Manor High School

Age group 10–14 Inspection date(s) 28–29 June 2012 Inspection number 395508 Manor High School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 137120 Local authority N/A Inspection number 395508 Inspection dates 28–29 June 2012 Lead inspector Mary Davis

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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 10–14 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 877 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Gill Townsend Headteacher Sheila Major Date of previous school inspection 6 December 2007 School address Copse Close Oadby Leicester LE2 4FU Telephone number 0116 2714941 Fax number 0116 2720277 Email address admin@manorhigh.leics.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

Thelma McIntosh Clark Additional Inspector

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days’ notice. The inspectors observed 34 lessons and 34 teachers, spending 19 hours in classrooms. They held meetings with groups of students, members of the governing body and staff. Inspectors observed the school’s work, and looked at: policies; development planning; data related to the tracking of students’ progress; senior leaders’ monitoring of teaching and learning; safeguarding documents; students’ work; and 278 questionnaires from parents and carers, together with those from students and staff.

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Information about the school

Manor High School is an average-sized middle deemed secondary school. The proportions of students from minority ethnic backgrounds or who speak English as an additional language are well above the national average, with the largest group being of Indian heritage. No student is at an early stage of learning English. The proportion of students supported by school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below average. The proportion at school action is also below average. A well below average proportion of students is known to be eligible for free school meals.

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Information about the school

The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for students’ attainment and progress.

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Information about the school

The school became an academy in August 2011 and has specialist technology status . It holds a number of awards including: the CPD Mark awarded by the Continuing Professional Development Association, an award from the National Association for Able Children in Education and the Cultural Diversity Quality Standard at Gold level. 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

 Manor High School is a good school. It is not outstanding because some leadership and management strategies to drive improvement and to raise achievement lack rigour and teaching is not consistently strong enough to promote outstanding progress.  Achievement is good. At Key Stage 2, achievement has been below average but is now improving. In Key Stage 3, students make good progress although there is some inconsistency across subjects and year groups. Attainment by the end of Year 9 is above national expectations. Students are keen to do well and enjoy their learning.  Teaching is typically good with some outstanding practice. There is some inconsistency, particularly in the way teachers plan to ensure that different groups of students are appropriately challenged or supported. Although verbal feedback is effective, the marking of students’ work does not provide sufficient information to enable students to improve their work or to promote their

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Key findings

independence.  Behaviour in lessons is good and sometimes exemplary. Students show respect for adults and for each other and say that the school is a harmonious community. Students say that the school keeps them safe and that they have a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe, that bullying is rare and that most adults support them well.  Leadership and management are good. The strong leadership team is well supported by the governing body. Leaders provide good support to enable teachers to improve their practice. Monitoring procedures, however, do not focus sufficiently on the impact of teaching on the quality of learning and opportunities for middle leaders to regularly share in this process are not currently provided. Although students’ progress is tracked and any underachievement identified and addressed, procedures lack sufficient rigour to enable patterns of achievement of groups of students to be identified and thus

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Key findings

ensure the effective channelling of resources. 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?

 Increase the rigour of leadership strategies to drive improvement and raise achievement by:  ensuring that the monitoring of teaching focuses sufficiently on the impact it has on the quality of students’ learning and involves leaders at all levels, enabling middle leaders to drive improvement in their areas of responsibility  ensuring that the tracking of students’ progress enables the analysis of the performance of different groups of students to identify and address any patterns of underachievement.  Secure consistently good or outstanding teaching by:  ensuring that teachers plan tasks that match students’ individual needs, so that all groups of students receive appropriate support and challenge  ensuring that the marking of students’ work provides clear advice on how to improve and there are opportunities for students to respond and develop independence. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils enter Year 6 with levels of attainment that have shown year-on-year variation. Over the past two years, rates of progress by the end of Key Stage 2, in both English and mathematics, have been significantly below those found nationally. Current assessments show that Year 6 pupils are now making satisfactory progress, although better in mathematics than in English. In Key Stage 3, students consistently exceed the challenging targets set for them so that attainment by the end of Year 9 is above national expectations in English, maths and science. All students achieve expected standards for their age in reading by the time they leave the school. The majority of students speak English as an additional language and make good progress, receiving support for literacy according to their individual needs.

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Achievement of pupils

Students enjoy their learning and consistently display positive attitudes in lessons, often becoming engrossed in the task set for them. For example, in a French lesson, students made rapid progress in using and practising new vocabulary about school subjects while reinforcing words that they already knew. Here they were not only able to demonstrate their understanding of new vocabulary but were able to apply what they had learned to new situations. The lesson also enabled them to develop independent learning techniques by using a variety of study skills such as ‘skim’ reading to identify key words, before studying a French text in detail. In many lessons, students were enthusiastically engaged in discussions with their teachers and each other, keen to contribute their views and opinions. In a minority of lessons, teachers do not ensure that all students are engaged in learning or provide sufficiently well for those of highest ability, for example by providing additional

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Achievement of pupils

challenge once students show understanding.

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Achievement of pupils

Disabled students and those with special educational needs make good progress from their starting points as the result of the well-planned individual support they receive.

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Achievement of pupils

Almost all parents and carers say that their children make good progress at the school and that they enjoy their learning; inspection evidence supports their view.

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Quality of teaching

The majority of the teaching observed during the inspection was good and some was outstanding. Most parents and carers expressed positive views about the quality of teaching their children receive.

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Quality of teaching

Warm relationships are evident between teachers and students. This was exemplified in the course of a violent thunderstorm during the inspection when teachers 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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Quality of teaching

effectively calmed their students and enabled learning to proceed despite power failure. Most teachers plan lessons that provide a variety of active tasks that engage students’ interest and are relevant to their experience. Where teaching is at its best, teachers ensure students develop independent learning skills, particularly to prepare Year 9 for their transition to their next key stage. For example, in a science lesson, the teacher encouraged students to follow written and diagrammatic instructions to carry out an experiment rather than instructing them step by step. Teachers also promote thinking skills and use questioning skilfully to probe understanding and enable students to explore further with such questions as ‘What if….?’ In a small minority of lessons, teachers’ planning does not ensure that tasks are appropriately matched to meet individual needs or enables students to build skills and

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Quality of teaching

understanding progressively. Some students do not have a clear enough understanding of how to reach their target levels because teachers are missing the opportunity to explain either the strengths or areas for development when they mark students’ work; for example, giving a National Curriculum assessment level without any explanation. This results in students lacking the short-term targets that would enable them to take more responsibility for their own progress.

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Quality of teaching

Teachers ensure that students learn key skills in literacy, communication and mathematics, particularly providing opportunities for them to read out loud and to ‘have a go’ when they encounter unfamiliar words. Teachers across a variety of subjects also plan well to provide opportunities for students to work in pairs and teams and to reflect on moral issues. For example, in a lesson on Shakespeare’s play, ‘The taming of the Shrew’, students discussed alternative ways of solving conflict other than the use of violence.

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Quality of teaching

Disabled students and those with special educational needs are well provided for in lessons, being taught in small groups in core subjects. Teachers are skilful in breaking down tasks into small achievable steps and promoting confidence. As a result, these students make good progress from their starting points and in some subjects, such as science, they make outstanding progress.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Although a minority of parents and carers expressed concerns about behaviour in lessons, inspectors found behaviour to be good and, in some lessons, outstanding. Students say that this is typically the case. There is a calm and positive atmosphere for learning throughout the school, and students show respect for adults and listen quietly and attentively to each other. They told inspectors how much they appreciate the diversity of their school community and said that everyone shows respect for each other’s beliefs and backgrounds. A small minority of parents and carers and some students expressed concern about instances of bullying, but students say that they know who to go to if they are troubled and are confident that they will be well supported. They show a good understanding of different forms of bullying, including cyber–bullying and how to keep safe when using the internet. Students told inspectors that racism and homophobic name-calling is not tolerated and expressed

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

their gratitude that all staff are so effective in upholding this view. Members of the 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

school council expressed pride in their achievements in improving road safety outside the school gates.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Behaviour around the school, although sometimes lively, is generally good and students respond quickly to adults’ instructions. They are friendly, helpful and welcoming to visitors.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Attendance rates have improved over this academic year and are now above average. Students are punctual to lessons. They have a clear understanding of the school’s expectations for this and for their behaviour.

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Leadership and management

The senior leadership team has clearly identified areas for improvement, particularly in the tracking of students’ progress and in the monitoring of teaching and have put effective strategies in place to address these issues. These actions, together with the strong leadership of the governing body, show a good capacity to drive further improvements. The school has received an award for its work in ensuring the professional development of teachers. Subject leaders share in self-evaluation and are held to account for students’ progress in their areas of responsibility. However, middle leaders currently have insufficient opportunity to effectively monitor the provision within their departments through frequent observation of teaching.

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Leadership and management

The good curriculum provides opportunities for students to develop their key skills in English, mathematics and communication and the school’s specialist technology status enhances learning across the curriculum, particularly in the provision of resources. The curriculum promotes students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well, particularly in the celebration of diversity and ensuring that students have opportunities for reflection and to form their own opinions on issues that affect them. Leaders take robust action to ensure that there is no discrimination and that all students have equal opportunity, but realise that the school’s ability to assure this, will be enhanced if leaders analyse the performance of different groups of students with more rigour.

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Leadership and management

The governing body is increasingly providing effective support and challenge to the school’s leaders and contributes well to strategic planning. Governors ensure the safety of the school site and that safeguarding procedures meet current government requirements. Parents and carers are kept well informed about the progress made by their children and workshops provide information on such issues as cyber-bullying.

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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 High School, Leicester, LE2 4FU

Thank you very much for the welcome you gave us when we visited your school recently. We enjoyed talking with you and seeing all that you do. Thank you for telling us your views.

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Inspection of Manor High School, Leicester, LE2 4FU

You go to a good school. You are making good progress and your attainment is above that expected by the end of Year 9. You told us that you enjoy your learning and want to do well. The school is well run and its leaders have worked hard to ensure that teaching is good and that you progress well. We have asked them to ensure that you always experience teaching of the highest quality. They can do this by making sure that teachers always plan activities that match your ability, providing support if you find lessons difficult and stretching you more if you find lessons easy. You can help by telling them when this is the case. We have also asked them to ensure that teachers make it clear how you can improve when they mark your work and give you opportunities to respond to the comments they make.

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Inspection of Manor High School, Leicester, LE2 4FU

You behave well, are confident that the school will support you, and know how to keep yourselves safe. You told us that adults will not tolerate racist or other name- calling and that you know who to turn to if you have a problem. You also told us that you value the diverse school community and that you all get on well together. Your attendance is above average.

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Inspection of Manor High School, Leicester, LE2 4FU

School leaders are making sure you continue to learn well and develop well as young people, and are ensuring your safety. We have asked them to track your progress more thoroughly and to ensure that they check on how well you are learning when they observe your lessons. You can help them by continuing to work hard. I wish you every success for the future.

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Inspection of Manor High School, Leicester, LE2 4FU

Mary Davis 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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