less positive about behaviour in lessons and a higher than average proportion believe that some lessons are disrupted by poor behaviour. Inspectors observed some low level disruption, such as students talking at the same time as the teacher, in some of the weaker lessons. However, students generally have a positive attitude to learning and behave very well when tasks are pitched at the right level. There were no permanent exclusions in 2011 and the school has been successful in reducing the number of fixed term exclusions to below average. The need to send students to the isolation unit is also diminishing as behaviour improves. The school takes students with behavioural difficulties

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Behaviour and safety of students

from other schools and has had notable successes with a number of students.

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Leadership and management

Senior leaders have high ambitions for the school that are well understood and shared by staff. Self-evaluation is linked closely to the development plan, which is reviewed regularly. However, self-evaluation judgements are overly positive. Leaders have been slow to introduce teaching and other strategies that proved successful in other schools, but they have started to visit schools outside the area to look at current best practice. Leaders work very effectively with partners, enabling them to offer a wide curriculum for a small school. Parents and carers say that the school keeps them well informed and the school has worked effectively to improve communications through newsletters, parents’ forums, and the use of information and communication technology.

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Leadership and management

Members of the governing body play an increasingly active role in working towards eliminating any discriminatory practice and areas of under-performance. Students’ spiritual, moral, cultural and social development is good. Teachers across the curriculum are quick to take opportunities to highlight and discuss spiritual and moral issues and to increase students’ cultural knowledge. Assemblies are also used well to develop spiritual awareness. Safeguarding procedures meet statutory requirements and leaders and governors have had the necessary training. A performance management system is in place but its link to lesson observation outcomes and professional development are not clear enough. Senior leaders, supported by governors, have restructured and strengthened middle leadership and taken tough action to address inadequate teaching; however, they recognise that further work is needed to increase the amount of good and outstanding teaching. They did not anticipate

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Leadership and management

many of the problems arising from the rapid growth of the sixth form but have taken firm action to address the issues, although it is too early to see the full impact. Leaders have been successful in raising attainment in the main school and improving attendance. They have demonstrated a satisfactory capacity for improvement.

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Grade Judgement Description

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

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

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

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

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

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

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

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

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

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

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

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

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

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Common terminology used by inspectors

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

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Common terminology used by inspectors

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

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Common terminology used by inspectors

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

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Common terminology used by inspectors

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

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Common terminology used by inspectors

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

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Common terminology used by inspectors

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

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Common terminology used by inspectors

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

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Common terminology used by inspectors

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

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Common terminology used by inspectors

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

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

findings from the inspection of their school.

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Inspection of Malton School, Malton, YO17 7NH

 Thank you for welcoming us to your school. I would also like to thank those of you who filled in a questionnaire and spoke to us. We took full account of your views and those of staff, parents and carers who also completed questionnaires. Malton School is providing a satisfactory education. Here is a summary of our findings which we hope you will find interesting.

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Inspection of Malton School, Malton, YO17 7NH

■ Examination results in the main school continue to improve and are above the national average. Statistical analysis shows that you make the progress that we would expect given your starting points on joining the school. ■ Teaching is satisfactory overall and there are examples of good teaching. Teachers are enthusiastic about their subject, utilise a good variety of resources and employ questioning well to check your learning. However, too many teachers give everyone in the class the same task to do, which means that some of you are not stretched enough while others struggle and are left behind. ■ Behaviour is good, especially around school, and the number of exclusions is low. Attendance is improving and is above average. ■ The sixth form grew quickly in 2009 and results slipped for a couple of years. Action has been taken, however, to address the issues and there are signs that sixth formers are making better progress this year.

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Inspection of Malton School, Malton, YO17 7NH

In order to improve the school further we have asked school leaders to:

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Inspection of Malton School, Malton, YO17 7NH

■ increase the amount of good or better teaching ■ improve achievement by using data more effectively, such as to set you targets and compare the school’s performance with others in the country.

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Inspection of Malton School, Malton, YO17 7NH

The headteacher and the leadership team have ambitious plans for the future and know what they need to do to improve. We hope that you give them your full support and wish you well for the future.

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Inspection of Malton School, Malton, YO17 7NH

Jan Bennett 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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