Howden School

Howden School and Technology College Derwent Road, Howden, Goole, DN14 7AL

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 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 Good 2

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

 Not enough boys make expected progress in English for achievement to be good in English.  The most able students do not always reach the top grades of which they are capable. This is particularly so in mathematics and the separate sciences.  Teaching over time has not been good enough to ensure students achieve well in all their subjects. Teaching has not been sufficiently focussed on students’ individual needs and some teachers do not have high enough expectations about what students can learn.  Although marking and feedback are improving the quality is inconsistent and students are not always given feedback which helps them to improve their learning.

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The school has the following strengths

 The headteacher and senior leaders have a clear vision and are taking appropriate steps to improve achievement and teaching. The school is improving.  The proportion of students achieving five A* to C with English and mathematics has risen as has the average grade students achieve in English and mathematics.  An innovative approach has been taken to offer a wide choice of subjects to Key Stage 4 students which is expanding the range of options and improving engagement.  There are very good relationships between staff and students. All agree behaviour is good. This view is supported by the majority of parents who responded to Parent View.  The development of middle leaders since the last inspection has been good. They have increasing responsibility for monitoring and evaluating teaching and learning and progress in their subject areas.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 35 lessons, including four made jointly with senior leaders. Inspectors also listened to a small number of students read.  Meetings were held with the headteacher and other senior leaders, staff, students, the vice-chair of the governing body and another governor, the Local Leader of Education who works with the school, and a representative of the local authority. Informal discussions also took place with students at break and lunchtime.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documents provided by the school, including the school’s self- evaluation summary and its improvement plans; safeguarding records and those relating to students’ attendance and behaviour; data analysing students’ achievement; records of monitoring teaching and learning; and minutes of the governing body meetings.  Questionnaire returns from 35 staff were analysed.  Inspectors took account of 30 responses to the online Parent View Questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Helen Lane, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Eleanor Garbutt Additional Inspector Christine Kennedy Additional Inspector Pamela Hemphill Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The Howden School and Technology College is smaller than the average-sized secondary school.  Almost all students are White British; English is their first language.  The proportion of students eligible for the pupil premium is about half the national average. This funding is allocated to schools to support students known to be eligible for free school meals, those who are looked after by the local authority and those who have a parent serving in the armed forces.  The proportion of students supported by school action is average but the proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below that seen nationally.  The school does not use any alternative provision to educate their students.  School results in 2013 met the government’s current floor standards which set the minimum expectations for the attainment and progress of students at the end of Year 11.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Continue to improve the quality, and consistency, of teaching so more is good and outstanding by:  sharing good practice in marking and feedback and giving students opportunities to use feedback to improve their progress  making sure all teachers have high expectations of students and plan lessons which help all students, regardless of their academic ability, to make good progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the progress made by boys in English with a particular focus on developing their writing.  Continue to improve the attainment of the most able students especially in mathematics.  Provide subject leaders with further opportunities for driving improvement in their department by taking full responsibility for all aspects of monitoring and evaluation.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Over the past three years, the proportion of students achieving five A* to C grades, including English and mathematics, has risen and it is in line with the national average. Students’ progress in mathematics is broadly in line with the national average. In English, girls make more progress than girls nationally. Boys at this school make less progress than girls and boys’ progress requires improvement. Attainment and achievement in core science improved in 2013 and attainment is now above the national average.  In 2013, not enough of the most able students achieved top grades in their GCSE examinations, particularly in mathematics and the separate sciences. In 2013, all students sat their mathematics GCSE in the winter of Year 11.The policy on early entry in mathematics has changed. The school is now using mock examinations to make sure students are on track to gain their target grade. Those who are underachieving are given extra support. As a result of a

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

concerted effort by leaders and managers, a good proportion of the current Year 11 already have five high grades in a variety of subjects.  The achievement of disabled students, and those with special educational needs, is improving as a result of earlier identification of their needs and better support for their learning both by other adults in the classroom and in small group activities.  The progress made by students known to be eligible for free school meals and supported by the pupil premium is improving. In 2012, the gap in attainment between these students and other students was one and two thirds of a grade in English and one and a half grades in mathematics. In 2013, examinations it was one third of a grade in English and half a grade in mathematics.  Funding for pupil premium and Year 7 catch-up has provided a variety of extra support. This includes extra teaching for English and mathematics, activities which raise students’ self-esteem,

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

including extra music lessons and outdoor education, and through the purchase of a reading scheme. Year 7 and Year 8 students say they are enjoying the reading scheme and value the opportunity to read a wide range of books. The reading ability of many students is improving rapidly as a result, especially boys. However, boys’ progress in writing is lagging behind and leaders and managers recognise the need to focus on this.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching over time has not been effective enough to ensure all students make good progress. Lessons have not been planned to meet the needs of all the students, including the most able. In some lessons, students do work which is too easy for them which stops them making good progress. Teaching in English does not always engage boys and as a result, the achievement of boys in GCSE examinations in the last two years and in the school’s data for current Year 9 and Year 11 shows they are not making as much progress as girls. The school has adjusted the curriculum and the style of teaching in English to try to address this.  Teaching and learning are improving. The majority of teaching and learning seen during the inspection was good with a small amount that was outstanding. This broadly matches the school’s own self-evaluation.  In the best lessons, teachers use good subject knowledge to plan activities which engage

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

students and challenge them to make good progress from their starting points. Teachers ask questions which encourage students to think and give detailed answers. For example, in a combined Year 10 and Year 11 geography lesson about the differences between an asylum seeker and a refugee the students made exceptional progress because of the very good planning and high expectations of the teacher. Students were challenged, through skilful questioning, to give detailed and complex answers.  Scrutiny of students’ work in lessons showed some teachers are providing students with regular feedback on their work. Sometimes students respond to this helpful feedback which encourages good progress. However, not all teachers mark students’ books regularly enough or provide feedback which helps students to improve. Peer and self-marking are used effectively in some subjects, including mathematics.  Other adults who support learning in the classroom are very effective. They are well prepared

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

for lessons and help students make better progress by asking appropriate questions which make them think about their work.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Students behave well both in classrooms and around the school. They treat each other and adults with respect. They are polite and have good manners.  Students are proud of the school and the strong ethos passionately led by the headteacher with the brand ‘Team Howden’. They like the system of rewards for achievement, behaviour and attendance.  Attitudes to learning are good in the majority of lessons, although there is a small amount of off- task behaviour where teaching and learning are less than good. Behaviour and safety are not outstanding since students do not yet consistently display a thirst for knowledge and a love of learning because not all teaching is good or outstanding.  Staff, students and parents agree students are safe at school. Students know how to keep themselves safe and are very positive about the ‘peer mentoring’ system. Younger students said the older peer mentors had helped them to settle in and with friendship issues. Bullying,

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

including homophobic bullying, is rare and students have confidence it would be dealt with effectively by pastoral staff if it happened. The majority of parents who responded to Parent View say the school deals effectively with bullying. The peer mentors have recently run assemblies about how to avoid bullying, including cyber-bullying.  More consistent use of the behaviour policy and the use of an internal exclusion room have resulted in a reduction in exclusions. There have been no permanent exclusions in the last year.  Attendance has improved and is now in line with the national average, as a result of closer monitoring and improved contact with parents.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher is passionate about driving improvement in the school. He, along with leaders and governors, communicates high expectations and the ambition for the school to become outstanding. They demonstrate good capacity to bring about the improvements needed in achievement and teaching and learning. All of the staff who completed the questionnaire believe that the school is well led and managed. This is supported by the majority of parents.  Teaching and learning is improving because of strong leadership by the deputy headteacher. Observations of lessons identified a group of teachers who needed to improve their practice. These teachers have been provided with a bespoke programme of coaching. As a result of the coaching, and a whole school focus on improving teaching, teaching has improved and students are making better progress. Appropriate training and professional development is also leading to

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The leadership and management are good

improvements in lessons. For example, teachers are sharing learning outcomes linked to targets with students at the beginning of lessons so students know what is expected of them. Year 10 and Year 11 students say teaching has really improved.  There are robust performance management processes in place linked to the Teachers’ Standards. Underperformance has been tackled and salary rises are only approved if performance targets are met.  Middle leadership has improved. Subject leaders have worked together with senior leaders to complete monitoring and evaluation reports for their area. They have also received training in making judgements about teaching and learning. This professional development means subject leaders are now ready to take full responsibility for all aspects of monitoring and evaluation in their departments.  The school has an improvement plan with appropriate success criteria linked to the self-

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The leadership and management are good

evaluation summary.  The curriculum is largely academic with other options such as BTEC and ASDAN awards available for students who benefit from a less academic curriculum. The most able are being extended through the study of Japanese, further mathematics and statistics. An innovative approach to providing a wide range of options at Key Stage 4 means Year 10 and Year 11 students work together. This is addressing potential limitations to the curriculum caused by the school’s falling roll very well and allows a greater number of options to be studied.  Students say they enjoy a wide range of extra-curricular activities including opportunities to visit foreign countries. Students receive advice and guidance about the next stage in their education or career through special lessons, work experience and careers interviews.  Pupil premium funding is used to enhance progress throughout the school. Extra English and

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The leadership and management are good

mathematics groups have been added in Year 11. Good progress was seen in an additional Year 11 English group for boys. Mentoring is focussed on raising the achievement of boys and pupil premium students. As a result, gaps between students entitled to pupil premium and other students have reduced.  Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a vibrant part of the life of the school. The climate for learning has been a particular focus for improvement and ‘Team Howden’ is highly visible in the excellent display on the walls.  The local authority work closely with the school and provide positive, proactive support which is helping to drive school improvement. A Local Leader of Education also makes a strong contribution to the strategic direction of the school.  Safeguarding requirements, including the single central record and recruitment procedures meet current standards.  The governance of the school:

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The leadership and management are good

 Governors know their roles and responsibilities and are both supportive and challenging. They are well informed and ambitious to see the school improve. Detailed reports from senior leaders ensure governors are fully aware of the quality of teaching and the progress of students. Governors are beginning to collect first-hand evidence through learning walks and have plans to formalise this process by writing reports after each visit. A governor will take responsibility for each area of the improvement plan. The governing body understands the school’s financial position and is aware of the additional spending to improve the achievement of pupil premium students. Governors recognise the potential impact of the reduction in the school’s roll and plan the budget accordingly.

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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 118084 Local authority East Riding of Yorkshire Inspection number 425892

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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 608 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Paul Ablett Headteacher Garry Garghan Date of previous school inspection 20 September 2011 Telephone number 01430 430448 Fax number 01430 432435 Email address office@howdenschool.net 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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