Corpus Christi Catholic High School

Corpus Christi Catholic High School St Vincent’s Road, Fulwood, Preston, Lancashire, PR2 8QY

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Inspection dates 30 September–1 October 2014

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Inadequate 4 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3

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

 Students’ achievement requires improvement. Not all students make the progress that is expected of them in English and mathematics.  The most-able students are not achieving their very best. Disadvantaged students are not achieving as well as other students in some subjects.  Teaching requires improvement. Teaching is not leading to good progress over time for enough students. Activities are not planned carefully enough to ensure that all students achieve their best.  Students’ behaviour requires improvement. The number of days that are lost to exclusion is too high. In a small number of lessons students are not fully involved in learning.  Leadership and management require improvement because leaders have not yet succeeded in ensuring that teaching is consistently good and that students make good progress.  Some subject leaders have not developed the skills they need to drive forward improvements in teaching and achievement quickly.

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The school has the following strengths

 The school is improving quickly. The headteacher is highly ambitious for the students and the school. His clear vision and high expectations set the tone for the whole school community. Leaders, staff, students and governors are working well as a cohesive team and are successfully improving behaviour, attendance, the effectiveness of teaching and students’ achievement.  Leaders’ accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and priorities arise from the stringent checks on teaching, students’ progress and all aspects of school life. As a result decisive action is taken and leads to improvements.  Students feel safe and secure in school. They recognise that much has been done to improve students’ behaviour since the arrival of the headteacher.  Students are well-mannered and polite. In the vast majority of lessons, students settle quickly, do their work and behave well. Increasingly, students take responsibility for their own behaviour, learning and

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The school has the following strengths

ambitions.  Parents are far more involved in supporting their children’s learning, because they know much more about how their children are progressing and what they can do to keep them interested.  Students from minority ethnic backgrounds and those who speak English as an additional language achieve well. Inspection report: Error! Reference source not found. Corpus Christi Catholic High School, 30 September– 1 October 2014 2 of 9

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 39 part-lessons. Six of these were carried out jointly with senior leaders. Inspectors, together with senior leaders, scrutinised students’ work in their books. They listened to a small number of students reading.  Discussions were held with staff, students and governors and a representative of the local authority.  Documents looked at included the self-evaluation document, improvement plans, information on students’ achievement, records of students’ behaviour and attendance, documents relating to safeguarding, and minutes of the Standards and Effectiveness Committee Meetings.  Parents’ views were taken into account through the school’s survey of over 70 parents gathered in March 2014. There were too few responses to Parent View (the Ofsted on-line questionnaire), to support an on- line analysis.

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Inspection team

Gillian Salter-Smith, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Inspection team

Steven Baker Additional Inspector Inspection report: Error! Reference source not found. Corpus Christi Catholic High School, 30 September– 1 October 2014 3 of 9

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Full report

In accordance with section 13 (5) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that the school no longer requires significant improvement.

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Information about this school

 The school is smaller than the average-sized secondary school.  The proportion of students supported by the pupil premium is above average. The pupil premium is additional funding for those students who are known to be eligible for free school meals and those children who are looked after by the local authority. These students will be referred to as ‘disadvantaged’ throughout the report.  The majority of students are from White British backgrounds.  The proportion of students from different minority ethnic backgrounds is higher than in most schools, as is the proportion that speaks English as an additional language.  An average proportion of students is supported through school action. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for

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Information about this school

students’ attainment and progress.  Courses are provided for a small number of students away from the school site at Myerscough College, Preston College and Preston Vocational Centre and Larches Medical Provision.  A National Leader of Education from Bishop Rawstorne Church of England Academy, Croston, supported the school for a short time following the previous inspection.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching further so that more students make good progress across subjects, especially the most able and disadvantaged students by:  making sure that, in mathematics especially, students have fully understood key concepts and developed secure skills before moving on to new work  giving the most-able students work, including homework, that gets the most out of them  using questioning more precisely to check thoroughly on students’ learning, to probe and deepen their understanding, and to encourage students to improve their oral communication skills  ensuring that teachers’ marking is consistently helpful to students, so that they make real gains in knowledge and understanding and their key literacy skills are improved  ensuring that students are given homework that is relevant, demanding and moves their learning on, whatever their starting point.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve students’ behaviour and attitudes to learning by:  eliminating inconsistencies in teachers’ expectations of good behaviour and the way that teachers put into practice the school policy on behaviour  improving further the support for disadvantaged students and those with special educational needs, so that their exclusion from school is reduced  ensuring that all lessons capture students’ interest and make demands of them, so that they do not lose interest in learning and become distracted.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management by:  developing the skills of some subject leaders so that, across subjects, they are consistent in bringing about improvements in teaching and students’ achievement  planning for all subjects, so that there are more opportunities for students to improve literacy and numeracy skills and to develop and understand British values. Inspection report: Error! Reference source not found. Corpus Christi Catholic High School, 30 September– 1 October 2014 4 of 9

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leadership and management require improvement. The school is improving quickly. However, the changes that have been implemented and proved to work have not all been in place long enough to secure consistently good achievement across subjects and for all students.  Not all subject leaders have developed the skills they need to improve the effectiveness of teaching and students’ achievement quickly.  The headteacher has established an atmosphere of ambition, aspiration and high expectations. He recognised the importance of establishing a culture where learning can readily take place. Leaders, staff and students are responding well to his caring, calm and energetic leadership. Staff, leaders and governors have taken on this positive ethos with enthusiasm and are working effectively towards achieving high ambitions for the school. As a result, students’ behaviour, attitudes to learning, attendance

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The leadership and management requires improvement

and achievement are improving, and teaching is increasingly effective.  Leaders have developed very rigorous means to check on all aspects of the school, so that they have a clear understanding of the school’s priorities. Actions are tightly focused on priorities. Rigorous checks make sure that any actions taken do make a difference to students. Leaders, staff and students are held closely to account for their work. The management of staff performance is rigorous and salary progression is linked closely to students’ progress and the school’s priorities.  Teaching is improving because staff have undertaken well-focused professional development and individuals receive the support that they need to improve the impact of their teaching on students’ progress.  The curriculum meets most students’ needs. Leaders are developing the curriculum to reflect the new National Curriculum requirements. However, the plans that guide day-to-day teaching do not ensure that

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The leadership and management requires improvement

teaching will include enough opportunities to improve students’ literacy and numeracy skills in all subjects. Not enough specific attention is paid to developing students’ understanding of British values.  The school’s arrangements to ensure that students are kept safe meet the government’s requirements.  The local authority has provided good support for this school since the previous inspection. The local authority has provided effective professional development for teaching staff and leaders. It has worked closely with the governing body to improve the skills and effectiveness of governors. It has kept a close check on the school’s rate of improvement. Immediately following the last inspection, a National Leader of Education supported the school for a short time.  Parents recognise and appreciate the improvements in the school. They are increasingly involved in supporting their children’s learning. The attendance of parents at the most recent parents’ evening for

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The leadership and management requires improvement

Year 11 students was high at 92%.  The governance of the school:  Governors have worked closely with leaders and the local authority to promote the rate of improvement in the school. Many governors have joined school leaders to support their monitoring activities, such as checks on leadership, teaching and students’ workbooks. Consequently, governors have improved their skills and understanding of how schools should function. As a result, they ask pertinent and challenging questions of leaders. For example, in the most recent local authority standards and effectiveness meeting, governors expressed concern about students who may end up being taught mostly by staff who are not yet performing at a good level. This was a question that leaders appreciated and led to further scrutiny of the school’s work.  Governors review data and understand information on students’ progress. As a result, they have an

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The leadership and management requires improvement

accurate understanding of how well the school is performing. Governors know how well teachers are functioning and what is being done to support teachers who need to improve. They support and understand the headteacher’s decisions on performance management.  Governors have a good hold on finances and manage the budget prudently. They are fully aware of how the pupil premium is being spent and what the impact is on students’ progress.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of students requires improvement. The number of days in school that students lose because they are excluded for short periods, although getting fewer, is higher than the national average. Inspection report: Error! Reference source not found. Corpus Christi Catholic High School, 30 September– 1 October 2014 5 of 9

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Behaviour

Amongst these students there are too many disadvantaged students and those with special educational needs.  In a small number of lessons, students are not fully attentive and are easily distracted because the tasks do not capture their interest. Staff are not all consistent in expecting good behaviour and in putting the school’s behaviour policies into practice.  Students, parents and staff are very clear that behaviour and attitudes to learning have improved a great deal since the previous inspection. Attendance has improved and is broadly in line with national averages. Students take much greater care in the way they write and present their work in their workbooks, because teachers expect more of them. Most of the work is presented well and is line with the school’s policy.  The headteacher has established clear and high expectations of behaviour, attendance and attitudes to learning. Almost all staff, including those responsible for students’ care and well-being, make sure that

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Behaviour

conformity to these high expectations is a high priority. As a result, students do comply more readily to the expectations for school uniform, the equipment they need for lessons, behaviour, movement around the school and the completion of homework.  Students express their ideas to leaders and know there will be a response. For example, leaders are now developing a different approach to rewarding students’ positive behaviour as a result of consultation.  Students are becoming more familiar with working cooperatively to help each other as they learn. They are gaining confidence in discussing their ideas with each other. There is still a way to go to develop a good level of competence in oral communication.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good.  Students feel safe and secure in school. They say that bullying is rare and that they know that adults will help sort out any problems they have. They know about different types of bullying, including that related to homophobia. Students know how to keep themselves safe, including when they are using modern technology.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of teaching requires improvement because, although it is getting better, it is not yet consistently good enough to be sure that most students make good progress over time across subjects.  Students do not always have the chance to fully understand key concepts and develop secure skills before moving on to new work, particularly in mathematics.  The most-able students do not do work that gets the most out of them in all lessons. Sometimes, students do not deepen their understanding because teachers do not question them closely enough to probe their understanding.  Occasionally, students do not have enough opportunity to improve their speaking and listening skills. Students are not often encouraged to listen to and respond to each other’s ideas or to question the responses of other students.  Teacher’s marking of students’ work is improving and the school’s policy sets out clear expectations.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

However, it is not yet consistently effective. The best marking gives students useful guidance, so that students make improvements and teachers acknowledge these. In some marking not enough attention is paid to improving students’ key literacy skills.  Increasingly homework is set on a regular basis. However, it is not always valued by students nor is it planned precisely enough to get the most out of all students, especially the most able.  Teaching of literacy is improving and students take greater care with the presentation of their work because of the relentless focus on improving handwriting and the need to conform to the school’s high expectations. However, there is not a consistent focus on improving key literacy skills across all subjects.  Students benefit from teachers’ secure knowledge of their subjects so that, most often, they hear clear explanations and go through a series of well-planned tasks that help them to learn step by step.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Students are mostly well-behaved and interested in learning. They enjoy sharing their ideas with each other and accepting the leadership of their peers. Occasionally, students’ attention wanders because they are not interested enough in the tasks or teachers do not set high enough expectations of their behaviour.  Students make the most progress when they take a real interest in their learning and are keen to improve; they are prepared well to learn from each other. Students learn at a good rate when staff know the students well and make sure that whatever their prior learning, they are given work that stimulates them Inspection report: Error! Reference source not found. Corpus Christi Catholic High School, 30 September– 1 October 2014 6 of 9

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

and moves them on at a good rate.  Assessment is being used well, particularly for the oldest students, to identify and tackle underperformance. The extra support that these students receive helps them to improve quickly. This support is currently being extended to all year groups across the school.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The achievement of students requires improvement. Although students’ attainment and progress is improving quickly, not all students are performing as well as they should.  In 2014, students’ attainment and progress improved significantly compared with the previous year. There was a 9% increase in the proportion of students gaining five or more A* to C grades at GCSE. Despite these gains, students’ attainment was below the national average in both English and mathematics and did not yet show good progress from their significantly below average starting points.  Inspection evidence shows that the improvements made in 2014 are on track to continue, because of improving teaching, behaviour, attendance and leadership.  The progress of disadvantaged students requires improvement. The gap between disadvantaged students and others nationally is closing for attainment and progress both in English and mathematics. In 2014

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

disadvantaged students remained around one GCSE grade behind others nationally in English and in mathematics. When considering the gap between disadvantaged students and those who are not, within the school, this gap too is closing, but disadvantaged students were still over half a GCSE grade behind others. Pupil premium funding is being used effectively to support these students and their families.  Although the achievement of the most-able students is improving year on year, their attainment and progress in English and mathematics require improvement and are still behind national averages.  Students from minority ethnic backgrounds and those learning English as an additional language achieve well across most subjects.  Catch-up funding is being targeted well and there is evidence of these students making up for ground lost. Students who struggle to read are supported well. Most students have sufficient skills in literacy and

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

numeracy to be able to understand the curriculum and what they are being taught.  Disabled students and those with special educational needs are making steady progress. Teaching assistants are briefed well and effective in supporting students in classes, particularly those with special educational needs. They are skilled in getting students to understand tasks and develop their confidence to tackle them.  Those students following courses held away from the school site benefit from activities and qualifications that keep most of them interested in their education and own futures. Their achievement is similar to that of other students.  The practice of entering students for examinations in mathematics before the end of Year 11 has depressed students’ results in the past. This no longer happens.  The increased rigour with which students’ progress is tracked is resulting in all students, no matter what

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

their circumstances, having a better chance to succeed, reflecting the school’s ambitions for equality of opportunity. Inspection report: Error! Reference source not found. Corpus Christi Catholic High School, 30 September– 1 October 2014 7 of 9

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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 failing

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Grade Judgement Description

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. Inspection report: Error! Reference source not found. Corpus Christi Catholic High School, 30 September– 1 October 2014 8 of 9

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School details

Unique reference number 119780 Local authority Lancashire Inspection number 447713

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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 Voluntary aided Age range of pupils 11–16 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 677 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Peter Metcalf MBE Headteacher David Hubbard Date of previous school inspection 17 April 2013 Telephone number 01772 716912 Fax number 01772 718779 Email address admin@ccc.lancs.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 and 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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