Henbury School

School report Henbury School Station Road, Henbury, Bristol, BS10 7QH

p.1

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

p.1

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

 Teaching is not consistently good enough to make sure students, particularly the least academically able and boys, make good progress.  Students do not make the progress of which they are capable across a wide range of subjects.  Boys achieve less well than girls.  Students are not given enough opportunities to work in groups, or by themselves, without frequent help from the teacher. As a result, their learning is hindered.  Students’ attendance levels remain below average.  Teachers do not always check how well students are learning in lessons and so are unable to adjust their teaching to meet the students’ different needs.  Teaching does not consistently encourage students to be fully involved in what they are learning and their consequent poor behaviour slows their progress.  Leaders and managers, at all levels, have not made sure that students’ achievement and the quality of teaching have improved quickly

p.1

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

enough. Leaders have eliminated some, but not all, inadequate teaching.

p.1

The school has the following strengths

 Support for disabled students and those with special educational needs has improved so that more are now making the expected progress.  Students’ achievement overall is improving, particularly that of girls, which is above average in some subjects.  The quality of teaching is improving and more students make good progress during lessons.  Pastoral care is good and students feel well supported.  Pupil premium funding is used well to close the gap in achievement between eligible students and others.  Measures to reduce students’ use of inappropriate language have met with considerable success.  The headteacher has a very clear ambition to do the very best for the students in the school and this is shared by governors and staff.  Governors have a good understanding of how the school is improving but recognise that more improvement is required.

p.1

Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching and learning in 31 lessons.  They took account of 23 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View). They observed the school’s work and analysed 50 staff questionnaires.  They looked carefully at examination results for 2012, assessment records, records of the meetings of the governing body, equalities policies, responses to the school’s questionnaires for parents and carers and the school’s development plans and evaluations.  Inspectors held meetings with staff, students and the Chair and Vice Chair of the Governing Body.

p.2

Inspection team

Michael Smith, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Duncan Milard Additional Inspector Valerie Houlday Additional Inspector Lesley Voaden Additional Inspector Shahnaz Masqod Additional Inspector Paul Jacobs Additional Inspector

p.2

Information about this school

 The school is smaller than the average secondary academy school.  Henbury School converted to become an academy school on 1 June 2012. When its predecessor school, also named Henbury School, was last inspected by Ofsted it was judged to be satisfactory overall.  Almost half of the students are eligible for the pupil premium (additional government funding for students known to be eligible for free school meals, students with a parent in the armed forces and those looked after by the local authority), which is above average.  Around 9% of students are supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs which is average. The proportion of disabled students or those with special educational needs supported through school action is above average.  No students are educated part time at alternative provision but the school supports students from a local special school by educating them, in conjunction with staff from the special school,

p.3

Information about this school

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

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Make more teaching good or outstanding by ensuring that teachers:  consistently challenge and engage students, especially the least able and boys, so that they all behave well and make good progress  give students more opportunities to work by themselves without direct intervention  regularly find out how students are progressing during lessons, and then adjust their teaching accordingly  allow students to start their learning quickly, refrain from overlong introductions and maintain a brisk pace in lessons.  Improve attendance by closely analysing attendance information to identify which specific groups of students are the poorest attenders and then matching support to these groups.  Improve the effectiveness and impact of leaders at all levels by ensuring that they take responsibility for eliminating inadequate teaching and increasing the proportions of good and outstanding teaching.

p.3

The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Students start at the school with standards which are below average. During the inspection, the inspectors observed students making mainly steady progress in lessons. When teaching was engaging and challenging students made good or outstanding progress.  Girls consistently outperform boys. In English language, for example, on average boys achieve a whole grade less than girls.  The progress made by some disabled students and those with special educational needs has been very slow. This is because these students, who were supported at school action plus, completed courses off-site and they did not gain many qualifications. These students now complete appropriate courses within the school and more are achieving broadly in line with national expectations.  Students’ achievement in mathematics is below average. The school’s records indicate improvements this year but too many still make less than expected progress. The most able

p.4

The achievement of pupils requires improvement

students are entered early for GCSE mathematics but this has not been a factor in students’ low achievement overall.  Achievement in English is improving as shown by the school’s accurate records. Most students are making or exceeding nationally expected rates of progress.  The school has rightly been recognised with a national award for the rising proportion of students gaining five or more GCSEs at grades A* to C including mathematics and English. The achievement of girls is improving, although they are less successful in science and humanities subjects. Students achieve well in art.  Good pastoral support for students has meant more are successfully completing school and then going on to further education, training or employment.  Teachers make sure that students develop their reading, writing and calculation skills in lessons in most subjects. For example, they insist that students look at key vocabulary or read aloud. In

p.4

The achievement of pupils requires improvement

science and geography, students practise their mathematical skills.  The pupil premium is being used effectively to give eligible students additional help with their reading, writing and mathematics in preparation for the GCSE examinations. The difference between average levels of attainment for these students and students overall was less than half that found nationally in 2012. Continued work by the school is reducing this gap still further. Funds are also used to support eligible students with the cost of transport in order to improve their attendance.  The school has used catch-up premium funds for students who start Year 7 with limited skills in reading and mathematics to help them improve their reading. Early results show that some students are making significant improvements.

p.4

The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching is not consistently good enough to ensure all students make good progress. In too many lessons, students do not get down to their work quickly enough, often because they have to listen to teachers’ explanations for too long. There is still some inadequate teaching.  Activities in lessons do not always motivate and engage students. Consequently students do not take an active part in the lessons, their concentration lapses and their behaviour can then distract others. In some classes, teachers do not implement the school’s agreed behaviour strategies and at times are prepared to let students opt out of learning without any challenge.  Teachers do not always check on how well students are progressing with their work and do not ask searching questions to find out what students have learned. Consequently they are unable to give students more demanding activities, or help students who are having difficulty. When

p.4

The quality of teaching requires improvement

teachers use questions well in lessons, they expect students to give longer answers and justify what they have said and they encourage students to use discussion as a way of preparing answers.  Students say they enjoy lessons when they have opportunities to work in groups or on practical activities. This lets them choose how they work, and helps them to develop as independent learners. Opportunities to work like this are limited in some classes.  In many lessons, assessment is used well, especially when students have opportunities to identify strengths and areas for improvement in each other’s and their own work. Marking is variable. Sometimes teachers’ marking is not frequent or detailed enough to show students what they need to do to improve. The time between students completing the work and it being marked is too long to make the marking useful. Students do not always respond to teachers’ comments.

p.4

The quality of teaching requires improvement

 By contrast, in the very best marking, for example in art and English, teachers identify what students need to do to improve and then give clear advice on how they could do better. Students then respond to teachers’ comments, which helps them improve their work. In many lessons, assessment is used well, especially when students have opportunities to identify the strengths and weaknesses in each other’s and their own work.  Teachers provide good opportunities for students’ cultural development. Art work around the school is of a very high standard and in lessons students are made to think about how art fits into the world around them. Lessons also take account of students’ social awareness. For example, in French, vocabulary about families included step-parents and half-brothers as well as the traditional family members.  Teachers organise educational partnerships and a variety of events for students. There are very

p.5

The quality of teaching requires improvement

strong links with a school in Uganda, for example, and students and staff from both schools participate in exchange visits. Many students enjoy musical activities, including performing in a wide variety of musical settings. When given the right opportunities, students work well in groups to develop their social skills.

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Students behave well in some classes but in others, when work is not challenging, the same students misbehave and at times deliberately undermine their teacher.  Attendance has remained stubbornly below average. Staff have tried many initiatives to improve attendance, including taking court action. They have a great deal of information on absences but have not used this to identify which specific groups have the poorest attendance so resources have not been targeted appropriately.  Concern over the large amount of inappropriate language used by students has led to the introduction of a ‘red card’ system followed by detention. This has been very effective in reducing the use of bad language in school. Students say teachers will always react if they use derogatory language, for example the wrong use of the word ‘gay’ to describe something they do not like.  Most students say they feel safe and this is confirmed by responses from parents and carers.

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

Students have a good understanding of the different types of bullying and they have received good support to overcome instances of cyber-bullying, including advice on how to change the security settings on social networking sites. They are also aware of the danger of using inappropriate text messages, including those involving sexual images.  Students receive appropriate advice when dealing with sexual health and substance abuse. Students also commented that they found advice on recognising and preventing domestic violence very revealing and informative.  Pastoral care is good in the school. Relationships between students and staff are very good and the school supports students who have additional social and emotional problems very well. Students discuss moral issues, such as the implications of gang culture and extremism, in personal, social and health education lessons and during whole-school theme days.

p.5

The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school’s leaders have not yet improved teaching sufficiently or eliminated all inadequate teaching. The measures so far taken have had only a limited impact on raising students’ achievement. The school’s judgements about the quality of teaching overall are too generous and do not relate to the progress of students.  Some progress is being made. Subject leaders have changed the way in which groups are taught, to try to raise boys’ achievement; these changes include deploying specific staff to teach certain groups or planning lessons in smaller episodes. The school has systems to check on how well teachers are teaching, and teachers identified as not performing to the expected standards receive additional support to help them improve. On occasions, the school has taken appropriate tough actions with staff who cannot improve.  The curriculum meets the needs of all students. However, leaders have rightly identified areas of

p.6

The leadership and management requires improvement

weakness and there are good plans to bring about the necessary changes. For example, changes to the school day are planned so more time is available to support students’ reading, writing and mathematical skills, while still making sure students have opportunities to take part in sports and other activities.  The headteacher clearly wants to accelerate the rate of improvement and this ambition is shared by staff and governors. Staff feel valued, believe that the school is led well and are proud to work there.  The school supports other local schools and has a very productive link with a local special school. Students from this school attend lessons alongside mainstream students and some have been very successful in gaining good GCSE grades.  As an independent academy, the school does not receive automatic support from any specific agency. It shares information with the local authority and is in the process of becoming a hub

p.6

The leadership and management requires improvement

for a special educational needs unit. Governors receive valued support and training from the local authority. The headteacher is chair of the Bristol Secondary Heads Association which works closely with the local authority in developing secondary education across the city.  The school has used the pupil premium well to fund a mentor and to provide one-to-one tuition for eligible students. The early evaluations of the impact of additional support on students’ reading show some impressive improvements. The use of these funds and their impact on eligible students’ achievement are reported to the governing body.  Actions being taken to improve boys’ achievement and the work done to improve the curriculum and provide pastoral support for different groups of students illustrate the school’s commitment to promoting equal opportunities and tackling discrimination.  The governance of the school:  The governors are supportive of the school and challenge it to raise standards. They check

p.6

The leadership and management requires improvement

how well different groups of pupils achieve to identify if any group is doing less well than others and then make sure improvements are put in place. They know about recent improvements and rightly recognise that the data on students’ achievement shows that still more needs to be done. For example, through their evaluation of equality, they recognise that the difference in achievement between boys and girls has reduced but the gap is still too wide. They check to make sure that the arrangements for safeguarding students meet all current national requirements and they oversee the annual check on how well teachers are performing and ensure that teachers who successfully meet their targets are suitably rewarded. However, governors have not recognised that if the quality of teaching is as high as the school leaders judge it to be, then students’ achievement should be higher.

p.6

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

p.7

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.

p.7

School details

Unique reference number 138217 Local authority Bristol Inspection number 423407

p.8

School details

Type of school Academy converter School category Community Age range of pupils 11–16 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 725 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mrs Claire Cook Headteacher Mrs Clare Bradford Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Telephone number 0117 9030100 Fax number 0117 9030167 Email address headhenbury@bristol.gov.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 .

p.8

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.

p.9

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

p.9

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

p.9

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’.

p.9

School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.9