All Saints' Catholic High School

All Saints' Catholic High School Granville Road, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S2 2RJ

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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.  Students have a daily diet of good-quality teaching in many of their subjects, with a high proportion that is outstanding. Teaching is particularly strong in English and results in students achieving well.  Students achieve well and make good progress from their starting points across all key stages and in the majority of subjects. The number of students gaining five or more GCSEs at A* to C grades, including English and mathematics, is above the national average.  Most groups of students, including disabled students and those with special educational needs, make at least good progress. Gaps in attainment between different groups of students are narrowing.  The new headteacher is passionate about continuing to improve the quality of achievement and teaching. She has a relentless ambition for the students to be as successful as possible. This vision is fully shared with other leaders and governors.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Students’ maturity can be seen in the care and respect they show for one another and the pride they have in their school. The work of the adults within the school aimed at ensuring that all students are safe is outstanding.  The school’s support for students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and their physical well-being is outstanding. As a result, students turn into extremely well- rounded young citizens and behave well.  The sixth form is outstanding. Students benefit greatly from outstanding teaching and a menu of bespoke courses. As a result, many go on to be highly successful in their chosen careers.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Although much of the teaching is good or outstanding, it is not always so. The use of questioning to deepen students’ knowledge, the impact of marking and feedback on learning and the development of students’ literacy skills are inconsistent.  Achievement in science is not as good as in English and mathematics. Teaching in science has recently improved, but remains variable. Lower-ability students do not achieve as well. There remains a slight gap in the progress of students supported by the pupil premium and that of their classmates. The tracking of these students’ progress is also variable.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed aspects of 57 lessons. Six observations were undertaken jointly with members of the school's senior leadership team. In addition, inspectors made a number of short visits to lessons to look at students’ work. They also visited tutorial sessions and an assembly.  Inspectors observed the work of the school and looked at a range of documentation, including the school's view of its own performance, safeguarding and child protection arrangements, behaviour and attendance, the quality of teaching and minutes of the governing body meetings. Students’ work in a wide range of books and files was also examined.  Inspectors held a series of formal and informal discussions with students to talk about their experience of school, and particularly their learning, behaviour and safety. Discussions were also held with staff, including senior and middle leaders.  A meeting was held with a group of seven governors, including the Chair of the Governing Body.

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Information about this inspection

 Throughout the inspection, inspectors took account of 48 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View), and of 64 questionnaires completed by staff.

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Inspection team

Anthony Briggs, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Timothy Gartside Additional Inspector Judith Gooding Additional Inspector Sheila Kaye Additional Inspector Tony Price Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 All Saints’ Catholic High School is larger than the average-sized secondary school.  All Saints’ Catholic High School converted to become an academy on 1 July 2012. When its predecessor school, of the same name, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be outstanding.  The proportion of students from minority ethnic groups or who speak English as an additional language is above the national average.  The proportion of students supported by the pupil premium is just below average. The pupil premium provides additional funding for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, children from service families and children looked after by the local authority.  The proportion of students supported through school action is above that found nationally; so is the proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum

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Information about this school

expectations for students’ attainment and progress.  A very small number of Key Stage 4 students receive part of their education off-site at Red Tape Studios, Education Through Angling, Construction Design Centre, ReCycle, GTA and Sheaf Catering.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the amount of teaching that is good and outstanding, so that even more students make rapid and sustained progress, by:  ensuring that every teacher makes sure that students understand how well they are doing and what they have to do to improve, through raising the quality of written and verbal feedback to that of the very best in the school  getting more teachers to focus routinely on promoting students’ literacy skills through insisting that students answer questions using full sentences, write lengthy pieces of work and use more advanced language in every subject  tracking more robustly how well students, including the lowest ability and those for whom the pupil premium is an entitlement, are making progress in every lesson.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve student achievement in science so that they experience as much success as they do in their other subjects, by:  increasing the consistency of good teaching within science so that how well students learn is not dependent on which teacher they get  increasing the rigour with which science teachers are held to account for the progress that students make within their subject.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The proportion of students gaining five or more GCSEs at grades A* to C, including English and mathematics, was above the national average in 2013 and standards are rising. Most students, including disabled students and those with special educational needs, achieve well and make good progress from their starting points on entry to the school. They do less well in the key subject of science, where results are significantly below the national average.  The vast majority of students achieve well in English and in mathematics. Students who are entitled to the pupil premium and free school meals do much better than their national counterparts, but they do not attain as well as their classmates by around half a GCSE grade. Fewer also make expected and more than expected progress in English and mathematics, compared to others in school. Progress is also less rapid for some lower-ability students than it is

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The achievement of pupils is good

for others in the school. The most able students achieve well in the majority of their subjects. Disabled students and those with special educational needs and those learning English as an additional language also achieve well over their time in school because, in part, of the personalised support they receive.  The school's projections for 2014 indicate that nearly all the current Year 11 students are likely to make even better progress and attain very well, irrespective of their different starting points.  Students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness is extremely well developed. Consequently, they are very confident and well prepared for further study, training or employment beyond school. The school is committed to ensuring that all students have equal opportunity to do well.  Students build very well on their GCSE successes so that their overall achievement in the sixth form is outstanding. This contributes significantly to the overall achievement within the school.

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The achievement of pupils is good

The proportions gaining the higher A* to B grades at A level or A to B grades at AS level show a rising trend since the previous inspection.  Students’ skills in reading, writing, speaking and listening are developed well in some subjects, but not in others. Consequently, although many students are articulate both in writing and in their speaking, others struggle because literacy is not given enough focus in every subject they study.  The very small number of students educated off-site achieve well and make good progress.  The school enters some students early for examinations, believing that, irrespective of their ability, they are ‘entered when ready’. This has not had a negative impact on the achievement of the most able students. Take-up for sixth-form courses is rising.  Those students who are eligible for the Year 7 catch-up programme receive additional support to improve their literacy skills. There is evidence that this is narrowing the gap between them and

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The achievement of pupils is good

others in their year group. The recently introduced ‘Ambassadors’ Programme’, in which over 50 students have received intensive support with their literacy and numeracy skills from a group of undergraduates from Sheffield Hallam University, has already begun to improve students’ skills in these important areas. However, it is too soon to see the full impact of this initiative.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Students make good progress and attain well over time because much of the teaching they receive is outstanding. Although the quality of teaching has improved since the previous inspection, there remains a small proportion that requires improvement. There are some inconsistencies across the school which senior leaders are working on fastidiously. There has been recent improvement in the quality of teaching in science, but students are still faced with a kind of learning lottery, because how well they learn depends on which teacher they get.  There are high expectations of how hard students should work and how they should behave. Expert subject knowledge ensures that lessons planned are stimulating and intellectually challenging for the vast majority of students. Learning is supported effectively by teaching assistants and other adults. Typically, the pace of learning is brisk and students’ attitudes to

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The quality of teaching is good

learning are positive. Students and staff enjoy excellent relationships, which results in much focused learning in the majority of classrooms. Clear routines are established and students regularly demonstrate that they know these routines in the way that they respond to their teachers.  Students make the best progress in their learning when activities make them think deeply about their own understanding and the progress they are making. When questioning is used skilfully to probe the depth of their understanding, progress is rapid. Good examples of this were seen in several lessons, including English and mathematics.  When marking and feedback give students the detail they need to understand how well they are doing and exactly what to do to improve, their learning flourishes. However, the quality of marking and feedback is patchy across the school and students seldom redraft work in order to improve it, which restricts rapid progress in some subjects. For example, in a sample of science

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The quality of teaching is good

books and test papers looked at by inspectors, feedback was unhelpful, with comments such as: ‘A good start’, ‘Well done’ and ‘When writing formula ensure it is correct.’ There was little evidence of students responding to any comments. Leaders are aware that marking is not as good as they would like it to be and have started to improve it through closer checking of its quality.  In subjects other than English, students’ literacy skills are not given enough focus, so they are not challenged and developed. For example, students are seldom required to answer questions using full sentences and mistakes in their spoken answers are not always corrected. Similarly, there are not enough opportunities for them to produce longer, more extended pieces of written work.  The quality of teaching in the sixth form is stronger than that in the main school and results in students making outstanding progress in their learning. Students benefit from the teachers’

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The quality of teaching is good

excellent subject knowledge and are effectively guided to become independent and self-critical learners. This prepares them well for the next stage in their life.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of students is good overall. Parents, students and the vast majority of staff are very positive about the way students behave in school. Students’ behaviour around the school, as they move from lesson to lesson or as they spend time in their breaks, is of a very high quality. They are very well mannered and friendly towards each other and adults. Students willingly hold doors open for anybody they encounter on the corridor. They are naturally considerate towards one another. No misbehaviour outside lessons was observed during the inspection. One student described the school as ‘a really friendly place’.  Students behave well in the vast majority of classrooms. They are keen to learn and take pride in their work and their appearance. They arrive at lessons on time and ready to learn. They quickly knuckle down to hard work, concentrate well as they learn and respond with excitement and enthusiasm to activities that really interest them. Some said that they occasionally get bored

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

in science lessons, because they spend too much time using textbooks. Inspection evidence showed that a few students can lose focus if the teaching they receive is not fully engaging. Comments made by some support staff indicate that there are occasions when students’ behaviour in lessons is not managed as well as it could be.  Students spoken with both in formal discussions and informally during break times were very positive about the school. They believe that the teachers really care for them and they are very appreciative of the excellent relationships they have with the staff in the school. They say that ‘Teachers are really kind and helpful.’ The school's belief that its community is founded on good relationships and mutual respect is realised on a daily basis. Students, especially those that remember the old building, say how much they appreciate the new school and this can be seen in the lack of graffiti and deliberate damage.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school’s work to keep students safe and secure is outstanding. As a result, students feel exceptionally safe in school. They are fully aware of the different types of bullying, particularly cyber bullying, and were really keen to point out to inspectors that very little bullying ever takes place in school. Detentions and exclusions are particularly low and very few students have ever been permanently excluded.  There is no doubt that the students really enjoy coming to school and this can be seen in their attendance which is above the national average for all groups of students, including those in the sixth form. The number of students who are persistently absent is also lower than that found nationally. Punctuality is not a concern.

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The leadership and management are good

 The new headteacher has been in post for only 22 weeks. However, she is not new to the school. Prior to her recent headship of the adjacent special school, she had previously been a deputy headteacher at All Saints’. Consequently, she knows the school extremely well. Her unyielding commitment to improving the school is contagious and many staff are working with her to move the school forward.  There is an air of excitement within the staff as they take on board new initiatives and acknowledge the increased accountability as well as the revitalised and relentless drive for improvement. Some strong new appointments have been made. Many established staff are stepping up to the plate because they want to be part of this journey of improvement.  The leadership and management of the quality of teaching are strong. The way in which subject teachers are held to account by Strategic Subject Leaders is effective. Performance management

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The leadership and management are good

is also effective and linked closely to the pay progression of staff. There is no doubt that the heat is being turned up on some subject areas such as science and information technology as leaders start to raise standards and expectations. Nevertheless, there is currently too much inconsistency throughout the school in the way some staff are held to account in order to secure outstanding outcomes across the board.  The school knows itself well. School leaders and governors have a secure understanding of how well the school is performing and what needs to be improved. Leaders have accurately judged the quality of teaching to be between good and outstanding. They are also aware of the weaknesses in science and have recently tackled them head on.  The school has very good links with parents and other schools within the diocese. The overwhelming majority of parents that responded to the online questionnaire are very pleased

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The leadership and management are good

with the school and would recommend it to other parents. This view was echoed in the responses of the school staff that returned questionnaires and of the students spoken with.  All Saints’ Catholic High School is an academy, but is not part of a sponsored chain. While this has had some advantages, it has also resulted in the school having a fairly inward view of its work. Consequently, some aspects, such as target setting and curriculum planning, have not improved as much as they should. The new headteacher has recognised this and is driving the quest for improvement.  There has been a recent focus on improving the achievement of students supported by the pupil premium. A raft of strategies has been introduced and the predictions for 2014 indicate that the performance gap could close even further.  The curriculum is appropriate and highly successful. There is a rich menu of cultural, charity and

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The leadership and management are good

sporting activities on offer to the students. Students appreciate the vast range of opportunities that greatly enhances their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  Leadership and management of the sixth form are outstanding in the way that they have improved the quality of teaching and students’ achievement since the last inspection.  The governance of the school:  Governance is effective. Governors understand school data and are regular visitors to the school. They provide support and challenge to senior leaders. As a result, the governing body has a good understanding of the school’s strengths, including how good teaching is, and of the key areas that require further improvement.  Governors are aware of the links between student achievement and teachers’ salary progression. They are beginning to ask more searching questions of leaders in relation to the school's performance. They recognise that the performance in science is still not good and

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The leadership and management are good

have established strategies to raise achievement in the subject.  Governors know how the pupil premium funding is spent and how it benefits the students. They ensure that safeguarding procedures meet requirements.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 138337 Local authority Sheffield Inspection number 440916

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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School details

Type of school Secondary School category Community 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 1,385 Of which, number on roll in sixth form 375 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Fr J Metcalfe Headteacher Clare Scott Date of previous school inspection 10 March 2011 Telephone number 0114 272 4851 Fax number 0114 276 5371 Email address enquiries@allsaintslearning.co.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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