Stockport School

Stockport School Mile End Lane, Stockport, Cheshire, SK2 6BW

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 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’ achievement has improved significantly in recent years. Students are now making good progress across a wide range of subjects from their individual starting points.  The proportion of students attaining five or more GCSE passes at grades A* to C including English and mathematics rose sharply in 2013 to a level well above the national average in 2012.  Teaching is usually good. There are examples of outstanding teaching across a range of subjects including English, mathematics and science  Students’ behaviour in lessons and around school is good. Students get on well together and show good respect for each other, the adults working with them and for visitors.  Attendance levels are above the national average.  Senior leaders, and governors, demonstrate a high level of drive and ambition for the success of the school. They know exactly how well the school is doing and where it could do better.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 In recent years they have been exceptionally rigorous in putting in place strategies that have successfully brought about very rapid and sustainable improvement in students’ achievement and the quality of teaching.  Leaders’ ability to carry on making improvements is good.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The proportion of students in all year groups making more than the progress expected of them, although growing rapidly and securely, is not large enough.  Not enough teaching is outstanding and a small amount requires improvement.  Teachers do not consistently provide work that always has the right level of challenge for the different groups of students.  The quality of marking is too variable to help students improve their work so that they make more rapid progress.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching and learning in 45 lessons, two of which were observed jointly with a member of the senior leadership team.  Inspectors held meetings with senior leaders, representatives of the governing body, groups of students and a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors took account of 51 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) as well as summaries of the school’s own questionnaires to parents. Inspectors also took account of 59 staff questionnaires returned during the inspection.  Inspectors took account of a wide range of information including: data on students’ attainment and progress; records of the monitoring of teaching and learning; information and policies relating to behaviour and safety; the school’s evaluation of its own effectiveness; and the school development plan. Inspectors looked at a wide range of students’ written work and discussed written work with individual students from Years 9 and 10.

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Inspection team

Stephen Wall, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Eleanor Garbutt Additional Inspector Bernard Robinson Additional Inspector Jane Willis Additional Inspector Gina Wilson Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Stockport School is larger than the average secondary school.  The majority of students are from White British backgrounds.  The proportion of students known to be eligible for the pupil premium is broadly average. (The pupil premium is additional funding for those students who are known to be eligible for free school meals, children from service families and those children who are looked after.)  The proportion of students supported through school action is above average.  The proportion of students supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards that set minimum expectations for students’ attainment and progress.  In recent years the school population has grown following an influx into various year groups of students from another secondary school, which has now closed.  No students attend courses off-site at other schools or colleges.

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Information about this school

 A new headteacher took up his post in September 2013.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further improve the quality of teaching so that it is consistently good and increase the proportion that is outstanding to raise achievement further by ensuring that:  teachers always provide students with work that is appropriately challenging and neither too easy nor too difficult  teachers always check on students’ understanding in lessons to make sure they are clear about what they are being asked to do  students are given plenty of opportunities to share their ideas and find out things for themselves  the excellent marking practice in, for example, English, is extended to other subjects so that students know what they need to do to improve their work.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Students join Year 7 with skills that are generally typical for their age.  However, the influx of students from a local school, which closed, caused class sizes to grow significantly and lowered the attainment profile of some year groups. This resulted in some decline in attainment in 2011 and 2012 to average levels from levels that had been previously above average.  In 2013, however, the proportion of students attaining five or more GCSE grades at A* to C including English and mathematics rose significantly and was well above the 2012 national average.  The proportion of students making more than the progress expected of them from their individual starting points in English and mathematics also rose sharply in 2013 to be broadly in line with the 2012 national figures.  The proportion of the most-able students attaining the higher grades at GCSE across a range of subjects, including English and mathematics, also increased significantly in 2013.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Inspection evidence from school data, lesson observations, analyses of students’ work and discussions with students confirms that the upward trend in achievement is set to continue unabated.  The school has put in place a range of successful strategies to raise students’ skills in literacy and numeracy. Their effectiveness was seen by inspectors during lesson observations and is demonstrated by the sharp upturn in achievement in English and mathematics in 2013.  The achievement of students known to be eligible for free school meals also improved significantly in 2013. In 2012, the attainment of this group of students was above that of similar students across the country. Students known to be eligible for free school meals attained on average approximately one GCSE grade lower than other students in the school in English and mathematics. In 2013 the gap closed significantly because of the school’s much sharper focus on

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The achievement of pupils is good

tracking students’ progress and providing targeted support.  Similarly, the achievement of students who are disabled or with special educational needs rose sharply in 2013 in line with other students in the school and to levels above the national average for attainment for similar students.  The rise in achievement for students known to be eligible for the pupil premium and for those who are disabled or with special educational needs demonstrates the school’s strong and successful commitment to providing equality of opportunity.  The school enters some students early for GCSE in English and mathematics. The results are used to reorganise sets to provide more focused support for students to raise their grades further. Inspection evidence shows that this is a successful strategy in raising achievement in English and mathematics.  Year 7 catch-up funding is used very effectively to support students who join the school with

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The achievement of pupils is good

weaker literacy and numeracy skills. School data, confirmed by inspection evidence, show that nearly all pupils make very rapid progress in their literacy and numeracy skills as a result.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Most teaching is good and some is outstanding across a range of subjects including English, mathematics and science.  Teachers have good subject knowledge that they use well to challenge students’ thinking and drive their progress at a good rate. Occasionally, however, teachers set tasks that are too easy or too hard and so students do not make as much progress as they should.  Teachers forge good relationships with their students based on high levels of respect. This results in students being eager to please their teachers and to give of their best in the vast majority of classes. Occasionally, however, students rely too heavily on their teachers rather than being actively involved in finding things out for themselves.  In the majority of lessons, teachers check on students’ understanding and progress during lessons. Occasionally, however, teachers do not check with sufficient rigour on students’

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The quality of teaching is good

understanding of what they are meant to be doing and the progress that they are making. This slows progress in a minority of lessons.  Teachers use questioning astutely to make students, whatever their ability, think deeply and explain their answers. This, together with good attention to making sure that students understand the key words for each lesson, makes a successful contribution to developing student’s literacy and communication skills.  In the very best lessons, teachers have high expectations of their students and set appropriately challenging tasks. In a Year 9 English class, for example, the teacher asked probing questions that challenged students’ thinking deeply and led them to discuss in an exceptionally mature and insightful way how society views teenagers. Every student was fully engaged and eager to participate. The progress that students made was outstanding.  Teaching assistants work very effectively in class to guide the learning of students with special

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The quality of teaching is good

educational needs. They know what is expected of them and make a valuable contribution to students’ good and improving achievement.  Teachers mark students’ written work regularly. Some marking is of exemplary quality, for example in English, in showing students the steps that they need to take to improve their work and in insisting that comments are followed up and acted upon. However, some marking does not give students clear enough advice on what to do to improve and does not demand that students act on the advice given.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Students enjoy school and are proud of it. The vast majority behave well around school and in lessons. They get on very well together. Students who are disabled or who have special educational needs are treated with respect and are successfully encouraged to play a full part in school life.  Students show interest and enthusiasm for learning in most lessons. This has a positive impact on the good progress that they make and their good achievement. Disruption in lessons is rare. Occasionally, however, when teaching fails to challenge them fully students’ interest wanes resulting in some lack of engagement and passive attitudes.  School records show that exclusions for bad behaviour are infrequent and that the number has dropped significantly in recent years.  There are very few concerns about behaviour expressed by staff, students and parents.  Students have a good understanding of the different kinds of bullying. They state that instances

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

are rare and that, on the few occasions when it happens, it is dealt with swiftly and effectively. This is confirmed by school records relating to bullying and behaviour.  Students say that they feel very safe in school. Students talk knowledgeably about what constitute potentially unsafe situations and how to recognise, avoid or deal with them. They understand fully the dangers posed by inappropriate use of the internet and social networking sites.  The school has very thorough procedures for checking on attendance and promoting its importance. Consequently, attendance has improved and is above the national average.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders and managers, including the governing body have worked hard and successfully to raise the quality of teaching and students’ achievement. They evaluate the effectiveness of the school accurately and use the outcomes to plan and implement appropriate initiatives to drive the school forward.  The new headteacher is ambitious for the school and, in a short space of time, has set a clear agenda for its future development that is focused sharply on continued improvement. Staff are enthusiastic and confident about the future success of the school as a result.  They have set higher expectations for students’ progress and hold staff more rigorously to account for achieving their targets. In addition, subject leaders have responded positively to the increased responsibilities that they have been given. They have a good understanding of the school’s performance and students’ achievement in their subject areas. They are confident and

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The leadership and management are good

assured in their ability to drive achievement further up.  Leaders and managers monitor the quality of teaching regularly. They have sharpened their focus to take greater account of the impact that teaching has on students’ learning and progress rather than purely on the quality of teaching observed. This, together with training for teachers to help them improve, and much more rigorous use of data to track students’ progress towards demanding targets has contributed significantly to better achievement.  The rigour with which the management of staff performance is conducted has been stepped up with a much sharper focus on targets for individual teachers based on students’ progress in their classes. The link between performance management and progression up the salary scale has also been further strengthened.  The curriculum meets students’ needs well. It provides students with a good range of opportunities to develop and use their skills in literacy and numeracy across a wide range of

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The leadership and management are good

subjects. The good range of popular enrichment activities adds significantly to students’ personal development and their good spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Well-thought-out provision for students’ personal, social and health education ensures that students are well- prepared for life in a multicultural society.  Strong relationships with parents have been forged. The vast majority of parents are strongly supportive of the school and would recommend Stockport School to other prospective parents.  Policies and procedures for safeguarding are fully in place  The local authority has worked effectively with the school in recent years. It has provided effective support to leaders and managers in the successful drive to raise achievement.  The governance of the school:  Governors are highly committed to the success of the school. The governing body holds the school effectively to account. It uses information about the school’s performance effectively to

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The leadership and management are good

compare its effectiveness with other schools both locally and nationally to identify where it could do better. The governing body fully understands the operation of performance management in the school and monitors closely its links with salary progression. The governing body has a firm grasp on the school’s finances including the effective allocation of pupil premium funding to close the gap in attainment between students that are supported by it and those who are not. Governors take part regularly in training so that they keep abreast of developments and hold the school to account for its effectiveness.

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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 106135 Local authority Stockport Inspection number 429492

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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 Community Age range of pupils 11–16 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 1,115 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Walter Barrett Headteacher Ian Irwin Date of previous school inspection 7 March 2012 Telephone number 0161 4833622 Fax number 0161 4569452 Email address headteacher@stockport.stockport.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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