Hodge Hill CollegeOfsted inspection, 9 Apr 2014

Hodge Hill Sports and Enterprise College Bromford Road, Hodge Hill, Birmingham, B36 8HB

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Requires improvement 3 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3

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

 In past years, too few students at Key Stage 4 have exceeded what is expected of them and, as a result, achievement and attainment have not been high enough.  Students supported by the pupil premium and some of the most-able students are not making rapid enough progress.  Teachers do not expect enough of their students. They do not use the information about what their students already know and can do to set work that is challenging, especially for the most able.  Teachers do not all check closely enough on how well students are learning in lessons.  Teachers do not do enough to support the development of writing in their lessons.  Students are not always required to correct their work or show that they know and understand what they have learned.  Students sometimes waste time in lessons and their behaviour and attitudes towards learning are not as good as they should be.  Several leaders are relatively new to post and

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

it is still too early to see the full impact of the changes they have made to their subject areas.  Until recently, improvements have been too slow because leaders have not acted quickly enough to raise standards of achievement.

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The school has the following strengths

 Students’ achievement is now improving, especially in English and mathematics.  Teaching is improving as a result of close checks on its quality and greater challenge and targeted support for teachers from leaders.  The promotion of students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is effective.  Attendance is well above the national average.  Determined, thoughtful and incisive leadership from the new headteacher and senior staff has resulted in firm improvement since 2013.  Governors are becoming ever more effective. They now know how well the school is doing and challenge leaders to do even better.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching and learning in 43 lessons, of which nine were jointly observed with senior leaders. In addition, they made a number of shorter visits to lessons, tutorial sessions and assemblies.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, the school’s leaders and managers, and groups of staff.  Members of the inspection team held meetings with three groups of students, representing all age groups in the school. Discussions also took place with students informally.  A meeting was held with the Chair and other members of the Governing Body. Conversations were also held with a representative of the local authority and who has been working closely with the school.  The inspection team observed the school’s work and scrutinised documents, including the school’s own evaluation of how well it is doing, the school improvement plan and statistical information about students’ achievement, attendance and exclusions.

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Information about this inspection

 There were 13 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, and 64 responses to the staff questionnaires. Additional comments were received from parents, and consideration was given to the views expressed by students and their families in response to the school’s own surveys.

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Inspection team

Rob Ridout, Lead inspector Additional Inspector John Greevy Additional Inspector Isobell Randall Additional Inspector Kerin Jones Additional Inspector Rob Brandon Piere Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The college is larger than the average-sized secondary school.  The proportion of students from minority ethnic groups is well above the national average. Almost three quarters of students are from Asian backgrounds. Two thirds of the college population are from Pakistani backgrounds.  The proportion of students eligible for the pupil premium is well above average. The pupil premium is additional funding given to the college for students who are known to be eligible for free school meals, children who are looked after by the local authority and those with a parent in the armed services.  The proportion of disabled students or those who have special educational needs supported by school action is above average. The proportion of students supported by school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is well above average.  A small number of students are enrolled on alternative programmes operated by The East

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Information about this school

Birmingham Network of Secondary Schools.  The new headteacher was appointed to her post in April 2013 and the college has recently appointed several new subject leaders to post.  The college meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for students’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that learning is consistently good by:  ensuring that all teachers have high expectations of students  adapting teaching so that students eligible to receive the pupil premium make as much progress as all other students in the college  paying even more attention to the importance of writing in all subjects.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Speed up the progress and attainment of students, particularly in English and mathematics to consistently above average by the end of Key Stage 4 by making sure that all teachers:  use information about students’ levels of attainment more effectively in the classroom to build on previous learning, including for the most able  mark students’ work to a consistently high standard and give them clear feedback as to what they should do to improve it  check that students act upon teachers’ verbal and written feedback.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve students’ behaviour by securing more positive attitudes towards learning through giving work that is consistently more challenging, stimulating and develops interests so raising attainment.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Develop the skills of faculty and subject leaders so that they can hold teachers to account more readily by:  carrying out more frequent lesson observations, checking students’ books and taking a more active role in developing teaching in their subject areas  showing teachers how to use progress information to plan lessons at the right level for all groups of students, including those supported by the pupil premium and the most able.  An external review of the school’s use of the pupil premium should also be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and governance may be improved.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Achievement requires improvement because attainment in English and mathematics is average and, over the last two years, the proportion of students making expected progress and more than expected progress in English and mathematics has been consistently below the national average.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Students’ join the school in Year 7 with standards that are well below average. In recent years, the proportion of students’ achieving five or more GCSE passes at A* to C including English and mathematics has remained well below average.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Effective action taken by the college this year to raise levels of attainment, combined with improvements in the quality of teaching, have already secured better results in English, mathematics and science. College progress information shows that current students are on track to maintain this higher level of achievement in these and other subjects.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Current students are making more rapid progress than in the past. However, while achievement is improving this year across a range of subjects including English, humanities, modern foreign languages, mathematics and science, it is not yet good.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The achievement of disabled students and those who have special educational needs is similar to that of others across the college. Their achievement is now speeding up because of the effective support they receive, both in groups and as individuals, which is now more closely matched to their individual learning needs.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 In 2013, students supported by the pupil premium achieved grades that were about one third of a GCSE lower than other students in the college. For many of these students, rates of progress were slower than that of their classmates. Additional resources have been used well this year and additional staff give extra support to eligible students to help them complete work, practise their skills and revise topics they find hard. The more effective use of this funding this year is helping these students to progress more rapidly.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Teachers support English and mathematics skills better this year. The college has created extra groups where students can be taught more effectively. Nevertheless, too many students still have difficulties recording their ideas in writing.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The progress of Year 7 students eligible for additional help with reading as part of the government’s catch-up funding is now similar to that of other students and is sometimes better. Effective teaching helps these students to use the sounds of the letters to make words and read better. This is enhanced through planned reading programmes and directed reading during tutorial time.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Students who speak English as an additional language or arrive at the college after the start of Year 7 are better supported in improving their English speaking and listening skills. They make more rapid progress than in previous years. This is because of the targeted and intense support provided by the college to individual and groups of students.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Students take GCSE examinations in English and mathematics earlier than is usual. Results in English and science are significantly better than in previous years and selected students are given the opportunity to improve their attainment further in Year 11. However, early entry limits the potential of some students, particularly the most able, who settle for lower grades than they might expect to attain in taking examinations at the usual time.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of teaching and learning is still not consistently good. Learning is least effective in lessons which lack a sense of urgency and where teachers do not establish high expectations and push students to make more rapid progress.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Not all teachers use the information they have on students’ progress to set work at the right level, particularly for more-able students and those eligible for the pupil premium.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Marking requires improvement because it varies between and within subject teams. There is a strong link between the progress seen over time and the quality of marking. In some books, there is just an acknowledgement that the work has been done while in others there are helpful comments to guide students on what they need to do to move their learning on.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Students’ learning is most effective when they are required to answer searching questions to develop their understanding of the subject. Learning was further helped when teachers followed up their written comments to check that students had corrected their work.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Students say that they learn best when the subject is relevant to them and presented in an interesting way.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Examples of good and outstanding teaching were observed during the inspection but there is not enough of it to ensure that all students make rapid progress in the college. However, many aspects of teaching are improving. New initiatives and good training have helped to secure better teaching.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of independent advice for all year groups is now of a high quality. This is enabling more students to make appropriate choices for their next stage of their education. The numbers going on into education or employment when leaving the college has risen significantly this year.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 The behaviour of students requires improvement. While most students behave well in lessons and want to learn, some are less attentive and talk with others rather than listening to what teachers are saying and getting on with the work set.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 As students return to lessons from break times, there is much litter left about the site. A small but significant number of the senior boys can be seen pushing and shoving each other as they return to lessons deliberately late. This sets a poor example to younger students and shows a lack of respect for the college and its rules.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 The number of fixed-term exclusions is high because of the higher expectations set by the college since the arrival of the new headteacher. However, these are now beginning to fall as the new behaviour strategies begin to impact. Students say that ‘the college is a better place now’.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 The large majority of students behave well in and around the school. They are generally polite and respectful towards each other. Younger students are proud of their college and enjoy coming.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 The college’s work to keep students safe and secure requires improvement. Staff work to keep students safe. Despite this, some students still do not feel completely safe at the college and the small number of parents who responded on Parent View echo this view.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Students have a good awareness of bullying and can describe the different types they might encounter. They have been taught how to keep themselves safe when using the internet, social media and networking sites. Most feel that, if bullying was reported, it would be dealt with by the college, but some feel less confident.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Students say they enjoy coming to the college. This is confirmed by the rapid and sustained increase in attendance across all years. Attendance is now well above average because of the regular contact the college has with parents and the good support it receives from them.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leaders, managers and governors have not ensured that there is sufficient good teaching for students to make expected or better progress in many subjects and this has resulted in some students not doing as well as they could.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The skills of faculty and subject leaders vary. Not all are effective in holding teachers to account for their work. Some do not carry out enough lesson observations or checks of students’ books or take an active role in developing teaching in their subject areas. For example, they do not show teachers how to use progress information to plan lessons at the right level for all groups of students, including those supported by the pupil premium and the most able.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The tracking of students’ progress has improved at all levels. This has resulted in achievement rising in most subjects, including English, mathematics and science, and for many groups of students. However, students supported by the pupil premium are still not achieving as well as their peers.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The new headteacher is determined, ambitious for the college and has made it clear to all staff that standards must rise. She has acted decisively and introduced changes that are already bringing about improvements in teaching and achievement.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leaders have the full support of governors, the majority of staff and a growing proportion of parents to raise standards further.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The headteacher has developed senior leaders so that they make high-quality checks on the quality of teaching and students’ achievement. Their judgements are accurate. The support offered to teachers to improve their own practice is increasing the proportion of teaching that is good or better.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The headteacher has considerably strengthened the way in which teachers’ performance is judged. Pay progression is now clearly linked to the achievement of students. Underperformance is robustly challenged and little inadequate teaching remains.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The mix of subjects taught is appropriate. The college’s commitment to ensuring that all students are equipped with good reading and numeracy skills is evident in the additional time and support devoted to developing these aspects more fully. However, in subjects other than English, not enough attention is given to consistently reinforcing students’ key writing skills.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The college is committed to the promotion of equality of opportunity and ensuring that it is an inclusive community where all are equally value and respected. Students speak of the improving levels of tolerance and respect within the college this year.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The college’s arrangements for safeguarding students meet statutory requirements.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school has received good support from its local authority in helping it to monitor standards and improve teaching.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Students enjoy many opportunities that contribute to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. They are encouraged to explore different religions and cultures through planned programmes and assemblies. They are encouraged to take greater responsibility for themselves and others through the student council and house system. Local partnerships, including links with primary schools through sport, raise a greater awareness of the needs of others.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  The governing body is well informed by the new headteacher. It supports and challenges senior leaders in equal measure. Governors take part in training activities that enable them to have a good grasp of progress information. They clearly understand how well the school is doing in comparison to other schools, both locally and nationally. Governors question the regular reports from senior leaders about the quality of teaching and the progress of students. They understand fully the link between the appraisal of staff performance and that of salary progression based on the achievement of students. The governing body has worked very closely with the new headteacher to overcome a legacy of poor teaching, achievement and behaviour. Governors have played a key part in securing recent improvements. The governing body has a good understanding of the college’s finances, including on how the pupil premium

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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 103503 Local authority Birmingham Inspection number 444356

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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 Comprehensive School category Community Age range of pupils 11–16 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 1172 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Malcom Sparkes Headteacher Ann Anderson Date of previous school inspection 8 November 2010 Telephone number 0121 783 7807 Fax number 0121 464 7517 Email address enquiy@hodgehill.bham.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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