St Andrew's CofE High School

St Andrew's CofE High School for Boys Sackville Road, Worthing, BN14 8BG

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3

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

 Standards are not high enough. Only once in the last three years has the percentage of students achieving five A* to C GCSE grades, including English and mathematics, been in line with the national average.  Teaching requires improvement because some teachers do not have high enough expectations of what students can and should achieve. They do not plan lessons which challenge all students to make the best possible progress.  It took the dip in GCSE results in 2012 to alert governors to the fact that some predictions, based on teachers’ assessments, were not accurate and that some boys did not make the progress they should.  Too many boys, particularly in Years 7 to 9 do not read and write well enough. Senior and middle leadership of these essential basic skills lacks dynamism.  The quality of marking varies considerably – some is infrequent and it does not always tell students how to improve their work. Some

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

teachers ignore incorrect spelling, punctuation and grammar.  Senior leaders, and some middle leaders, have not developed a simple system to record and analyse performance statistics so that all staff can quickly see which boys are not making good enough progress.

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The school has the following strengths

 Students leave the school at the end of Year 11 as mature, articulate young adults, ready to cope confidently with their future lives.  The school achieves much success in some subjects and aspects, such as geography, drama, design and technology, music, sports and its work in the community.  Boys are welcoming, polite and behave well. They are receptive to considerations of moral, spiritual and cultural issues and can empathise with those less fortunate than themselves.  Thoughtful and effective care and guidance are provided for students who need support with their learning and/or pastoral needs.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspection team observed 37 part-lessons. They observed an assembly and visited tutor time.  Inspectors held meetings with members of the senior leadership team, middle leaders and other staff with positions of responsibility, many members of the governing body, including the Chair and one of the two Vice-Chairs, a representative of the local authority and several groups of students.  Inspectors discussed lessons they had seen with teaching staff and examined a range of documents, including the school’s own evaluation, improvement plans and data about progress, standards, exclusions, attendance and behaviour.  Inspectors looked at a range of students’ work in lessons, particularly in English and mathematics.  Inspectors took account of the responses to Ofsted’s on-line Parent View questionnaire and one completed by the majority of staff.

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Inspection team

Clare Gillies, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Richard Butler Additional Inspector Heather Leatt Additional Inspector Carolyn Steer Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is smaller than the average secondary school.  Most students, from the local area of Worthing, enter the school in Year 8. The small number of students in Year 7 live outside this area.  Almost nine out of ten students are of White British or other White heritage. The remaining students represent several minority ethnic groups.  Less than one in ten students speaks English as an additional language.  A below average proportion of students are eligible for the pupil premium which provides additional funding for specific groups, including looked after children and students known to be eligible for free school meals. It is also provides for children of families serving with the armed forces, of which there are none in the school.  The proportion of students supported through school action is slightly above average. The proportion of students supported through school action plus or with a statement of special

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Information about this school

educational needs is above average. The most common needs relate to behaviour, emotional and social difficulties and moderate learning difficulties.  A small number of Year 7 students are eligible for the catch-up premium which is for students who enter the school with low attainment in English, mathematics or both subjects.  The school uses full-time alternative off-site education provision for a very small number of students at Academy 21 and Links College.  The school has specialisms in geography and history.  The school meets the government’s floor standard, which sets the minimum expectations for students’ attainment and progress.  Recently the school received its Rights Respecting School Award. which recognises achievement in putting the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) at the heart of a school’s planning, policies, practice and ethos.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Eliminate weak teaching by:  insisting teachers set high expectations in terms of achievement at the start of all lessons and plan work which matches students’ needs and challenges all of them  demanding high standards and consistency in teachers’ marking and giving them clear guidance on how they should correct spelling, punctuation and grammar.  Improve achievement by:  checking that teachers assess students’ work accurately and seek external moderation when necessary  making students’ reading and writing a top priority in all lessons.  Strengthen leadership and management by:  determining, after consultation with staff, a simple, clear system for recording attainment and progress which is easy to use and understood by all teachers  providing governors with realistic analysis and evaluation of the school’s performance  providing an external review of the work of the governing body.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The slow upward trend in GCSE results halted in 2012. Many factors contributed to this. including staffing problems, poor attendance, core subject syllabus choices which were unsuccessful, and some inaccurate assessments of the progress students were making. All these areas have been tackled and improvement has been seen in the progress students are making this year. The school predicts an average percentage of students will attain five GCSE grades A*-C including English and mathematics in 2013. This matches the progress seen during the inspection.  The gap, close to two GCSE grades lower, in English and mathematics results between students eligible for pupil premium funding and others was greater than that seen nationally in 2012. School documentation indicates that this gap is likely to narrow in 2013 but it remains a key focus for improvement.  In its first year, pupil premium funding was used to employ additional higher level teaching

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

assistants for one-to-one or small group work in mathematics. Because this was fairly successful, a similar arrangement has been put in place to support students who enter the school with low reading ages and poor writing.  Students in Year 7 eligible for catch-up funding have received support. In spite of being effective for some, intensive reading support has not worked for all students as some still struggle to read after several months of extra help.  Students whose circumstances make them more vulnerable, and those with disabilities or with special educational needs, receive good support. This is most effective in Key Stage 4, where these students make progress similar to their peers’.  The very few students attending off-site provision are making appropriate progress following vocational courses. The school receives regular updates on their attendance and performance.  High standards, an above average percentage of A*/A GCSE grades and good progress from

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

Year 7 upwards continue in several subjects, particularly geography, French, drama, business studies, computing and physical education. Progress in science has improved significantly.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of teaching and learning varies considerably, from outstanding to rare instances when it is inadequate.  In lessons where learning was not good, teachers did not establish high standards and rapid progress as the norm. A sense of urgency and challenge was missing. Teachers were not always aware of those students who struggled with literacy skills, had low reading ages or needed extra guidance to write effectively.  Marking requires improvement because it is not consistent throughout the school and from subject to subject. There is a correlation between the best progress over time and the high quality marking seen in some subjects. In some books there are only a few ticks, in others there are thought-provoking comments and challenging questions which help students to improve their learning.  Teachers do not always check the accuracy and quality of students’ writing; for example, they

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

do not always comment on students’ poor punctuation or mistakes in grammar.  During the inspection, most of the outstanding teaching, which often included skilful questioning, was delivered by experienced teachers working with higher attaining students.  Students are quite clear that the elements of teaching which help them to learn are humour, mutual respect, and teachers conveying that they enjoy teaching! Students respond very well when working independently, carrying out practical work, discussing their thoughts and explaining things to the whole class. These were consistent characteristics of the outstanding lessons observed during the inspection.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Students’ behaviour is typically good. It is good in lessons, assembly and generally in and around the school. Boys work hard and rarely distract others from learning. When teaching is not good, behaviour occasionally becomes less good as students lose concentration.  Effective measures have been taken to reduce the number of exclusions. As a result, exclusions are now low and behaviour continues to be good.  Attendance dropped in 2011–2012 and the number of persistent absentees rose. The appointment of an attendance manager and arrangements to cover the lack of local authority support have restored average attendance.  The school welcomes students who have not succeeded elsewhere and is skilful in helping them to settle. The school promotes equal opportunities and does not tolerate discrimination. Disadvantaged students speak highly of the support they receive. Pupil premium funding has been effectively spent on external support and laptop computers to help these students extend

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

their learning.  Senior leaders welcome students’ views and perceptions, voiced through the school council or the ‘Make Learning Better’ group. Students relish giving feedback on ways their learning and school life could be better and are confident that they influence senior leaders’ decisions. Boys take on responsibilities seriously and contribute helpfully to the calm atmosphere around the school.  The very few incidents of bullying are addressed quickly. Students are very aware of e-safety and cyber-bullying. There are almost no racist incidents and no evidence of discriminatory behaviour. Students discuss sensitive issues such as homophobia in personal and social education lessons and tutor time.

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The leadership and management require improvement

 The headteacher has made it clear to all staff that standards must rise whilst the school maintains its high quality care for all. He knows which aspects of the school’s performance need to improve and has a realistic insight into his staff’s relative strengths. However, weaknesses have not been tackled forcefully enough either in action or in documents such as the school’s development plan or reports to governors.  Following the 2012 GCSE results, senior leaders increased their focus on Year 11 boys at risk of attaining either GCSE English or mathematics but not both. In all subjects, they probed the accuracy of teachers’ predicted grades based on internal assessment and found it to be wanting. This is now better but not totally secure. There is too little emphasis on improving students’ literacy and their performance in Key Stage 3 to reduce the amount of catching up required in Key Stage 4.  The school does not have an effective data collection and analysis system that all staff can use.

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The leadership and management require improvement

Some middle leaders have devised their own very effective analysis of performance, others have not and several are not aware of data produced by senior leaders. The absence of a data manager last year and the introduction of new software contributed to this. The school is working on developing a coherent, practical system which all staff can value and use.  Senior leaders are increasingly skilful, when observing lessons, at accurately evaluating the quality of teaching and the progress students make. This is strengthening the leadership of teaching and learning, and contributing to more rigorous performance management.  Teachers’ performance management objectives include specific targets for progress this year. The headteacher has, on reflection, accepted that a few main scale pay rises in 2012 were generous. The school now fully understands that the performance of teachers should be linked closely to the teachers’ standards and the progress that students make. With several

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The leadership and management require improvement

experienced and skilful teachers, it is sensible that professional development for staff is mostly delivered in-house.  The headteacher and senior leaders generate an atmosphere where, underpinned by the school’s Christian ethos, boys feel respected and want to learn. A reflection of how the school fosters good relations is its award as a ‘Rights Respecting School’. The topics covered in assemblies are wide-ranging and stimulating. They broaden students’ horizons and develop them as good citizens who are socially and culturally aware.  Staff morale is high and parents, rightly, have much confidence in how the school prepares their sons to cope with further education, training and work. Students follow worthwhile academic and vocational qualifications at sixth form colleges. The school is popular, oversubscribed and well respected in the local community.  Leadership and implementation of support for students whose circumstances make them more

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The leadership and management require improvement

vulnerable and those with special educational needs are caring and effective. Links with other agencies ensure the right professional advice is sought as needed.  In addition to funding more higher level teaching assistants, the pupil premium is also used for funding music lessons and educational trips for these students. Overall, though, evaluation of this spending is not precise enough to be confident of its effectiveness.  The school does not enter students early for GCSE examinations. The curriculum has improved since the last inspection as it now has a good balance between vocational and academic subjects. Key Stage 4 students enjoy, for example, the humanities GCSE option and continuing with French or German for an NVQ. The wealth of extra-curricular activities contribute signficantly to students’ enjoyment of school life.  The local authority has given the school ‘light touch’ support in the last couple of years and

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The leadership and management require improvement

realises that it must be more involved to ensure progress improves.  Safeguarding issues raised in the previous inspection report have been fully addressed. Policies and procedures for child protection and safeguarding meet statutory requirements.  The governance of the school: – Following the 2012 GCSE results and, with some new and determined members, the governing body has moved into a higher gear. It now demands more rapid and clear analysis of progress at both Key Stages, during the year as well as post-GCSE results. It appreciates that in the past, it did not compare the school’s performance carefully enough with that seen nationally. – Governors are alert to the need to promote literacy through all subjects. They have received training on this and realise that they must use this to evaluate how effectively teachers focus on it. They are aware that there are some weaknesses in teaching and its quality is

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The leadership and management require improvement

inconsistent across the school. – The staffing committee of the governing body reviews teachers’ pay linked to performance management. Governors are now adamant that movement up pay scales should not be automatic and should be linked to teachers’ performance and the progress thier students make. – Governors are determined that spending, for example on improving mathematics in the past, must continue to generate high standards. Members monitor the use and effectiveness of pupil premium funding. – Governors fully support the decision not to enter students early for GCSE mathematics. They prefer the alternative option of giving boys the chance to achieve other qualifications such as GCSE statistics.

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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 126094 Local authority West Sussex Inspection number 412757

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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 Voluntary aided Age range of pupils 11–16 Gender of pupils Boys Number of pupils on the school roll 751 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Clive Purser Headteacher Steve Mercer Date of previous school inspection 11–12 May 2010 Telephone number 01903 820676 Fax number 01903 231880 Email address office@st-andrews-boys.w-sussex.sch.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

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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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