Noadswood School

School report Noadswood School North Road, Dibden Purlieu, Southampton, SO45 4ZF

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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 Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Staff at Noadswood are determined that all students will achieve their best. Students’ achievement is good and well on the way to becoming outstanding.  The school benefits from good leadership at all levels that is focused on ensuring that all students make the best progress they can.  The school’s leaders are highly committed to their roles and to continuing to improve all aspects of the school’s work.  Students’ GCSE results are consistently above average, largely due to teaching that is giving them the confidence to try to achieve their full potential.  Teaching is good, with some that is outstanding and none that is inadequate. Most teachers plan interesting and enjoyable lessons that motivate and engage all students.  Most teachers know what their students are capable of and adapt their teaching so that all of them make good progress.  Students’ behaviour is outstanding. They are

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

clear that staff take good care of them and they feel very safe, reflecting the strong emphasis the school places on developing students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural life.  Noadswood is a vibrant and thriving school that plays a positive role in the local community.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 In a few lessons, teachers do not provide work which effectively meets students’ individual needs and their written feedback is not good enough to ensure students make the progress of which they are capable.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching and learning in 34 lessons. They also made short visits to five other lessons to look at teachers’ planning. These observations included eight joint observations with senior staff. Inspectors also talked to students and looked at samples of their work.  Meetings were held with the senior leadership team, middle managers and other staff, as well as with a group of governors, including the Chair of the Governing Body and members of other governors’ committees. Inspectors met with a group of students from different year groups, as well as holding informal discussions with students both during and outside lesson times.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a wide range of documentation, including the minutes of governing body meetings, development plans, current assessment information and documents showing how the school assesses how well it is doing. Inspectors took into

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Information about this inspection

account 54 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, as well as 54 responses to the staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Christine Jones , Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Jacqueline Goodall Additional Inspector Joseph Skivington Additional Inspector Balvinder Ghatahora Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Noadswood School converted to become an academy on 30 August 2011. When its predecessor school of the same name was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good.  Noadswood is slightly larger than the average-sized secondary school.  The proportion of students eligible for the pupil premium (additional government funding for students known to be entitled to free school meals, children looked after by the local authority and children from service families) is well below that found nationally.  Fewer students than average are from minority ethnic groups or speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of disabled students and those with statements of special educational needs supported through school action plus is in line with that found nationally. The proportion of those with special educational needs supported through school action is below average. The school has an on-site unit for students with physical disabilities.

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Information about this school

 Three students are educated in the local Forest Education Centre, where provision is more suited to their educational and behavioural needs.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum standards set for students’ attainment and progress.  Noadswood School is a specialist sports college.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise the proportion of outstanding teaching by ensuring that all teachers:  teach lessons that effectively meet the needs of students of all abilities and challenge them to aspire to the highest standards  give feedback to students which tells them how well they are doing and how to make their work better, and make sure that students act on it.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Students reach standards at the end of Key Stages 3 and 4 that are consistently above national averages. In 2012, over two thirds of students gained five GCSEs at grades A* to C including English and mathematics, and they are likely to do so again in 2013. Standards are above average in other key subjects such as science, design and technology and physical education.  Students achieve well in lessons where teachers maintain a close focus on each student’s needs. In these lessons, underachievement is identified quickly and followed up with targeted support and resources so students catch up quickly. Students’ progress is slower where teachers do not stretch and push them to go beyond what they can achieve comfortably.  More able students are entered for GCSE mathematics early. They benefit from this approach as they reach, and sometimes exceed, their predicted grades and then go on to take additional

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The achievement of pupils is good

courses in mathematics that are very good preparation for further mathematical studies.  Staff use pupil premium funding effectively to help raise the achievement of eligible students. This includes one-to-one support in English and mathematics, employing additional skilled teaching assistants, and behavioural and emotional support. These students’ progress in English and mathematics is gathering pace to close the attainment gap with their peers.  Disabled students and those who have special educational needs, including those attached to the on-site unit, make good progress, as do those from minority ethnic groups and those who speak English as an additional language. Teachers and support staff prepare work for these groups that is pitched at the right level, and the extra help and guidance students receive make a big difference to them. The school monitors closely the performance of the three students

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The achievement of pupils is good

educated elsewhere to ensure they make appropriate progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good and sometimes outstanding, with a small minority requiring improvement. Teaching is mostly effective in promoting students’ engagement in learning through detailed planning that ensures lessons are designed to meet students’ varied needs.  In most lessons, teachers have high expectations of their students and challenging tasks are set. Students respond well, making a good contribution to their own and others’ learning. An example of this was seen in a Year 7 design and technology lesson, where students were ably assessing their own work.  The positive atmosphere in the school promotes a supportive and stimulating environment, where students are mostly eager to learn. Teachers intervene only where necessary while allowing students to work well in pairs, groups and independently. The teachers can then stand back and monitor as students get on by themselves.  In lessons where teaching needs to improve, teachers talk too much and do not create an

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The quality of teaching is good

appetite for learning in their students which encourages them to tackle new challenges. In these lessons, students listen attentively and patiently and are ready participants in any subsequent activities, but are not excited and enthusiastic about their learning.  Teaching makes a very good contribution to students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. In the best sessions, students are encouraged to act as ‘experts’ or student subject leaders and work collaboratively with others to help them with their work. Every effort is made to broaden students’ understanding of other societies, such as in a German lesson where understanding the culture was an important aspect of learning the language.  Disabled students and those who have special educational needs, and others who need extra help, receive good support. Teachers and learning support assistants work well together, ensuring these students make at least good progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Staff usually mark students’ work well, with good quality comments. These comments are sometimes too focused on tasks the student should do rather than on how learning could be improved. Where recommendations are given for future improvements, teachers do not always make sure students follow up on this advice. Students know their targets and are able to talk about aspects of their work in which they need to improve. They value teachers’ feedback.  Teachers focus well on developing students’ reading, writing, speaking and listening, especially in Key Stage 3. During the inspection, students were heard reading aloud with confidence and accuracy in several different subject lessons. They were also enthusiastic participants in ‘Litfest’, a locally organised literary event for schools where students are given opportunities to work alongside professional authors.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The behaviour of students and their attitudes to school both in and out of lessons create a positive and supportive environment where young people can grow and thrive, confident that they are very safe and well looked after.  Students come to school regularly, are on time to lessons and make an excellent contribution to the school community. Exclusions from school are very rare and only used as a last resort.  During lessons, students are not only eager to learn themselves but also to help others learn. In lessons observed, students were not just helping each other but also challenging their peers to explain their learning. They particularly enjoy acting as student ‘subject leaders’ and helping their colleagues. This goes beyond the school, as some student subject leaders work with local primary schools, for example as foreign language leaders teaching primary pupils. The school’s sports college status makes an excellent contribution to this as students may also be sports

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

leaders in primary schools.  During the inspection the school hosted a STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) event for Year 5 primary pupils. Students were fully involved in preparing and leading this event, including giving introductory assemblies in the local primary schools.  The school makes sure students have a very firm understanding of the dangers of all kinds of bullying, including homophobic or cyber bullying. Students insisted that bullying occurs rarely in the school and that the emphasis on the school’s values by adults makes a significant different to students’ attitudes towards each other.  Senior leaders ensure that the welfare, behaviour and safety of students attending alternative providers are monitored carefully.  Students are proud of their school. They make a full contribution to the school community and know that their views and opinions are appreciated and always considered.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher and his senior staff provide strong and determined leadership and are highly committed to driving up students’ levels of achievement and ensuring that they are very well cared for.  Lessons are observed regularly to assess the quality of teaching and identify areas for improvement. Outcomes from these observations are an integral part of the effective systems for checking and evaluating the school’s performance and are linked to the targets set for teachers and to advances in pay. Teachers are supported in reaching these targets by appropriate professional development which encourages them to reflect on how they can improve. Although some teaching weaknesses remain, these measures have maintained the quality of teaching, which is now well placed to become outstanding.  Improvements this year in the use of information on students’ performance help senior and middle leaders to keep a close watch on any variations in attainment and progress, and act

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The leadership and management are good

promptly to address any issues.  The use of non-teaching house leaders (guidance) is effective in establishing close relationships with students and their families, particularly those families who need extra support. House leaders (guidance) liaise effectively with external agencies to meet the needs of students and parents.  The school is rigorous in promoting equal opportunities and creating an environment where no form of discrimination is tolerated.  The school has a well-designed curriculum which meets the needs of all students and contributes to the raising of standards. In Year 7, students’ learning is strengthened by the school’s Navig8 programme, an innovative curriculum developed by the teachers to support students’ independence, resilience and attitudes. The programme covers humanities subjects and has a very strong focus on literacy. The skills students develop encourage them to take responsibility

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The leadership and management are good

for their own learning and that of others. In Key Stage 4, the option programme provides a wide range of courses which prepare students well for further education or training.  Students benefit from a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities both within and outside the school day. Their participation is monitored and the outcomes are used to enhance the school community. For example, in an excellent assembly, both teachers and students effectively used participation in sports day to develop the idea of TEAM (Together Everyone Achieves More).  The governance of the school:  Governors are well organised and focused on raising achievement through their analysis of information on students’ performance. They are supported by an effective committee structure. They acknowledge that much of their time was taken up recently in organising the school’s transition to an academy. However, they still managed to support the headteacher in

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The leadership and management are good

improving the school’s work, especially teaching and behaviour management. Governors are fully involved in identifying the school’s strengths and weaknesses and are able to provide a good balance between challenge and support, backed by a determination to move the school on to become outstanding. They have a firm grasp of teaching and performance management arrangements, linking to teachers’ pay and progression. They robustly monitor and evaluate expenditure, including the pupil premium, to ensure that resources provide value for money. The governors have put secure systems in place for keeping students safe and ensure that these arrangements meet national requirements.

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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 137125 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 413441

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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 Comprehensive School category Community Age range of pupils 11–16 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 1052 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mrs Jackie Rapson Headteacher Mr Alex Bernard Date of previous school inspection 16–17 June 2009 Telephone number 02380840025 Fax number 02380843532 Email address headteacher@noadswood.hants.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

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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