Cleeve School

Cleeve School Two Hedges Road, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL52 8AE

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected N/A This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Outstanding 1

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This is a good school

 The headteacher provides the school with strong leadership; he is supported well by his senior colleagues.  The senior leadership team and the governing body have an accurate view of the school’s strengths and priorities for improvement. This has led to the quality of teaching and the achievement of students getting better.  The overall achievement of students is good, and outstanding for some. It is outstanding for those students who need extra help and in some subjects, including mathematics.  Students’ achievement in English and in the sixth form is good and improving.  Much teaching in all subjects and in the sixth form is at least good, with a significant proportion that is outstanding.  A small proportion of teaching requires improvement and inhibits the progress made by students in these lessons.  Much good teaching is prevented from being outstanding because more able students are not challenged enough.

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This is a good school

 The care and support for individual and groups of students, including the most vulnerable, is a strong feature of the school.  Students’ behaviour is almost always exemplary and there is an extremely positive climate for learning where students want to succeed and do well. They enjoy school.  Students feel extremely safe in the school. Any incidents of bullying are dealt with swiftly and effectively.  The development of students’ spiritual, moral social and cultural development permeates the life of the school and is done well.  The school provides a curriculum, including in the sixth form, that meets students’ needs and aspirations extremely well.  The sixth form is good. While overall teaching is good, a small proportion requires improvement to raise students’ achievement further.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Students’ achievements in some subjects, and in the sixth form, are not as good as in others.  A small proportion of teaching requires improvement to raise students’ achievement further.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 54 lessons, 24 jointly with members of the senior leadership team. Inspectors also conducted a number of student pursuits, following individual and small groups of students over a sequence of lessons. In lessons, inspectors looked at students’ work and discussed their progress with them.  Inspectors held four meetings with different groups of students. They also used lunch and break times to hold informal discussions with students around the school.  Inspectors held meetings with members of the senior leadership team and with several middle leaders. These meetings included discussions about the analysis of data and documented information and records provided by the school, including records of the monitoring of the quality of teaching and tracking students’ progress. The lead inspector met with four members, including the Chair, of the governing body. The lead inspector held discussions with the

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Information about this inspection

headteacher and with members of the governing body about the school’s self-evaluation and improvement planning.  Inspectors took account of the responses of 91 parents to the on-line Parent View survey as well as the views of the small number who wrote to or telephoned inspectors.

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Inspection team

James Sage, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Jacqueline Goodall Additional Inspector John Laver Additional Inspector Michael Marks Additional Inspector Joanna Peach Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Cleeve School is larger than the average-sized secondary school.  The proportions of students who need extra help (supported through school action, at school action plus and those with a statement of special educational needs) are all much lower than average.  The proportion of students known to be eligible for the pupil premium (additional government funding for looked after children, those eligible for free school meals and children whose parents are currently serving in the armed forces) is well below average.  The school works in collaboration with two other secondary schools and a further education college to provide vocational courses, in a centre known as ‘Launchpad’, for students of all abilities in Key Stage 4. It also works in collaboration with two other secondary schools to run an off-site centre for students who might otherwise be excluded, Burton House.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations

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Information about this school

for students’ attainment and progress.  The school converted to academy status in June 2011. The academy predecessor school, Cleeve School, was last inspected in May 2007 and judged to be an outstanding school.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching, including in the sixth form, by ensuring that all teachers: – raise their expectations of what students can achieve, especially the more able – use a wider variety of approaches to teaching, including independent learning and group work – make full use of opportunities to develop and enhance students’ skills in literacy, communication and numeracy.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Students are prepared well for the next stage in their education. Overall, they enter the school with attainment that is at least average and above average for some year groups. By the end of their time in the school, the attainment of many students is well above the national average.  The very large majority of students make at least the progress expected. Students with special educational needs and/or supported by the pupil premium make outstanding progress as a result of the high-quality support they receive.  Students do well in mathematics. Boys’ achievement in mathematics has improved rapidly because of improvements in the quality of teaching and the support provided.  There is a clear trend of improvement in students’ achievement, particularly in English. The school’s careful checking of the progress students make shows clearly that the proportion making and exceeding the expected levels of progress is increasing year on year. While girls

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The achievement of pupils is good

make more progress than boys in English, the gap is narrowing rapidly. These increases in achievement are due to improvements in teaching.  Those students who attend vocational courses at Launchpad make at least good progress in these subjects. There have been notable successes for the students attending Burton House, with some rejoining the school in the sixth form.  The progress students make in lessons requires improvement in a small proportion across a range of subjects. In these lessons, students are set work that is too easy or are given few opportunities to develop independent learning skills. In these lessons opportunities to develop their literacy skills are also often missed.  Students achieve well in the sixth form. Achievement is better in some subjects, such as art, health and social care, human biology and law, than in others. In these subjects, students respond well to teaching that is lively and engaging and make strong progress. Students’

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The achievement of pupils is good

achievement in other subjects, including science subjects, has risen as a result of improvements in teaching.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Inspectors largely agreed with the school’s evaluation of the quality of teaching. Teaching in most subjects is usually at least good, with some that is outstanding. In these good and better lessons, students work with interest, contribute well when invited to do so, support each other and make at least good progress.  In the best lessons, teachers skilfully use questioning to probe understanding and to develop key teaching points. In an A-level physics lesson, very careful checking of students’ understanding as they worked through a difficult piece of physics led to all making very strong progress and gaining confidence.  A small proportion of teaching requires improvement. In these lessons, teaching is characterised by a narrow range of approaches to teaching, less effective use of questioning and limited use of careful checking of students’ progress. These lessons lack pace, which inhibits the learning of

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The quality of teaching is good

students in these classes.  In outstanding lessons, students’ social skills develop well through working together. These lessons include a carefully planned blend of direct teaching and individual and small group work. This was seen in a range of subjects, including art, design and technology, history and science resulting in a rapid pace of learning. Lessons that are good, but not outstanding, often do not have this variety. In these lessons, teachers’ expectations of students are not challenging enough. Teachers do not let students ‘off the leash’ when they are ready so that some, particularly the most able, do not make as much progress as they could.  Students with low attainment that when they enter the school in Year 7 are taught well and often make outstanding progress. Those that require extra help also receive high-quality support. In a Year 8 mathematics lesson, the use of students to assess each other’s work helped

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The quality of teaching is good

all to develop deeper understanding.  Opportunities to develop students’ skills in literacy, communication and numeracy are usually taken and used well. However, there is variation in how well this is done. It is better for those students with the lowest levels of literacy.  The quality of teaching in the sixth form is good overall, with some that is outstanding and a small proportion that requires improvement. The school accurately identifies where teaching is not good enough and has taken actions that have led to better teaching in a number of subjects, including some science subjects.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Attitudes to learning and the behaviour of almost all students are exemplary. They respond extremely well when teaching is lively and engaging, and try their best even when it is not. Students are extremely courteous and well mannered and show great respect for each other and for the adults in the school.  Students feel safe, are always considerate and contribute well to the very positive ethos of the school; they are proud to be part of the school. They have, and apply, a well-developed moral code. Students have an excellent understanding of the various forms of bullying; bullying is rare and students are confident that any incidents are dealt with swiftly and effectively. The positive views of the students are supported by those of their parents and by staff.  Attendance overall is high. Students move around the school with purpose and are punctual so that lessons start briskly and efficiently. They enjoy school and want to do well.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The school works very hard to support each individual student. In almost all cases, this works well to improve the behaviour and attitudes of the very small number of students who need it.  Students are highly appreciative of the wide range of activities the school provides, saying, ‘You can do just about anything.’ Many take part enthusiastically in the wide range of music, drama, artistic, sporting and other events. This makes a significant contribution to the inclusive atmosphere in the school.  Students willingly contribute to the leadership and direction of the school through the student leadership team, for example students’ involvement in the evaluation of reporting procedures.  Sixth form students are fully involved in the life of the school. They take an extremely positive role in creating the school’s climate and ethos. Many are involved in providing support for younger students that might need it.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The headteacher is a national leader of education. He has a clear vision for the school, and is relentless in driving improvement. He is supported well by senior colleagues.  The school’s senior leaders and the governing body have an accurate view of the strengths of the school and the priorities for development, including in the sixth form. These priorities are focused well on improving the achievement and personal development of students through improvements in teaching and the support provided, and the appropriateness and richness of the curriculum.  The school’s self-evaluation leads to clear actions that result in improvement. For example, teaching has improved in specific areas where it was evaluated as not being good enough. As a result, students’ achievement is rising in all areas where it is not yet outstanding. In some cases, such as boys’ achievement in mathematics and in some sixth form subjects, progress has been

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The leadership and management are outstanding

rapid.  There are robust systems for monitoring the quality of teaching and tracking students’ progress. Both are used to identify priorities for professional development at whole-school and subject level and for individual teachers. The professional development of teachers is focused extremely well on approaches to improving students’ learning and achievement and leads to better teaching. There is a good correlation between the quality of teaching in the school and the proportion of teachers who have progressed to the upper pay spine.  The curriculum in Key Stages 3 and 4 and in the sixth form meets the needs and aspirations of students very well and fully prepares them for the next stages in their education, training or employment. The partnership arrangements with other schools and the further education college are particularly successful in providing breadth and richness to the curriculum and in meeting the

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The leadership and management are outstanding

particular needs of individual students.  The school has a clear policy for the development of students’ skills in literacy and in numeracy. While there is excellent practice, this is not yet fully embedded across the school.  A well-planned and coordinated approach to the development of students’ social, moral, spiritual and cultural understanding permeates all aspects of the school. The impact is clear in lessons, students’ behaviour around the school, discussions with them and their involvement in the wide range of activities offered by the school.  The school uses a wide range of successful strategies to involve parents fully in the life of the school, as indicated by the responses in Parent View. The very large majority of parents are extremely supportive of the school and involve themselves as much as possible. The school works exceptionally hard to reach those parents less inclined to become involved, particularly in

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The leadership and management are outstanding

supporting the small number of students whose attendance, behaviour and/or achievement is not good enough.  The additional funding the school receives thorough the pupil premium is targeted well on those students eligible for this funding. The school uses much of the money to provide one-to-one tuition and targeted support for students in Years 7 and 8, and additional small teaching groups in English and mathematics in Year 9, and in Key Stage 4 to address directly low literacy and/or numeracy skills. The achievement of these students has improved to be outstanding. Work is also carried out to support the development of literacy and numeracy in partner primary schools.  The governance of the school: – Governors hold the headteacher and other senior leaders to account well. They have a very clear view of the school’s strengths and priorities for further improvement. The governing body uses the analysis of students’ achievement and of the quality of teaching to ask

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The leadership and management are outstanding

challenging questions of senior leaders. There are rigorous procedures for the performance management of the headteacher. – The governing body ensures that all safeguarding and child protection requirements are fully met. – They also ensure the efficient management and deployment of financial and other resources, including the use of the pupil premium.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 136772 Local authority Gloucestershire Inspection number 395552

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School details

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

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School details

Type of school Academy converter School category Foundation 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 1585 Of which, number on roll in sixth form 350 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Anne Brinkhoff Headteacher Rob Broadbridge Date of previous school inspection n/a Telephone number 01242 672546 Fax number 01242 678604 Email address office@cleeveschool.net guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, 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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School details

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 and as part of the inspection.

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School details

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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School details

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. 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

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School details

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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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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