Sir Robert Pattinson Academy

Sir Robert Pattinson Academy Moor Lane, North Hykeham, Lincoln, LN6 9AF

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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 Good 2 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3

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

 Achievement requires improvement overall, and especially in English and science.  Teaching over time has not been good enough to meet the needs of all students and enable them to make good progress.  Not all teachers use information about students’ progress effectively to plan work that sufficiently challenges students, especially the most able.  The marking of work by teachers is not consistent across the school in terms of frequency and how well it informs students how to improve.  Teachers’ expectations of their pupils are not high enough.  The academy’s evaluation of how well it is doing does not focus sufficiently on improving the quality of teaching.  Leaders do not monitor and evaluate the work of the school rigorously or ensure that policies are consistently applied.  Not all subject leaders have the skills to carry out their roles effectively.  The sixth form requires improvement because achievement has not been good, especially at

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The school has the following strengths

 The academy’s students have a very positive and friendly attitude. There is a very welcoming atmosphere in the academy. Students are polite and feel safe.  The careers advice for students is well planned and an example of good practice in the local area.  The academy’s curriculum enables a higher percentage of students than nationally to achieve the English Baccalaureate (EBACC).  Governors have a good range of expertise and are very supportive of the school  Students achieve well in mathematics.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 48 lesson or parts of lessons. These were taught by 48 different teachers, representing over half of the teaching staff. Two of the lessons were observed together with senior leaders. Inspectors also visited an assembly and registration time.  Meetings were held with senior leaders, a group of subject leaders, the special educational needs coordinator, pastoral staff, and four governors including the Chair of the Governing Body.  Inspectors met with three groups of students. Two groups were selected randomly and one meeting was with the student council.  The inspection team considered the views of staff and parents gathered by the academy, and the 32 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View. No parents made direct contact with the inspection team.  Inspectors observed the academy’s work and looked at information about students’ progress and attainment, the academy’s improvement plan, and its own analysis of how well it is doing. They

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Information about this inspection

also looked at the system for managing the performance of staff, records of governing body meetings and a range of policy documents.

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Inspection team

Victoria Bishop, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Pamela Hemphill Additional Inspector Vanessa Love Additional Inspector Kathleen Yates Additional Inspector Richard Masterton Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Sir Robert Pattinson Academy converted to an academy school in August 2011. When its predecessor school, Sir Robert Pattinson School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good.  The academy is larger than the average-sized secondary school.  The proportion of students identified as disabled or with special educational needs supported by school action is close to the national average, as is the proportion supported by school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs.  The proportion of students eligible for the pupil premium is below the national average. This additional funding is given to schools for students known to be eligible for free school meals, those in local authority care, and some other groups.  The academy meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for students’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.

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Information about this school

 The academy sends two of its students off site to alternative provision.  The academy works in partnership for its sixth form provision with North Kesteven School as part of the North Hykenham Joint Sixth Form.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that it is good or better, in order to improve students’ progress across the academy, and especially in English, science and at A level, by ensuring that teachers:  use information about how well students are doing to prepare lessons that meet the needs of all students  increase opportunities for students to work independently and creatively to give greater challenge and engage students in their learning, especially the most-able  mark students’ work regularly and give students clear feedback on what they need to do to improve.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management by ensuring that:  the school’s self-evaluation is thorough and accurate, and that the academy’s plans for improvement focus on raising the quality of teaching  data on students’ attainment and progress is available to staff and understood and used effectively to plan teaching and support  leaders set clear expectations of procedures and policies and that these are monitored effectively to inform the academy’s evaluations and actions; for example, of marking and lesson planning  subject leaders develop the skills they need to fulfil their role effectively.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Students join the academy in Year 7 having achieved standards above those of students nationally.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 When students leave the academy in Year 11, the number attaining five GCSE subjects at grades A* to C including English and mathematics and at five A* to G, are above the national average.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The progress made by students overall requires improvement as they do not all achieve as well as students in most other schools. Progress is good in mathematics but requires improvement overall, especially in English and science.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The number of students making expected and more than expected progress in English is below that found nationally, and too few students made better than expected progress.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The number of students making expected progress in mathematics is above the national average. The percentage of students who make better than expected progress in mathematics is close to the national average and improving.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The number of students studying and achieving the EBACC (students who achieve a grade C or above in each of English, mathematics, two sciences, history or geography, and a modern foreign language) is above the national average.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Students are articulate when speaking, and communicate well, because teachers often plan effectively to promote pupils’ skills in both speaking and writing in subjects other than English. For example, in a Year 9 history lesson, First World War poems were used to develop empathy and discuss historical information. In mathematics, the marking review showed excellent development of writing skills in students’ books.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Students supported by pupil premium funding make similar progress to their peers. The gap between the attainment of pupil premium students is less than a quarter of a GCSE grade in both English and mathematics. Comparison of the 2012 and 2013 data shows that the gap closed further in mathematics but widened in English. Students are well supported and the academy is able to account for how the money has been spent on these students.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The academy has used the Year 7 catch-up funding effectively to raise the achievement of students who did not reach the expected level when they were in Year 6 in their primary schools. Over half of these students in English and three quarters in mathematics caught up with their classmates.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 There is a relatively low number of disabled students and those who have special educational needs in the academy. Overall these students make good progress compared to similar students nationally, especially in mathematics. Their good progress is due to the good care, and effective support they receive, and the good leadership of the special educational needs coordinator.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The academy has made very good use of early entry to sustain achievement in mathematics over the last two years. As a result of this, and better teaching in mathematics, the number of students achieving grades A* to C in mathematics rose to 83% in 2012 and 85% in 2013.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Due to improved guidance on choosing courses, the academy’s retention rates (students remaining on their courses) in the sixth form have improved strongly and are high in both Years 12 and 13. At A level, students achieve in line with national data but the proportion attaining higher levels at grades A* to B is below the national average. As a result, achievement at A level requires improvement. However the changes that have been made have shown an improvement in the AS courses of Year 12. Although progress still requires improvement in some subjects, progress overall has improved and achievement at AS level is now good.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of teaching requires improvement because the progress of students is not yet consistently good in all subjects and in all year groups. Inspectors saw some outstanding teaching but there was too much teaching that required improvement.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers do not always plan activities that meet the different needs of their students. In too many lessons, most students complete the same work and, as a result, not all make the progress of which they are capable. This is particularly the case with the more-able students, who too often were observed waiting for their peers to catch up.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of marking is too variable. Too many teachers provide little marking beyond a tick and, in some cases, work had not been marked recently. In contrast, other teachers provided very clear guidance to their students on how they were doing and how to improve their work. Students know their target grades but are not regularly being helped to reach them.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Homework is set regularly but inspectors saw that some of this had not been marked or had been marked by other students without teacher input.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 In the best lessons, relationships are excellent and students take a full part in their learning. Too often, however, students were not challenged sufficiently or encouraged to take responsibility for their learning. Where teaching was most successful, these skills were developed. For example, in a Year 11 textiles lesson, the outstanding teaching enabled students to manage their own learning, be creative and reflect on their work in order to create high-quality pieces of work.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Questioning and discussion are used well in some lessons but are not yet consistently good across the academy. In the best lessons, questioning is used to develop the points made and extend students’ learning. In a good mathematics lesson, with Year 10 students, the teacher maintained a fast pace and students made good progress because the teacher constantly questioned them to check their understanding. This was supported by resources developed to meet the needs of learners of different abilities. Where questioning was less successful, this was used just to recall information rather than encouraging students to develop their thinking.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching in the sixth form is clearly focused on ensuring that students understand examination requirements and what they need to do to be successful. There are increased opportunities for students to be independent learners with good support from their teachers. The improving teaching in the sixth form has resulted in students making better progress than in the past.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Behaviour and safety are typically good because students are respectful of each other and their teachers. They are very welcoming to visitors and take care of the academy environment.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 In lessons, students respond very quickly to staff instructions, allowing lessons to flow without interruption. In the most successful lessons, students were keen to learn and students’ attitudes had an impact on their progress.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Attendance is above average and has risen year on year. Persistent absence has been reduced over time and is below the national average.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The house system successfully develops a sense of loyalty and community. Students clearly enjoy school life and they become confident young people.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Inspectors observed behaviour between lessons, around the site and in the canteen at breaks and lunchtimes. The students conducted themselves well and were smart and polite. The standard of uniform is high and students are clearly proud of their academy.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Students were able to talk about bullying positively. They stated that there were few instances of bullying and that these were dealt with effectively by staff. They understand how to keep themselves safe in different situations.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 There are very few exclusions and numbers have been successfully reduced by the pastoral team who work effectively to support their students.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The academy delivers the personal, social and health education programme through its new curriculum. In some of these lessons, teaching is good but, in some, it requires improvement because teachers are not preparing well enough to meet the needs of all students. Where the teaching was good, students engaged fully in the activities planned and demonstrated a mature attitude and growing understanding.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Parent View and surveys undertaken by the academy shows that parents consider behaviour to be good.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Behaviour and attendance in the sixth form are good. Attendance is below that of the main school but is still above average. The academy monitors students receiving bursary funding. There is a highly effective guidance and support system for academic and personal matters and, as a result, there is good progression to employment and higher education.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Behaviour and safety are not yet outstanding because students do not consistently display a thirst for knowledge and learning, especially in lessons which lack challenge. In these lessons, behaviour is not always sufficiently well managed.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Inspectors saw very little low-level disruption in lessons but, when it did occur, it was because the teaching was not engaging the students’ interest and expectations of students were not high enough.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leadership and management require improvement because the quality of teaching across the academy is not good and students are not yet making sufficient progress, particularly in English, science and at A level.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The senior team do not set clear expectations of academy policies and procedures. There is not enough monitoring of teaching across the academy to ensure that staff are following expected procedures; for example, with regards marking. The use of data to monitor students’ performance across the academy is not yet consistently understood and applied by all staff and leaders.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Not all subject leaders are providing good leadership. They are not all focused on raising achievement and the quality of teaching that is needed in their subject departments.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The academy improvement plan addresses the key issues but is not focused enough on the need for a faster pace of change and improvement in some areas of the academy’s work, particularly teaching. External consultants have been used to support improvements but these have not yet resulted in improved achievement. The professional development of staff is clearly linked to the plans for improvement.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The academy meets the requirements for the management of the performance of staff. There is now a clear link between teaching performance and salary progression.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The curriculum is broad and balanced and meets the needs and aptitudes of the students. The house system and the personal, social and health education programme support students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The sixth form partnership arrangement enables a wider range of opportunities for students and the revised leadership and governance of the partnership is now effective in monitoring standards.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The academy team has the capacity to improve further, as illustrated by the improvements in mathematics, but there has not been enough urgency together, high enough expectations or a clear enough focus on improving teaching.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Careers education is a strength of the academy. Students receive independent careers advice and are well supported as they move between key stages. There are a wide range of opportunities provided for students to seek further support and advice. The academy has held the Career Mark Award for several years and has competed in the Lincolnshire and Rutland Skills Award for partnership and collaboration and has won this award for the last two years. The students stated their appreciation of this high-quality offer.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Parents and carers are supportive of the work of the academy, as shown by surveys undertaken by the academy and the responses on Parent View.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The leadership of the academy, and the governing body, are aware of their duty to promote equality and understand the importance of raising achievement for all students.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The arrangements for safeguarding meet statutory requirements.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  The governance structure has been recently reviewed with a new Chair of the Governing Body and new committee structure. Governors play a key role in the direction of the academy and bring a wealth of experience to their work. They are very supportive of the academy. They understand their role well and are aware of the need to support and challenge the academy’s performance. Governors understand and implement the academy’s performance management arrangements and the link between good teaching and salary progression. They understand how the pupil premium is spent and its impact on achievement for those students for whom it is intended.

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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 137135 Local authority Lincolnshire Inspection number 429655

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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 Academy converter 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 1281 Of which, number on roll in sixth form 210 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Neil Appleby Headteacher Helen Renard Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Telephone number 01522 882020 Fax number 01522 880660 Email address srpa@rps.lincs.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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