Codsall Community High School

Codsall Community High School Elliotts Lane, Codsall, Wolverhampton, WV8 1PQ

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Outstanding 1 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.  Most students make good progress from average starting points. When they leave the school they achieve examination results that are above the average in many subjects.  The quality of teaching is good and improving. Teachers provide work which is well matched to the needs of their students.  Disabled students and those with special educational needs receive effective, specialist support enabling them to make good progress.  Students make a strong contribution to the life of the school. They are polite, considerate and behave well. Attendance is above average.  The headteacher, with the effective support of senior leaders, sets high standards and shares an ambition and drive which inspires students.  Governors know the school well and make a good contribution to leadership through effective challenge and support.  Together, leaders, managers and governors have helped to improve teaching and increase

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

achievement.  The sixth form is good and offers a wide range of courses.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Last year, support for some students in developing good standards of grammar and punctuation in English lessons was not as effective as it could have been.  Teachers do not always fully extend students’ learning by providing high quality feedback on their work or opportunities to develop independent thinking skills.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 37 lessons, including several joint observations with members of the senior leadership team. In addition, inspectors visited tutor group sessions, observed an assembly and scrutinised students’ work.  They observed behaviour in lessons and around the school.  Meetings were held with groups of students, senior and other members of the leadership team, other school staff and members of the governing body.  Inspectors scrutinised a variety of school documents, including self–evaluation and development plans, behaviour records, safeguarding records, governing body documents, and documents relating to the management of teachers’ performance.  Inspectors took into account the views of 69 parents and carers who responded to the online Parent View survey. They also considered the more detailed information from recent surveys of parents and carers carried out by the school. Inspectors considered the views expressed in 23

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Inspection team

Ian Jones, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Wendy Davies Additional Inspector Anne McAvan Additional Inspector Susan Hargadon Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Codsall is a 13 to 18 secondary school of average size.  The proportion of students for whom the school receives the pupil premium (additional funding for those students who are known to be eligible for free school meals and the very few looked after by the local authority), is below average.  The proportion of disabled students and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is average, as are the proportions of students supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs.  The school shares the site with a leisure centre. An on-site hairdressing salon offers alternative education for a very small group of students.  A small number of students were entered early for examinations in mathematics in 2013.  The school is federated with Bilbrook and Perton Middle Schools.  The school meets the current government floor standards, which set the minimum expectations

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Information about this school

for the attainment and progress of students by the end of Year 11.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen leadership in English to ensure that timely support is given to all students to enable them to develop good standards of grammar and punctuation.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further develop students contribution to learning independently by:  ensuring that students receive high quality and constructive feedback so that they can identify the next steps to take in order to make improvements in their work  providing more opportunities for students to share their own ideas and thinking.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Most students join the school at Year 9 with average levels of attainment. They make good progress including in mathematics and science and attain GCSE results that are above average in most subjects.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 While progress in English is good overall, a few less-able students are not given enough good quality support, especially in the development of key writing skills in English lessons. As a result performance in English at GCSE fell last year. The school is fully aware of this dip, and is taking swift action to bring about the improvements required. Literacy skills are promoted appropriately in other subjects.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school has made very good use of pupil premium funding to ensure that eligible students make good progress. An expert knowledge of individual students means that skilled support, including individual tuition and home tutoring for those students unable to attend school full- time is quickly provided as needed. The one-and-a-half GCSE grade gap in English and mathematics between these students and their classmates in 2011 narrowed to a half-grade gap in 2013.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled students and those who have special educational needs make better than expected progress by the end of Key Stage 4. Their progress is carefully tracked so that effective support is given and good use is made of teaching assistants to support these students.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Students achieve well in the sixth form and the percentage of students achieving A* to B grades at A level is above average. This enables a good proportion of students to enter university across a wide range of institutions and courses. However, there are variations between subjects, with some students making expected rather than good progress for a small number of courses.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Early entry for examinations has been carefully used in mathematics to promote high aspirations and enable students to achieve the highest grades, without holding back the most able students.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of teaching over time is good and improving, with an increasing proportion of teaching which is outstanding. The school has robust monitoring procedures supported by an extensive programme of training.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers use their extensive subject knowledge well to plan appropriately interesting lessons, so that students of all abilities, including the more able, achieve well. Careful planning and preparation helps make sure that they set tasks that build on what students have learned previously.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers have high expectations of students which, along with students’ very good attitudes to learning, mean that the pace of lessons is swift and little time is wasted. Teachers use their secure subject knowledge to plan varied activities which stimulate interest and engage students. For example in a Year 10 history lesson students effectively evaluated a range of different sources of evidence about domestic Roman life carefully selected by the teacher. The students made good progress in their understanding as a result.  Many opportunities are taken to develop students’ awareness of spiritual, moral, social and cultural themes in lessons. For example, a thoughtful discussion took place in a Year 13 biology lesson around the ethical, social and moral implications of resolving the quelea problem (mass population of this species of bird) in Africa. High quality displays of work and a wide range of

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The quality of teaching is good

extracurricular activities help to raise aspirations and develop a deeper understanding about the world.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The very small number of students who attend alternative provision achieve well on courses that are well suited to them.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Questioning is used appropriately to check learning and teachers make changes to activities and provide additional support if students do not fully understand a theme or idea.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In some lessons students are not given enough time to reflect on their learning or collaborate with others. Students do not always have enough planned opportunities where they can work independently or in groups on extended tasks in order to deepen their knowledge and understanding.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Students’ work is regularly marked and students appreciate when marking provides clear guidance on what they need to do to make further progress. However this guidance is inconsistent and so students are sometimes less clear as to how to improve.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Students are courteous and polite. Their conduct in lessons and when moving around the school site is of a high standard. Students are very considerate of each other and follow instructions from adults willingly.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Students have positive attitudes to school and feel proud to be part of the school community. They are encouraged to aim high and, as a result, many have high expectations and work hard to achieve them. However, behaviour is not outstanding because some students are too reliant on teachers and do not take opportunities to develop their own ideas and independent learning.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Sixth form students report that behaviour at the school is good and when incidents with younger students do occur they are effectively dealt with by teachers.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Students enjoy school and attendance is above average. A small number of Year 11 students are persistently late but the school is working closely with students and their families to address this matter.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Students receive excellent pastoral support and guidance. As a result, the number of students who are excluded is below average and is still reducing. Students say that they feel safe at school and appreciate how staff take care of them. Parents and carers strongly agree, and are very confident in the staff’s ability to care for their children.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Very few students and their parents and carers express any concerns about bullying and say that, when it does happen, it is followed up and dealt with very effectively. Students are informed about the different types of bullying including cyber, homophobic and trans-gender.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders and governors have created a cooperative and supportive community. Together with the staff they successfully share a vision for achievement together with a school-wide ethos of caring for each other, equality of opportunity and high levels of respect.

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The leadership and management are good

 High aspirations are successfully shared by staff, students and parents. As a result, everyone is focused on improving the levels of achievement reached throughout the school. Leaders are aware of the need to strengthen leadership in English in order to quicken the development of grammar and punctuation skills for some lower ability students and to ensure that GCSE coursework is more effectively monitored in this subject.

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The leadership and management are good

 School leaders have an accurate view of the school’s strengths and correctly identify where further improvements are required. They regularly check the quality of teaching, ensuring that any interventions are effective and that high standards are maintained. There is a clear link between performance and salary progression.

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The leadership and management are good

 Teaching is improving because of robust performance management systems and high-quality training opportunities linked to teachers’ development needs. As a result almost all teaching is at least good with an increasing proportion that is outstanding.

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The leadership and management are good

 The well-developed curriculum provides a good balance between subjects and matches the needs of students well. Strong links with feeder middle schools provide regular opportunities to work on a range of projects. Students are given good support to make informed decisions about the courses they choose. As a result, many go on to study higher level courses. The number of students not in education, employment or training when they leave the school is low.

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The leadership and management are good

 Safeguarding arrangements are thorough and meet statutory requirements.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority has provided appropriate advice and guidance to support school improvement.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher has responsibility for two feeder schools in her role as executive headteacher. Since becoming a federation, the schools have collaborated closely on matters such as teacher training and student transfer.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  School governors effectively hold school leaders to account for their work. The long-standing partnership that exists between the Chair of the Governing Body and the headteacher is effective and they are clear about their different responsibilities. Governors contribute fully to the development planning process, and have an accurate view of the school’ strengths and areas for improvement. They have an accurate understanding of the quality of teaching and how well groups and cohorts of students are achieving and monitor this closely. They know about the targets that are set for teachers to improve their performance and how pay is linked to students’ progress. Governors know what the school is doing to tackle any underperformance. They keep a close watch on how the pupil premium funding is spent and know how much progress eligible students are making compared to others at the school.

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The leadership and management are good

School finances are managed effectively with a clear focus on value for money.

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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 124400 Local authority Staffordshire Inspection number 429602

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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 13–18 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 1002 Of which, number on roll in sixth form 311 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Trefor Williams Headteacher Marjorie Tunnicliffe Date of previous school inspection 11 May 2011 Telephone number 01902 434200 Fax number 01902 434242 Email address office@codsall-high.staffs.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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