The Angmering School

The Angmering School Station Road, Littlehampton, BN16 4HH

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 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.  Supported by the headteacher’s conviction that all students have the potential to achieve well, this is a vibrant and respectful community, to which students are justifiably proud to belong.  This is an improving school. Students achieve well, gaining better-than-average GCSE results. Results have gone up considerably since the last inspection, particularly in English.  Teaching is good with some outstanding practice. Teachers are enthusiastic and have good subject knowledge. Their strengths include their good use of questioning to check students’ progress.  The Lavinia Norfolk Centre is a source of inspiration for all students. Its impact on the development of their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is excellent.  This is a well-led school. The headteacher has successfully gained the overwhelming support of staff, students, parents and carers.  Governors know the school well. They set

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

challenging targets and rigorously monitor the impact of teaching on students’ achievement.  Students are very positive about the school. They behave well and disruption to learning is rare.  The sixth form is good. Students’ attainment is average and rising. The sixth form is expanding both in the number of students and in the range of courses offered.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Not enough teaching is outstanding. Some lessons do not provide the highest level of challenge for all students, particularly the more able.  Marking does not consistently provide students with clear and detailed information about how they can improve their work.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching and learning in 50 lessons taught by 47 teachers, of which three were observed jointly with members of the school’s leadership team.  Meetings were held with students, a representative of the local authority, school staff, including senior staff, and three governors, including the Chair of the Governing Body.  Inspectors took account of the 207 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View), and the 119 responses to the staff questionnaires.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a wide range of documentation including students’ work, the improvement plans, current assessment information and the ways in which the school assesses how well it is doing.

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Inspection team

Lesley Farmer, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Genevieve Usher Additional Inspector Mary Hoather Additional Inspector Robin Gaff Additional Inspector Carolyn Steer Additional Inspector Roisin Chambers Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The Angmering School is larger than the average-sized secondary school.  The proportion of students eligible for the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for children in the care of the local authority, pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those from service families, is below average.  The great majority of students are of White British heritage, with very few speaking English as an additional language.  The proportion of disabled students, or who have special educational needs and are supported at school action, is above average. The proportion of those at action plus, or with a statement of special educational needs, is also above average.  A very small proportion of students attend vocational courses outside the school at different times of the week.  The school has a large on-site facility, known as the Lavinia Norfolk Centre, for students with physical and/or sensory impairment.

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Information about this school

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

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching and learning so that more is outstanding and none is less than good, by making sure that teachers:  have consistently high expectations of what all students can achieve in lessons  mark students work regularly using a consistent approach across the school which clearly identifies specific areas for improvement  make effective use of the available information on students’ progress and attainment to plan tasks and activities that are sufficiently demanding for all students, particularly the more able.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Students make good progress in Key Stages 3 and 4, from broadly average starting points. As a result of skilled teaching and well-targeted additional support for those that need it, they make good gains to achieve above-average standards by the end of Year 11.  Students’ progress in mathematics and English over time has been strong. In 2012 their progress in English improved still further, although there was a slight drop in mathematics. The school’s leaders have already taken effective action to remedy this, as evidenced through lesson observations.  Disabled students, or those who need extra help, including those in the Lavinia Norfolk Centre, typically progress well. Some make outstanding progress, particularly in the centre, given their level of need. This is because work for them is judiciously pitched at the right level and extra help is carefully planned and skilfully taught to ensure that it makes a difference.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school does not enter students early for mathematics, or for any other subjects, because the school’s leaders do not believe that such a strategy would benefit their sixth-form study. The approach is yielding success, with many good results across all subjects but especially in mathematics at AS and A level.  Students’ achievement in the sixth form is good, although progress overall is better at A level than AS level. The school maintains an open-access policy to its sixth form which means that students typically join with slightly below-average levels of attainment. Examination results are close to the national average and rising.  Senior leaders have made sensible and well-judged decisions about how to spend the extra funding for students that are eligible for the pupil premium. As a result, their progress has improved. However, their average point scores at the end of Year 11 remain lower than those of

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The achievement of pupils is good

other students.  The school has dedicated a twenty-minute period each day for reading, known as DEAR (Drop Everything And Read). Students value this period greatly and are clear that it has benefited them and encouraged them to read more widely. DEAR also includes a weekly session of ‘talky DEAR’ involving debate and reading aloud, which is evidently making a difference, notably, to students’ ability to speak confidently, articulately and precisely.  The majority of parents and carers that responded to Parent View expressed confidence in students’ progress. These views were substantiated through the inspection findings.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good with examples of outstanding practice. Lessons are typically calm and very purposeful. Relationships are a key strength and students find their teachers and other adults supportive and approachable, enabling them to learn and progress well.  In the better lessons, teachers ask probing questions that encourage students to question their understanding of the topic. However, not all teachers make full use of assessment information to match work accurately to the ability levels of all students when they plan and deliver their lessons. In these lessons, everyone does the same work and the most-able students in particular are not fully challenged.  Lessons are characterised by regular discussion, which leads to the good development of students’ speaking and listening skills. Teachers use discussions to ensure students know what to do and how to do it well. They make good use of questioning and observation to check

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The quality of teaching is good

progress and intervene where necessary.  Students understand well the progress they are making and know their target levels and grades. In particular, during lessons they consistently receive good verbal feedback from staff that strengthens their understanding of what they need to do next.  Most teachers mark work regularly and provide clear and detailed advice to students about how to improve. However, this good practice is not consistent across the school.  In lessons where teaching requires improvement, teachers’ expectations of students are not high enough. The tasks set are insufficiently demanding or do not build on students’ prior learning, especially that of the more-able students.  Teachers are provided with helpful information regarding the learning needs of disabled students and those who have special educational needs. The teamwork of teachers and additional adults is outstanding. It ensures that students from the Lavinia Norfolk Centre are successfully

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The quality of teaching is good

integrated into mainstream lessons, to complement the high-quality sessions in the centre.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Students are keen learners. They arrive punctually to lessons, follow expected routines and usually contribute well to their own learning.  The development of empathy and a commitment to equality of opportunity are principles which lie at the heart of this school. A conspicuous culture of mutual respect pervades the school. For example, students from the Lavinia Norfolk Centre are very much part of the school and everyone celebrates their achievements alongside those of others.  Parents and carers are very happy with their children’s wider personal development. Derogatory language about potentially vulnerable groups, such as the disabled, is not tolerated and actively discouraged by students.  Exclusion rates are low and falling. The school rarely excludes permanently and provides wide- ranging examples of students that have benefited from targeted support to remain and achieve well in school. One student commented, ‘I really love this school. The teachers here go out of

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

their way to help us.’  Rates of attendance overall are slightly below average, but better than that when the specific health-related absence rates of a small minority of students are taken into account.  Students’ awareness of the dangers of bullying, including cyber- and prejudice-based bullying is well developed. They say they feel safe in school and although bullying arises occasionally, it is dealt with effectively by staff.  Behaviour in lessons is typically at least good, and sometimes outstanding when teaching is very effective. Students point to improvements in behaviour and say that it is generally good. They also say that lessons are occasionally disrupted by very minor incidents of misbehaviour but that this is not typical. Inspectors agree.

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The leadership and management are good

 This is a well-led school. The headteacher believes strongly in the potential for all to achieve well. His commitment to the integration of the Lavinia Norfolk Centre has been central to the centre’s continuing success. He is ably supported by a committed senior team and, with the overwhelming support of teachers, parents, carers and students, the school is well placed to continue its improvement.  Well-developed and robust systems and processes are in place to enable leaders to monitor and evaluate the school’s performance and effectively manage the performance of teachers and other adults. The specific roles of senior and middle leaders in these processes are very clear.  School leaders observe lessons frequently to assess their quality and identify potential areas for improvement. Ambition and expectations of quality are clear, although they are not yet resulting in the consistency and quality required to make teaching outstanding.

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The leadership and management are good

 Improving teaching further has been a high priority since the last inspection. Lesson observations, alongside an analysis of teachers’ long-term impact on students’ progress, are used effectively to initiate a wide range of training for staff. This has secured improvements in teaching over time and the training is valued by staff.  The performance management of teachers is robust. Targets are regularly monitored and linked to teachers’ pay and progression; pay increases are not automatic. Over time a few teachers have been held back from pay increases because their teaching has not been consistently good.  The way ‘best practice’ is shared across the school is a key strength. Regular after-school sessions are led by identified staff to encourage discussion and debate on what works best with specific groups, such as those vulnerable to underachievement.  The range of subjects taught meets students’ needs very well. A wealth of opportunities carefully

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The leadership and management are good

structured across all subjects ensures that students’ social, spiritual, cultural and moral development is good. Many departments provide a large variety of very popular learning opportunities beyond those in lessons.  The local authority has provided effective support since the last inspection to help bring about improvement. This has been welcomed by the school and has clearly contributed to the improvement in examination results in a range of subjects, including English and modern foreign languages where additional support has been targeted.  Pupil premium funding has been effectively used to provide additional teaching time and extra support for the eligible students in English and mathematics. In 2012 this strategy further reduced the gap between their results and those of other students.  The school carefully monitors the safety and achievement of the very small number of students who attend off-site provision; their achievement meets expectations.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The governing body is well informed and has a good grasp of available information about students’ progress and achievement. Since the last inspection, governors have sought training and advice on a range of issues including the interpretation of assessment information. They know how the school compares with other schools nationally and are clear about what needs further improvement. They review the quality of teaching and are aware of where this is having the greatest impact on achievement and where it is less successful. They regularly review the performance of the headteacher and have a clear view of the pay and performance of all staff. They are in the early stages of monitoring the use of the pupil premium but they are aware of the achievements of the eligible students and how the funding is being used. They robustly monitor expenditure to ensure that resources provide value for money. Systems

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The leadership and management are good

to keep students safe meet government requirements well.

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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 126081 Local authority West Sussex Inspection number 402378

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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 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 1450 Of which, number on roll in sixth form 300 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mike Hendry Headteacher David Brixey Date of previous school inspection 27–28 January 2010 Telephone number 01903772351 Fax number 01903850752 Email address admin@angmering school.co.uk 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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