Rosedale College

Rosedale College Wood End Green Road, Hayes, UB3 2SE

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  This college encourages students to have ambitious ideas for their future. This encouragement spurs most to work hard and achieve very well by end of Year 11.  Students make outstanding progress during Key Stage 3 and 4, regardless of their ability or starting points when they join the college. Progress in lessons is good.  Students achieve very well in Year 11 examinations, especially in GCSE English and mathematics.  The principal is passionately committed to improving the college. She invests significant time in supporting her senior leaders to develop the college further. Leaders set teachers clear targets for improvement.  Board members, who govern the college, are supportive and challenging of leaders to make sure that students achieve well.  Most students behave well in lessons and around the college. They feel safe because Rosedale is a friendly, respectful and caring community.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teaching throughout the college is not consistently outstanding.  The brightest students are not always given hard enough work in lessons to stretch their academic ability.  Not all students have exemplary attitudes to learning.  The sixth form requires improvement. Students are not achieving as well as they could. There are early signs of improvement but leaders have not tackled weaknesses in the sixth form quickly enough over recent years to raise achievement in both Year 12 and 13. There is too much variation in achievement in different subjects because teaching is not yet outstanding.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspection team observed 33 lessons taught by 32 teachers, including six jointly observed with senior leaders. In addition inspectors scrutinised marking with senior leaders.  Meetings were held with the chair of the college’s local advisory board and the chief executive officer of the trust, groups of students and senior leaders.  The inspection team reviewed documentary evidence provided by the college including information about students’ achievement over time, policy documents, minutes of meetings, college evaluations and action plans, and records of lesson observations. Safeguarding procedures were checked.  Inspectors reviewed 14 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) and analysed the results of 30 questionnaires from staff.

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Inspection team

Joanna Beckford-Hall, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Steven Smith Additional Inspector Gill Walley Additional Inspector Avtar Sherri Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Rosedale College is a smaller-than-average-sized secondary school with a sixth form. The college converted to an academy and is one of three secondary schools within The Rosedale Hewens Academy Trust. The trust has a board of directors who govern all of the schools in the trust and there is a chief executive officer. Rosedale College has its own local advisory board which governs the college.  The proportion of students known to be eligible for pupil premium (additional government funding for students entitled to free school meals, those in care and those with a parent serving in the armed forces) is above that found nationally.  The proportion of disabled students and students who have special educational needs is below average. The proportion of students supported through school action is above average. The proportion supported by school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is

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Information about this school

below average.  Over 70% of students speak English as an additional language.  The trust operates joint sixth form provision across the three secondary schools and students attend lessons at three different sites; Rosedale College, Parkside Studio College and Hewens College.  Rosedale College meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the percentage of teaching that is consistently outstanding in all subjects from Key Stage 3 through to the sixth form by:  planning training sessions for teachers which meet their development needs and help teachers learn from each other by sharing more of the very best practice across the college  ensuring that lessons stretch all students to make at least good progress and challenge the brightest, most able students to complete harder work  making sure that students receive high quality written feedback in all subjects so that they know how to improve their work.  Improve significantly achievement in the sixth form by:  developing the capacity of leaders to use assessment information and observations of teaching to evaluate rigorously the quality of the sixth form and plan further improvement  ensuring that teaching includes a balance of teacher-directed and independent work to help

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

students develop their research, critical thinking and evaluative skills in lessons  making sure that all students are guided to choose courses suited to their interests and to their abilities.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Students join Rosedale College with standards below those found nationally. Over 20% of students join the college at times other than the start of the school year. From low starting points almost all students make outstanding progress from Key Stage 3 to Key Stage 4.  Students’ achievement in GCSE examinations has risen every year. The percentage attaining five A* to C GCSE grades including English and mathematics has risen impressively, and significantly exceeds national averages. A few students in the current Year 11 were entered early for GCSE mathematics and did not attain the highest grades possible. The college acknowledges this and they will retake their exam in 2013. Evenso, the school’s own assessment information shows that they have made more progress than expected.  Most disabled students and those with special educational needs achieve as well as their peers. Better use of assessment information to plan learning is helping students supported

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The achievement of pupils is good

through school action plus to make more rapid progress. Small group work is highly effective and these students receive good support from other adults in their lessons.  Students eligible for free school meals achieve extremely well. Senior leaders and the local advisory board plan carefully how to use the pupil premium funding to support good achievement, by reducing class sizes in Key Stages 3 and 4, providing additional staffing and trips to raise the aspirations of these and other students whose circumstances make them vulnerable.  There is little difference in the achievement of boys and girls, students who speak English as an additional language and students from minority ethnic groups. The brightest, most able students achieve very well, but inspectors found that their progress in lessons is not always as strong as it could be because they are not given more demanding work to deepen their subject knowledge.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In lessons inspectors observed mostly good progress. Occasionally, lessons do not meet the needs of every student in the class.  Most students achieve very well in English, but the strategy for developing students’ higher level communication and literacy skills is not embedded in all subjects. Recently this has become a higher priority in improvement planning and staff training.  Achievement in the sixth form requires improvement. Students have not achieved well in their AS and A-level examinations. Results remain below national benchmarks for A* to E grades and the percentage attaining higher grades. Students achieve well in their BTEC courses. There is a steady rise in the number of students attaining distinctions, notably in engineering.  Guidance to some students has not been good enough to make sure all students select courses suited to their abilities and interests. As a consequence, rates of progress across

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The achievement of pupils is good

subjects in the sixth form are mixed. There is an improving picture underpinned by better teaching, clearer guidance, and higher entry criteria for subjects, together with new leadership of the sixth form. Results at A level improved in 2012.  Most parents who responded to Parent View judge that their children make good progress. Inspection evidence confirms this is so.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good in Key Stages 3 and 4 and some lessons are outstanding. Good teaching seen in English, physical education, history, mathematics and geography uses skilled, teacher-led activities. These activities include probing questioning, structured independent work and lots of reference to assessment criteria, and teachers help students check their work against target grades or levels. Inspectors saw good debate and students assessing each other’s work to help improvement.  Students use key subject vocabulary very well in most lessons.  In good and outstanding lessons teachers use detailed information about students’ progress and plan lessons which motivate students and sustain good progress. The best planning uses the ‘context sheets’ showing students’ current levels of achievement and their targets. When this information is used really well, students receive work that is different to their peers.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In the small minority of lessons requiring improvement, students’ learning is less successful because work is too easy, too difficult and not enough is expected of students. The brightest students are not always challenged and given harder work.  In good quality marking students learn what to improve and how, quickly responding to teachers’ feedback. A good dialogue develops, helping students to link class work with new knowledge from homework. Not all teachers provide students with high quality marking in all subject at the college  The fluctuating quality of teaching over time in the sixth form has not supported good student achievement. However, teaching in the sixth form is improving with more that is good. In an outstanding A-level geography lesson the teacher skilfully helped students assess how evidence in their presentations needed improving and presentations showed thoughtful use of the teacher’s feedback.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The college has not accurately pinpointed gaps in teachers’ professional skills in their sixth form teaching. This means that some teachers struggle to know how to develop students’ research skills, or the critical thinking and evaluative skills that students need to succeed on AS and A-level courses. In some lessons teachers control the learning for too long, missing the chance to give students time to learn on their own or in groups through debate.  About three quarters of parents who responded to Parent View feel that teaching is good. The quality of teaching seen by inspectors and students’ achievement over time confirm this.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Students told inspectors they enjoy their education at Rosedale and want to make the most of their lessons. Behaviour around the college and in lessons is good. Occasionally, students’ behaviour is inattentive because the students are not motivated by the teaching, so they lose interest and their progress slows.  Parents expressed mixed views about how well behaviour is managed. Discussions with students about behaviour over time and observations during inspection confirm it is good.  Bullying of any kind is not tolerated. Students respect each other, confirming that homophobic or racist bullying is rare.  Students have a good understanding the dangers of social networking sites. Teachers uphold strict rules about use of mobile phones at the college. Students know how to report any concerns they have about inappropriate text messages or any cyber bullying.  Students are well cared for. Staff work extremely well with parents and external agencies to

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

make sure students’ welfare needs are managed sensitively so that students can flourish. One student who joined Rosedale, having been excluded from another school, commented how well she had settled into college and the difference the good teaching and support had made to her attitude to education.  Attendance is above average. Most students are punctual. A small minority does not always move quickly between lessons, but teachers intervene to hurry students along.  Travelling between schools for sixth form lessons causes a few students to be late. Leaders try to set the timetable to minimise travel but this means a few students choose subjects which they are not absolutely sure about studying.  Few students are excluded because of poor behaviour. Rates of short term or permanent exclusion are below those found nationally.  Students enjoy contributing to fundraising projects and like taking responsibility for college

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

projects. Sixth form students’ impressive fundraising of £43,000, to build new family homes in Durban, is testimony to their willingness to work hard and to the community spirit at the college.  Students’ social, moral, spiritual and cultural understanding is a strength of the college’s work.

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The leadership and management are good

 The principal leads the college with great energy and focus, wanting to help students and staff achieve high standards. She works tirelessly to evaluate how to improve the college and gives very good support to her senior leaders. Her commitment is mirrored by her staff who devote extra time in the evenings, at weekends and holidays to provide additional classes and enrichment activities for students.  The senior leadership team is relatively new and some leaders have roles working across the multi-academy trust. Their roles give scope to identify and share best practice, but this innovation is still gathering momentum and not yet helping all staff at Rosedale to learn from the very best practice. Leaders’ skills in moderating teaching, in characterising its strengths and weaknesses and undertaking robust analyses of assessment data are growing. However, the training needs specific to each senior leader are not yet fully met to give each leader

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The leadership and management are good

greater capacity to drive improvement at whole-college level and secure consistently outstanding teaching.  Leaders regularly watch lessons and scrutinise students’ books. Even so, observations are not focused well enough on judging the quality of students' progress in lessons. Some judgements about outstanding lessons have been too generous. Senior leaders are starting to draw out common themes from all monitoring activities, but the planning of bespoke training for teachers’ specific needs is at an early stage. Nonetheless, teachers are really positive about the training they receive.  Leaders regularly evaluate teachers’ performance through observations and analysing students’ achievement. Leaders’ evaluations are used well in formal teacher appraisals, setting new targets for teachers and promoting those who deserve to go up the pay scale.  The college’s own review of how well the school is doing is generous overall. Assessment of

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The leadership and management are good

the college’s work and setting priorities for improvement, especially in Key Stages 3 and 4, are discussed frequently by all leaders. Some of the targets in the action plan are accurate but some are too broad and do not focus enough on achievement of particular student groups nor on the quality of teaching over time.  Good partnership work across the three schools in the trust provides good choices to students in Key Stage 4 and the sixth form. An improving curriculum in the sixth form, including more vocational courses, is starting to give greater choice to sixth form students, but not all students can select their first choice of courses. In the two-year Key Stage 3 curriculum the strong focus on developing students’ speaking, writing, reading and mathematical skills is successfully integrated into daily classes for English and mathematics.  The college meets statutory safeguarding requirements.

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The leadership and management are good

 Last year, the principal and her team began more intensive work to improve the sixth form and set new entry criteria for courses. Teaching is starting to improve but swift action is needed to make sure that all teaching is at least consistently good. Leaders have not scrutinised completion rates, pass rates and students’ progress over time well enough to use data for robust action planning. The new assistant principal for the sixth form appointed last year adds further capacity to the team in continuing to lead changes to the sixth form which the principal began after the last inspection.  The governance of the school: – Directors of the trust, the chief executive officer and the local advisory board receive comprehensive reports from the principal. The board holds the principal and her team to account through challenging questions arising from her reports. Minutes show good debate about the promotion of staff, achievement in Key Stages 3 and 4 and resourcing for Rosedale

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The leadership and management are good

and the multi-academy trust. The board has a good understanding of how the pupil premium funding is allocated and how it supports outstanding achievement for these students. Less secure is its scrutiny of the quality of teaching over time to justify percentiles for good and outstanding teaching. Minutes of meetings do not show sufficient rigour in dealing with weaknesses in the sixth form. The board recognises how hard staff work, but in appointing many new senior leaders there has not been enough intensive leadership training to strengthen its capacity.

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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 137077 Local authority Hillingdon Inspection number 400223

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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 Non-maintained 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 635 Of which, number on roll in sixth form 59 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Nick Manthorpe Principal Joanne Harper Date of previous school inspection 28–29 April 2010 Telephone number 020 85732097 Fax number 020 85730280 Email address jharper1.312@lgflmail.org 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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