Hessle High School and Penshurst Primary School

Hessle High School and Sixth Form College Tranby House, Hessle, HU13 0JQ

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Requires improvement 3 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 Teaching is not consistently good and does not ensure that all students learn well all of the time. Work is not always well matched to students’ different starting points and expectations of what they should achieve are sometimes not high enough.  Students do not make good progress, especially when their achievement in English and mathematics is taken into account.  Teachers do not always check students’ understanding thoroughly enough in lessons, or give them detailed enough feedback in marking on how to improve their work.  These shortcomings are evident across the school, but especially in Years 7 and 8.  The sixth form requires improvement because students’ achievement is not good overall.  Students are not sufficiently involved in their learning or able to work well by themselves; as a result, not all develop the attitudes and skills to be fully successful in their learning.  A minority of pupils do not meet the schools’

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

expectations regarding behaviour. Fixed-term exclusions are above average and the impact of the Learning Support Centres has not been fully investigated.  Although many actions are taken by leaders to improve teaching and achievement and the school checks how well it is doing, not all information collected is analysed effectively enough. Moreover, the findings are not always used well to plan actions to bring about further improvement.  Leaders are not always held fully to account for the effectiveness of their areas.

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The school has the following strengths

 Some teaching is good or outstanding; in these lessons, students learn and achieve well.  Most students are pleasant, polite, do as they are asked, are willing to learn and are keen to do well. They feel safe in school.  The headteacher has a clear vision for the school. She leads with passion and determination and the school is improving.  Many experiences are provided for students, which help to develop their wider interests.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 56 lessons, some jointly with senior leaders. Inspectors also looked at students’ work and observed a range of other aspects of the school’s work.  They had meetings with groups of students, senior and middle leaders and members of the governing body.  Inspectors took account of the views of the parents who made them known to inspectors, including those of the 80 parents who completed the online questionnaire (Parent View).  Documents were scrutinised, including information relating to students’ progress and attendance, performance management, minutes of governing body meetings and monitoring and evaluation records.

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Inspection team

Joan McKenna, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Keith Worrall Additional Inspector Mary Lanovy-Taylor Additional Inspector Eleanor Garbutt Additional Inspector Graeme Clarke Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is much larger than other secondary schools. It has two sites, with students in Years 7 and 8 on the Boothferry Road site and those in Years 9 to 13 on the Heads Lane site.  Almost all students are of White British heritage and speak English as their first language.  The proportion of students with special educational needs who are supported at school action is average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below average.  The proportion of students known to be eligible for the pupil premium funding is average. (The pupil premium is additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, children from service families and children that are looked after.)  The school converted to become an academy in August 2011. When its predecessor school, Hessle High School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good overall.

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Information about this school

 Hessle High School and Sixth Form College is federated with Penshurst Primary School, under a multi-academy trust model. The headteacher of Hessle High School is the executive headteacher of the federation.  The sixth form is part of a consortium with two other secondary schools. Only the teaching of Hessle High School and Sixth Form College staff was inspected during this inspection.  The alternative providers used by the academy are Hull College and GTA Motor Trades.  The academy meets the current government floor standards, which set out the minimum expectations for attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching across the school to consistently good or better, especially in English and mathematics and in Years 7 and 8, so that all groups of students learn and achieve equally well by ensuring that: - teachers’ expectations of what students should achieve are high enough - teachers use information about students’ progress when planning and teaching to ensure that work is at the right level of challenge for all individuals - teachers thoroughly check students’ understanding as lessons proceed and correct any misunderstandings quickly - students have enough opportunities to be actively involved in their learning in lessons - students receive regular, detailed feedback about how well they are doing and how to improve through the marking of their work.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve students’ attitudes towards learning so that all students behave well by: - providing more opportunities in lessons for students to work by themselves to develop the attitudes and skills necessary for fully effective learning - reducing the need for, and the number of, fixed-term exclusions.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of leadership and management by ensuring that: - there is a rigorous analysis of the information collected about all aspects of the school’s work, including the Learning Support Centres, and an evaluation of the school’s impact on students’ outcomes - findings are used fully to inform future planning and actions - all leaders are held fully to account for their impact on improving students’ outcomes.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The proportion of Year 11 students gaining five good examination grades in 2012, including English and mathematics, was broadly in line with the latest national figures. Results in mathematics were broadly in line with national averages, while results in English were lower. This means that students did no better than expected given their starting points.  Students’ progress, therefore, requires improvement to become consistently and securely good. Students’ learning and progress in lessons and over time are inconsistent across the school. While there are pockets where they are better, in too many cases they are not good; this is especially, but not exclusively, the case in Years 7 and 8.  The inconsistency also applies to the sixth form. In 2012, results at AS and A level were broadly average, but fewer students gained higher grades at A level than was the case nationally, and so progress was not good enough. Some improvement is now evident, but more is required for

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

students’ achievement to become good overall.  There are some examples of students achieving well. For example, when the points scored in the examinations sat by students in Year 11 in 2012 overall are taken into account, results were above the latest national figures. Students made good progress in some subjects, such as history.  There are differences in outcomes between different groups of students. For example, disabled students and those with special educational needs or those known to be eligible for the pupil premium funding reach lower standards than other students overall. The school is working to narrow these gaps. The points scored in examinations of the students known to be eligible for the pupil premium are higher than those of similar students nationally. However, they are lower than those of their peers in the school by around a full GCSE grade in English and three-quarters of a grade in mathematics. The gaps widened slightly between 2011 and 2012.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The use of alternative provision for some students who are at risk of underachieving is enabling them to gain accreditation in the courses they are studying off-site.  The school is taking a range of steps to improve students’ achievement. This includes changes to the curriculum, grouping arrangements and when students take examinations, including early entry for mathematics, as well as actions to improve teaching. Funding for support for students who entered the school in Year 7 at lower than expected levels in English and mathematics is being used to provide additional, appropriate activities. Some of these are recent but they are having some impact, and the school is predicting that examination results in 2013 will be higher, especially in English.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 While there is some good and outstanding teaching within the school, there is some that is not of this quality. Overall, teaching requires improvement in order to become equally good and to ensure that all students learn well enough.  In the most effective lessons, teachers’ evident enthusiasm for their subjects and their expert subject knowledge are used to secure high levels of interest from students. This is further reinforced through practical tasks which ensure that students are actively involved in lessons and have opportunities to develop independence and to exercise initiative, often while working collaboratively with others. Appropriately high demands are made of them through work that is challenging and well suited to their different starting points. Teachers constantly check students’ understanding during the lesson and adapt their strategies in light of the findings.  In such lessons, students make rapid gains in knowledge, understanding and skills and an

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

examination of their work shows that this is sustained over time.  These features are not present in all lessons. In too many lessons, not enough account is taken of the different levels of prior knowledge or progress of individual students and so work is not matched well enough to their different needs. This too often means that tasks lack challenge for students because all are given identical work when some are capable of more demanding work. For example, in a Year 7 mathematics lesson, all students had to work their way through the same 30 sums, despite the fact that some had higher targets than others and found them very easy. As a result, not all concentrate and behave as well as they might do.  On occasions, teachers do not keep a close eye on how students are getting on in lessons or how well they understand the work or instructions about the task. Consequently, times when individuals are not making progress are not identified or rectified quickly enough.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of feedback given to students about how well they are doing and how to improve their work through marking is variable. Some is of high quality, as seen, for example, in some English books. In other cases, comments lack helpful detail or are not regular enough.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Some students do not consistently meet the school’s expectations for appropriate behaviour. Learning support centres have been established to help improve the support given to students, including for managing their behaviour when it falls short of expectations. However, data about the impact of this provision are not carefully analysed and, as yet, there has not been a reduction in fixed-term exclusions, which remain above average.  However, most students are polite, do as they are asked, are willing to learn and behave well in lessons and around the school. They have positive relationships with one another and there is a pleasant atmosphere within the school.  Opportunities for all students to develop suitable attitudes and skills, including the ability to work by themselves, that support effective learning are not created consistently in lessons. In lessons where such opportunities are created, students respond well and show themselves capable of

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

acquiring and applying such skills well.  Students have a good awareness of different types of bullying, including any that is racist or homophobic in nature, and say that little occurs. They feel that everyone is treated equally. The school promotes equality of opportunity and is committed to ensuring that discrimination is not tolerated.  The school knows its students well as individuals and supports them across both sites. Students generally feel safe in school. The Heads Lane site poses some challenges in terms of its layout, but students move around it sensibly.  Attendance has improved in recent years and is above the most recent national figures.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leaders collect much information about the work of the school; from it, priorities and actions are identified. However, the analysis of this information is not rigorous enough and does not result in a clear view of the impact of actions taken, especially on improving students’ outcomes. For example, information collected about behaviour focuses too little on individuals and groups so any patterns and issues are not clearly identified.  Although leaders and staff are held accountable for their work, for example, through progress meetings where examination results are discussed, this process is not rigorous enough.  The headteacher, however, is ambitious for the school and is committed to improving it for the benefit of the students. She has articulated a clear vision which is shared by other leaders, staff and governors.  A number of long-term plans to drive improvement are being implemented. Professional

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The leadership and management requires improvement

development and performance management targets are focused on key priorities for development, including improving teaching and students’ achievement.  The curriculum has been widened to meet students’ needs better through its various pathways, groupings and other arrangements. While there are many positive developments, they are not currently securing good progress for students in all areas.  Closer links with the federated primary school are being used to strengthen transition arrangements. The academy’s partnership with external providers helps to cater for a group of students in Key Stage 4 whose needs are better served through use of an alternative curriculum. The partnerships with other local schools at sixth-form level widen the range of courses offered.  A wide variety of positive experiences provided both within and beyond school help to promote students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. An example during the inspection was

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The leadership and management requires improvement

the ‘Prison Me No Way’ event held for Year 9 students. Opportunities to develop these aspects are missed in some lessons.  Arrangements for checking the suitability of staff working with students meet requirements. The school takes reasonable steps to tackle the challenges posed by both sites in respect of health and safety and regularly assesses risks.  The governance of the school:  The governing body is committed to the school and carries out its responsibilities conscientiously. It receives regular information from the headteacher and other leaders and has an accurate understanding of the school’s general strengths and priorities for development. Governors ask questions to hold leaders to account and understand the data on the school's performance, the quality of teaching, relevant performance management matters with links to pay progression and the use of the pupil premium funding. However, as in the

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The leadership and management requires improvement

school more generally, there is not a fully rigorous analysis of all available evidence about the school and thus some limitations exist in relation to the accountability expected and challenge provided.

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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 137306 Local authority Not applicable Inspection number 413438

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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 1,450 Of which, number on roll in sixth form 200 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mr P Elsom Headteacher Mrs S Young Date of previous school inspection 23 June 2010 Telephone number 01482 648604 Fax number 01482 579766 Email address hhsoffice@hesslefederation.com 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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