Wyvern College

School report Wyvern College Botley Road, Eastleigh, SO50 7AN

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of students Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of students Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and students

This is a good college.  Students’ achievement is good and improving. Disabled students and those with special educational needs make particularly good progress because they are supported by a very strong special educational needs and learning support team.  Actions by college leaders have had a significant impact in achieving good progress for most groups of students including those students who are eligible for free school meals and those who are in care.  The headteacher leads the college well, driving it to achieve the highest standards.  Teaching is good overall and there is some that is outstanding, particularly in mathematics, art, history, religious education (RE), physical education (PE) and food technology.  The teaching of reading across all subjects has been a main focus in the college and there has been good progress for all groups of students, including the least able.  Students speak confidently and say they enjoy

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Summary of key findings for parents and students

college. They behave consistently well and interact easily with one another.  The pastoral system in the college is highly appreciated by students and parents and carers. All students are given high-quality care and guidance and students feel safe, secure and happy in college.  Students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very good. It is a strong feature in many lessons and in all subject areas.  The ability of the college to improve even further has been strengthened by a restructuring of the senior leadership team. It gives the headteacher support in raising behaviour, achievement and teaching to the highest standards.  Academy trustees check how well leaders and teachers meet their targets very carefully. They act swiftly to tackle any weaknesses. Trustees know a lot about the college and its strengths and areas for improvement.

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It is not yet an outstanding college because:

 Some teachers' expectations are not high enough for middle-ability students in many subject areas, and particularly in English.  A few subject leaders do not use evidence from classroom observations well enough to set accurate or effective targets to improve teaching and learning.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors visited 46 lessons; three were observed together with the leadership team.  Inspectors visited an assembly and tutor time to find out how well the personal needs of individual students were met. Students’ log books were examined in four classes to check how consistently homework is set across year groups and subjects.  An inspector listened to students reading aloud.  Inspectors also carried out observations of three shorter lessons to check on progress over this year for those students who need extra help to catch up.  Inspectors examined students’ files and exercise books to check the quality of marking and the help offered to students to improve their work.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, the Chair of the Governing Body and seven other members, and a variety of other leaders and groups of staff. Inspectors had telephone conversations with a representative of the local authority and with representatives of Eastleigh

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Information about this inspection

College, Compass and The Bridge pupil referral units. The lead inspector also met the Director of the ETC Alliance (Teaching School) of which Wyvern is a strategic partner.  Inspectors spoke with five groups of students in meetings and also informally in lessons and around the college.  Inspectors took account of 143 responses to the Ofsted online questionnaire (Parent View) and four letters from parents and carers. The lead inspector also had a meeting with a parent or carer.  There were 54 staff questionnaires returned and considered by the inspection team.  Inspectors examined a range of documents, including examples of students’ work, the college’s own information on students’ attainment and progress, and records of attendance and behaviour. They also checked minutes of governor meetings, safeguarding logs, college planning documents and records of classroom observations by college leaders. They also looked carefully at the

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Information about this inspection

college’s current data on students’ achievement.

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Inspection team

Sheila Crew, Lead inspector Balvinder Ghathora Genevieve (Jenny) Usher Trevor Woods Jonathan Whitcombe Additional Inspector Additional Inspector Additional Inspector Additional Inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this college

 Wyvern College converted to become an academy in June 2012.  A nursery school, on the same site as the college, is part of the Wyvern Academy Trust.  The academy is governed by Academy Trustees who officially took over from the governing body in August 2012.  Wyvern College is significantly larger than the average-sized secondary school although numbers on roll have slightly decreased in the last three years. The college was given the Investor in People award in 2012.  Most students are of White British heritage and speak English as their first language.  The proportion of students supported by additional funding provided for looked after children and students eligible for free school meals is below the national average.  The proportion of disabled students and those who have special educational needs with statements or who are supported through school action plus is below the national average.

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Information about this college

 The college meets the current government floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for students’ progress and attainment.  The college is involved in partnership working with a local teaching school, Wildern School, known as the ETC Alliance (Excellence, Transformation and Collaboration). .  The headteacher is chairman of the Heads & Principals' group of the Eastleigh & Romsey consortium of 15 schools & colleges.  The senior leadership team has been re-structured since the college converted to become an academy. There is a new deputy headteacher, a new assistant headteacher and an academy business manager, who oversees the administration of the nursery school.  The Key Stage 4 curriculum starts in Year 9 for all subjects except modern foreign languages. Approximately 50% of Year 9 students take a GCSE examination in either French or German. There are also early entries in mathematics, statistics, media studies, ICT and science..

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Information about this college

 Fifteen students in Years 10 and 11 attend off-site courses at Eastleigh College. Four students attend The Bridge and one student is enrolled at The Compass pupil referral unit.

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What does the college need to do to improve further?

 Further raise the levels of achievement of all students by:  ensuring that, in every lesson, there are high expectations which challenge middle-ability students to reach their highest potential, particularly in English  ensuring that writing is a core part of every subject, with a sharper focus on the accuracy of written work  making sure that marking is consistently done by all teachers and that it gives students clear steps to know how to improve.  Strengthen leadership further by:  developing subject leaders’ ability to use evidence from classroom observations more accurately to improve the progress of students in their subject areas.

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The achievement of students is good

 Students enter the college with attainment that is above average for their age. By the time they leave Year 11, the proportion gaining five A* to C GCSE grades, including in English and mathematics, is just above the national average.  Scrutiny of students’ work shows that the quality of achievement in the college is good for most groups of students at Key Stage 4 including those students who are disabled or have special educational needs. These students are provided with strong support in mainstream classes as well as individual programmes in the learning support unit. Progress for this group of students in lessons observed by inspectors was good and in line with other students in lessons.  Most students achieve more than expected progress for their age at GCSE in mathematics, humanities and modern foreign languages. The most-able students also do particularly well in GCSE biology, chemistry, food technology, music, PE, core and additional sciences, physics and

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The achievement of students is good

statistics.  There has been variable progress in English and middle-ability students have underachieved. This has had an impact on the proportion of students gaining five A* to C GCSE grades including in English and mathematics. College leaders have taken swift action to eradicate this underachievement by precisely targeted support and more rigorous checking of individual students’ progress.  Trustees have approved the use of additional funding from the government to buy in more teachers in English and mathematics and tutors who provide one-to-one support, including in Year 7. This extra money has been spent well to support students who need help to catch up in lessons, and their progress has continued to improve this year. On average, the gap in achievement for this group when compared to the main body of students is two thirds of a GCSE grade below. This gap has been closing consistently over the past three years. In 2013 they

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The achievement of students is good

performed in line with their peers in mathematics and higher nationally than others in this group .  The college enters higher ability students early for several GCSE subjects. The top 50% of students are entered for a modern foreign language at the end of Year 9 and pass rates for A*-C grades are high. The most-able students take mathematics in Year 10 with pass rates of A*/A that are significantly above the national average. Some students take GCSE statistics at the end of Year 10 and others go on to study an advanced mathematics qualification in Year 11. The majority of Key Stage 4 students are also entered for GCSE Core Science at the end of Year 10, followed by GCSE Additional Science in Year 11. College and national data show that students entered for these qualifications have high success rates.  Some Years 10 and 11 students attend off-site courses at Eastleigh College for one day per week. Fifteen students study Level 2 qualifications in construction, hair and beauty, catering and

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The achievement of students is good

motor vehicle maintenance. Their progress is closely monitored and attendance is reported daily; current attendance is 96%. Reports on their progress are produced every term by Eastleigh College and these students are currently in line to go on to study Level 3 qualifications.  The college has a small number of students in KS4 attending alternative provision at the Bridge Centre and Compass school. They are making good progress and are on track to achieve five A* to G GCSE subjects.  The teaching of reading across all subjects has been a main focus in the college and there has been progress for all groups of students, including the least able, to develop better skills in reading. There are regular opportunities for students to read for pleasure in the college day, for example in tutor groups and as part of the Reading Ambassadors programme, where higher- ability students read with less-able readers. In discussions, students who have received extra

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The achievement of students is good

help with reading were very positive about how their reading was improving and were confident in reading aloud. Senior leaders are aware that there needs to be an additional literacy focus to ensure that standards in written work are raised to improve fluency and accuracy.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Most teaching is good and some is outstanding. It engages and challenges students across all ability ranges. This is because staff know their students well and they use their checks on students’ progress with confidence to plan lessons which interest them and match their abilities.  Where teaching is outstanding, teachers have high expectations. In these lessons, activities are well planned, imaginative and stimulate students’ curiosity. In a religious education lesson there were well-thought-out discussions about life after death, based on research that students had done for homework. Work was undertaken in an atmosphere of mutual respect in a positive climate for learning. One lower-ability student took the lead in many of the discussions while being very well supported by the teacher. Every student was interested and eager to contribute opinions. Marking in books was extremely good. Not only were teacher’s comments frequent and

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The quality of teaching is good

helpful in enabling the students to know how to improve their work, there was also an expectation that students would write their own comments, showing they understood how to make changes that would move them to higher standards.  Teaching strategies are adapted to stimulate learning, for example mathematics lessons consistently engage students in group and pair work. They discuss recent examination papers and those who have answered correctly ‘teach’ other students. Students say they find this useful. There are excellent relationships between students and the teacher. Most students’ files show they have increased their marks since September and improved their grades. Students explain they have achieved this by using homework tasks to revise mathematics techniques and apply that learning in lessons.  Teachers have good subject knowledge. They know what students already understand and use this knowledge to plan demanding and interesting work, to which students respond

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The quality of teaching is good

enthusiastically. For example, in a history lesson students considered a range of stimulating resources about whether or not Guy Fawkes was innocent or guilty. Students were enthusiastic in exchanging ideas and came to a number of carefully considered arguments based on historical evidence.  The effective use of teaching assistants to support students on an individual basis in lessons is very good, particularly for disabled students and those with special educational needs. For example, in an art lesson students were highly engaged in a research task based on biographies of well-known artists. Special educational needs students were supported effectively by the support staff who coached them in good research techniques and they had a clear understanding of what they needed to do to improve their work.  Occasionally teachers’ expectations are not sufficiently challenging, particularly in English. The

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The quality of teaching is good

number of middle-ability students achieving B or C grades at GCSE is not yet high enough. The recent drive to improve literacy is having an impact on students’ ability to explore texts in detail, which means that they make some progress, but they could achieve more.  Teachers provide helpful comments in their marking in some subjects, particularly humanities and languages, and students show that they understand how to improve. However, this is not always applied consistently across the whole college. College leaders recognise that high-quality marking needs to be consistent in every subject.  There is strong evidence to show that some students who struggle with reading in Year 7 have been moved on through good and effective teaching. Teachers make good use of key words and appropriate language in a range of subjects.

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The behaviour and safety of students are good

 The behaviour of students is good; they speak confidently about life in college and say they enjoy it.  The pastoral system in the college is highly appreciated by students and parents and carers. Form tutors stay with their groups from Year 7 through to Year 11 and parents and carers went out of their way to inform inspectors how beneficial they feel this is. One parent or carer wrote, ‘The teacher has been a superb year tutor and is held in very high regard by the class. From day one he made all students feel welcome and my child is proud to be a member of his tutor group.’  Attitudes to learning are good and students are well supported. This is particularly true for students with special educational needs, who have individualised programmes which help them to integrate with mainstream classes and develop confidence in relating to one another. In drama, students who needed extra help were encouraged to trust one another by expressing

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The behaviour and safety of students are good

feelings through performance and they performed confidently.  Students who are vulnerable are provided with very good support by the learning support staff. College records show that these students make good use of the safe study areas which are available when needed.  The college’s work to keep students safe and secure is very good. Students understand risks and know the college rules. They find teachers very approachable and say it is always easy to talk to them. Students say they have always felt completely safe at school and know exactly who they would turn to if there was a problem.  Students discussed their awareness of the different types of bullying, including cyber bullying and racism. They are confident that staff deal effectively with any incidents that occur. Although a small minority of students expressed some reservations about bullying and how it is managed, the overwhelming majority considered that if it does happen, it is dealt with very rapidly. Racism

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The behaviour and safety of students are good

is not tolerated and carries severe penalties. They are equally clear on cyber bullying and they mention some memorable assemblies on this.  An effective feature of the college’s pastoral system is the use of older students as peer mentors for younger students.  Good behaviour is reflected in the high attendance figures for all students, which are above average. College sanctions and rewards have proved very effective in improving the behaviour of students at risk of exclusion. These include time spent by some vulnerable students in the Forest School and in the Pavilion rehabilitation programme, which have ensured a rapid decline in the rate of fixed-term exclusions.  Trustees have approved the use of additional funding to appoint staff who have specific responsibilities to improve the attendance of those students who are looked after or are eligible for free school meals.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher is a strong leader who drives the college to achieve the highest standards. He has taken decisive and successful action to move the college forward by restructuring the leadership team.  The senior leadership team has been extended since the college converted to become an academy. The additional leaders have responsibilities to bring a sharper focus on the analysis of data on students’ achievement and how it is used to improve teaching and learning.  The headteacher and deputy headteacher carry out systematic lesson observations. Teachers are given written feedback and a range of targets hold them to account. Records show that the proportion of good or outstanding lessons is high, with significant improvements across subject departments. The quality of teachers’ work is linked to pay progression and to Teachers’ Standards. Strategies to improve the leadership of teaching also include a two-year cycle of

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The leadership and management are good

departmental reviews and a triad programme which requires teachers to peer review one another’s classroom practice. This is not yet fully embedded.  Pastoral leaders provide high-quality leadership; they work together with subject leaders and tutors to check on individual students’ progress and ensure that they are given very good care and guidance.  The special educational needs department is well managed. Leaders check on the impact of actions taken to support students through classroom observations and by examining the work in their exercise books. Learning support assistants are provided with high-quality training and their work with students is regularly evaluated. Parents and carers express gratitude for the high- quality support provided for this group of students.  The college purchases services from the local authority through the visit of a Leading Learning Partner (LLP) to monitor progress. The external review report in 2014 has provided a very clear

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The leadership and management are good

outline of the strengths and areas for development of the college. This included the recommendation that middle leaders should lead departmental reviews in order to make them more accountable for the work of their teams.  Most subject leaders are dedicated to improving teaching and learning and they aspire to reach high standards. They check students’ progress and the quality of teaching in their departments. A few subject leaders do not yet use achievement data fully to ensure that teaching meets the specific learning needs of all students. Consistency in high-quality marking that provides students with an understanding of how to improve is not yet fully in place.  The headteacher’s wide leadership experience includes links with the Heads & Principals' group of the Eastleigh & Romsey Consortium, which he chairs. These bring benefits to the college in the form of high-quality teachers from Schools Direct and professional support for subject

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The leadership and management are good

leaders.  The college provides a good range of subjects. There is a keen focus on academic choices which are expanded by the provision of vocational courses for some students at Eastleigh College. There is an extensive range of after-school activities for students which include drama and music events such as the Christmas production, the Rock Academy Concert as well as overseas trips and after-school clubs, like the 'Let's Get Cooking!' workshops.  Students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very good. It is a strong feature in many lessons and in all subject areas. This was evident in lessons and tutor periods where students discussed news events such as the disappearance of the Malaysian airliner and gay marriage. Students are given opportunities to reflect on social issues in assemblies, such as the importance of teamwork and achieving personal goals and they express very clear understanding

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The leadership and management are good

of right and wrong.  The overwhelming majority of parents and carers who responded to the online questionnaire said they were very pleased with the way the college is led and would recommend it to others.  Staff questionnaire responses indicate that they unanimously believe the college to be well led. A typical comment is ‘This is a very good school. Staff and students share common goals and aims. Learning is at the forefront of everything. Systems are well established and supported by all.’  The governance of the college:  Trustees are very active and they have comprehensive knowledge of the college. They have a good understanding of the quality of teaching and spend time in the college with their link departments. They set the headteacher’s performance targets and hold the headteacher to account with regard to the accuracy of predictions for students’ achievement, examination results, the quality of teaching and attendance. Trustees are developing a better

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The leadership and management are good

understanding of data on how well the college is performing when compared to all colleges nationally. They take up opportunities for training including recruitment, safeguarding and Raise online data analysis.  Trustees have a firm grasp of the finances and of systems for pay progression and rewards for good teaching. They have supported the headteacher in decisions about staffing and promotions. Trustees ensure that the additional funding provided by the government for students who need extra help is well managed and they are developing a good understanding of its impact on students’ achievement.

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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 students’ needs. This ensures that students 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 students’ needs. Students 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 students 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 138184 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 441144

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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 Academy – Converter Mainstream School category Comprehensive Age range of pupils 11–16 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the college roll 1295 Appropriate authority Academy Trustees Chair Lynda Smith Headteacher Alan Newton Date of previous school inspection n/a Telephone number 02380 692679 Fax number 02380 603215

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Email address

enquiries@wyvern.hants.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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Email address

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s college. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which colleges to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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Email address

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about colleges 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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Email address

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), colleges, 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 college. Under the Education Act 2005, the college 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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Email address

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 college inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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Email address

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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