Haven High Academy

Haven High Academy Marian Road, Boston, PE21 9HB

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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.  Students make good progress by the end of Key Stage 4 from whenever they enter the school.  The school’s own information shows that an above-average proportion of students are expected to get five A* to C grades at GCSE.  Teachers form good relationships with students. They choose topics and details that make the lessons interesting. They give extra time and helpful feedback to students that help them to improve further.  Students are keen to learn and enjoy representing the school and other responsibilities.  Students who are in receipt of additional funding make good and sometimes better progress, achieving similarly to their classmates, because the school has put into place very strong support for them.  School leaders hold teachers to account. Teachers who are especially effective are encouraged to pass on their skills to others. Poor teaching is dealt with quickly. Students’ progress has improved as a result.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The sixth form requires improvement. Students have not made good progress in the sixth form because teaching did not initially meet their needs.  School managers do not ensure that all teachers are sufficiently skilled at using information about students to plan for the range of their needs and abilities within lessons.  Teachers do not always match the difficulty of the work to the abilities of the students in each class, particularly in science. Teachers do not often give students the opportunity to learn for themselves.  Teachers do not always plan lessons that have enough variety or are paced to keep students interested, especially in science.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 44 lessons. Several of these were done jointly with members of the school leadership team. They looked at students’ books and listened to them read.  Meetings were held with governors, teachers, school leaders, students and a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors considered the views of the 55 parents and carers who responded to the online questionnaire (Parent View).  A range of documents were considered, including minutes of governing body meetings, the academy self-evaluation, development plans, safeguarding documents and policies.

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Inspection team

John Hucker, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Chris Fallon Additional Inspector Thelma McIntosh-Clark Additional Inspector Judith Gooding Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Haven High Academy is a slightly larger-than-average-sized secondary school.  Haven High Academy converted to become an academy on 1 September 2012. When its predecessor, Haven High Technology College, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good.  The academy is part of the Boston Witham Academies Federation, along with two primary schools. They share an executive headteacher and board, but they have separate governing bodies.  In September 2011, St Bede’s Catholic Science College was closed and became part of Haven High. Some students attend the Marian campus of Haven High, others continue their Catholic education at the Tollfield campus. Teaching staff work at both the Tollfield and Marian campuses.  The large majority of students are White British. Most of the others are White European and these students speak English as an additional language. Almost a third of the students are at

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Information about this school

various stages of learning English as an additional language.  In September 2012, the academy opened a sixth form at Tollfield campus. The students are also registered at the strategic partner school, The Sir John Gleed School, Spalding.  The proportion of students eligible for the pupil premium is average. The pupil premium is funding provided to support students known to be eligible for free school meals or who are in the care of the local authority.  The proportion of disabled students and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is about three times the national average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is well below average.  The academy has a range of additional support services on site that provide for needs that would otherwise be provided elsewhere.  The academy has a larger than average number of students who are entitled to the Year 7

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Information about this school

catch-up premium.  No students attend any off-site provision.  The school is on track to meet the government’s floor standards. These are the minimum standards expected for schools.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management by ensuring that all teachers are skilled at using information about students to plan for the range of their needs and abilities in lessons, including in the sixth form.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise the quality of teaching so that more is outstanding, especially in science, by ensuring teachers:  match the difficulty of the work more closely to individuals within each class  plan lessons that have enough variety and are paced to keep students interested, giving them opportunities to learn by themselves.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Students are about two terms behind the national average in English and mathematics when they join the school at the start of Year 7. However a significant proportion of older students had low starting points on entry, than others of their age or histories of underachievement at previous schools. Although students make good progress, their below-average starting points mean that the 2013 GCSE results overall are expected to be lower than the national average for students gaining five GCSEs at Grade C and above, including English and mathematics. They are expected to be above-average, however, for five good GCSE’s without English and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school has a policy of entering students for a range of vocational examinations that prepare students for further training or work. Close work with the local college has helped the school to provide good facilities for these courses, all of which can be taken at the next level in the college. Students respond well to these opportunities and achieve good results.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Students make good progress at the school in both Key Stages 3 and 4 in all subjects because the teaching is good.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Students supported by the pupil premium learn faster than their classmates throughout the school, because the school provides lots of effective individual and small-group support for them. It also pays for additional learning and social activities that give these students the confidence and wider life experiences that help them to learn well. The attainment in English and mathematics of students known to be eligible for free school meals is broadly in line with that of their classmates.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school supports students at school action, school action plus and with statements of special educational needs very well. A broad range of extra staff help students meet their behavioural, social and educational needs. This means that students can access help immediately, on site and do not have to go off-site for it. This includes family support, language support and one-to-one and small-group teaching.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Students read widely and well. Students who join the school at an early stage of reading make good progress and have the skills to work out new or difficult words and understand what they mean. Students for whom the school receives the Year 7 catch-up premium learn quickly and have a grasp of reading that allows them to learn in other subjects. Students at an early stage of learning English take a little more time to master the language, but are keen to learn and make rapid progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Students’ progress in science is not as good as in other subjects. Students get a poor diet of lessons that are not planned well enough to keep them interested and learning at a fast enough pace. The school has improved the quality of leadership in the department. There has not been time for practice to change, however.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Students were entered early for GCSE mathematics, English, religious education and a foreign language. It is not clear that this benefits the students, who are all re-entered at the end of Year 11.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Achievement in the sixth form requires improvement. Students have made slower progress than expected. The school is bringing in additional support for those teachers who are inexperienced at teaching A-level.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good because teachers try hard to make the learning relevant to students and to give them all the extra help they need. As a result students make quicker progress at this school than average and this picture is improving further. A focus on the most-able students has seen their rate of learning increase. Students who are finding learning difficult are given extra help. The students told inspectors that a strength of the school is their teachers’ willingness to ‘go the extra mile’ to help them out.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers make lessons relevant to students, so they can see a purpose. In a Year 10 English lesson, students had to imagine that they had kicked a ball that had gone through a window and hit the headteacher carrying a bowl of soup. They had to write to the headteacher, a teacher who was willing to help and to make a social network announcement. They had to use different levels of formality appropriate for each of these.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The school has a policy for marking students’ books that helps students to make further progress. Teachers’ marking becomes an ongoing conversation between teacher and student. Many teachers do this very well and the practice is spreading. Students feel the benefit of this individual very focused help.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers make good use of opportunities to improve students’ basic skills. In a construction lesson, students were asked to explain in detail what they were doing and why. When asked about this, a student said that it would help them with their communication skills. Teachers have a weekly focus on a particular part of literacy, to improve reading and writing.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The school employs specialist teaching assistants, teachers, social and behavioural support workers and family support workers. They have a big impact on helping those students who are eligible for the pupil premium and students supported by the Year 7 catch-up money to make even better progress than other students so that they catch up with their levels of attainment. The specialist staff offer individual and small-group tuition, counselling, safe environments and home support. This team also works well with students who are disabled or who have special educational needs.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers are adept at working with students for whom English is an additional language. Language specialists work with small groups and in the classroom. An inspector spoke with a group of 16-year old students that the local authority had asked the school to accept. They were in a food technology lesson. After only six weeks, they were talking about their futures and are already an asset to the school.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers have a very professional approach to their own development. However, there are many new staff and the excellent practice that inspectors saw in some lessons has not yet been taken on by all staff. Some teachers do not plan lessons to include tasks that make all students think hard. Sometimes they do not closely match the difficulty of the work to the abilities of the students. In these instances, students do not get fully involved or have the chance to find things out for themselves.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The school recognises that the way it checks how well students are learning in the sixth form needs to change and is at the stage of exploring how best to do this. Not all teachers are sufficiently skilled or experienced at delivering A-level courses. The school is already working with a sponsor sixth form partner to help make improvements.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Students are very happy at the school. They feel safe and cared for. Bullying is rare and action is taken quickly when it occurs. Students are aware of different types of bullying and how to respond to them. Internet safety is well catered for, including training for staff, parents and pupils. There is also an online anonymous reporting system.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The students’ attitudes to learning are good. They are proud of their work and they want to be successful. When teaching allows it, they enjoy learning for themselves and sharing what they learn. They like it when the work is hard and appreciate the help that is given when they need it.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Students are keen to take on responsibility and represent the school. There are prefects, student mentors and a school council. Additional opportunities are found in a rich variety of arts and sports events.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school’s own family support workers have helped to improve attendance. This is broadly average.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school accepts many students who have difficulty controlling their behaviour. There are lots of things put in place that help. Additional staff can be called upon to help them in a lesson or they can be withdrawn to talk about the problem. Work is always completed by the end of the day. The school does not exclude students. Those whose behaviour is not acceptable are kept in school to continue studying, but separate from other students and with specialist staff.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 In some lessons there is some low level disruption. This tends to be where teaching is weaker or the teacher does not use the school’s code of conduct effectively.

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The leadership and management are good

 School leaders and governors are determined to have an inclusive school that accepts all students. They have strong support staff and procedures that ensure that all groups of students make progress and achieve well in Key Stages 3 and 4.

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The leadership and management are good

 Senior staff regularly observe lessons to see the work of teachers. They check the students’ work books. They use these opportunities to see how well students are learning. Teachers are held to account for the job they are doing. If they do not meet their targets, they do not progress up the pay scale. Teachers are offered good support and further courses to help them to improve.

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The leadership and management are good

 School leaders ensure that a good range of courses is offered to students. They have designed academic and vocational pathways for students of different abilities and interests. Each pathway has a next step available so that nearly all students are expected to go on to employment, education or training.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has a strong social studies course that provides personal, social and health education, including citizenship, for all students. All other subjects have to show how they help develop students spiritually, morally, socially and culturally. Students have opportunities to join a range of clubs and be involved in events in and out of school.  School leaders ensure that there are plenty of staff to support the language, behavioural, social and special educational needs of the students. They do not ensure, however, that all teachers always plan for the full range of needs and abilities within their lessons, including in the sixth form.

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The leadership and management are good

 School leaders, classroom teachers and those with extra responsibilities collect and analyse information about their students well. However, they miss some information that helps teachers and school leaders to target who they should help and who they should challenge to do even better. The system for checking the progress of sixth form students is not yet clearly defined.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The governors are aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. They hold the headteacher to account for the progress of students and the general management of the school. They take strong steps to remove poor teaching from the school. They manage school finances very well, including additional funding for particular pupils. They understand how well students are progressing compared with schools nationally. Governors have up-to-date training and they ensure that the school meets all safeguarding requirements. They ensure that pupil premium funding is used effectively.

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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 138754 Local authority Lincolnshire Inspection number 409384

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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 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 1100 Of which, number on roll in sixth form 39 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Jayne Coddington Headteacher Adrian Reed Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Telephone number 01205 311979 Fax number 01205 311979 Email address Polly.Champion@bwaf.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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