Bungay High School

School report Bungay High School Queen's Road, Bungay, NR35 1RW

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected as an academy This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Sixth form provision Requires improvement 3

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

 Governors and senior leaders have not monitored the quality of teaching closely enough in the past, and some groups of students have made less than expected progress.  The variable quality of teaching and learning does not enable students to make rapid and sustained progress.  The progress of those students eligible for the pupil premium is slower than that of other students in mathematics and English.  The sixth form requires improvement because attainment in some academic subjects has been low and many students do not make the progress that they should.  School leaders and governors have not been rigorous enough in holding middle leaders and teachers to account for the performance of some students in the sixth form.

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The school has the following strengths

 Senior leaders now hold teachers to account more closely for the progress of students in their classes, and the quality of teaching is improving rapidly.  The leadership of the North Suffolk Skills Academy (NSSA) is a strength of the school. Students following vocational courses at the NSSA are well supported and, as a result, make good progress.  Attendance figures are rising and exclusion rates are falling.  The behaviour of students is good. Students are polite and courteous and have good attitudes to learning. This is reflected in the effective promotion of spiritual, moral, social and cultural education.  Students feel safe in school and safeguarding procedures are effective.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspection team visited 47 lessons, of which eight were in the sixth form, to observe behaviour and teaching.  Eight observations were carried out jointly with members of the senior leadership team.  The inspection team visited both the sixth form centre and the North Suffolk Skills Academy (NSSA) in Halesworth.  The inspection team took into account 77 responses to the online parent questionnaire, Parent View, additional free text comments and 106 responses to the staff questionnaire.  The inspection team met with governors, the local authority School Improvement Partner, senior and middle leaders and different groups of students, including those in the sixth form.  The inspection team listened to a group of Year 7 students read.  The inspection team analysed and scrutinised the school’s self-evaluation documentation, which included evidence from governors’ minutes, school policies and progress information.

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Information about this inspection

 Policies and procedures for the safeguarding of students were examined by inspectors.

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Inspection team

Pete Sewell, Lead inspector Seconded Inspector

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Inspection team

Pete Sewell is appointed as an Additional Inspector, under the powers relating to additional inspectors, in paragraph 11 of Part 2 of Schedule 12 to the Education and Inspections Act 2006.

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Information about this school

 This is a slightly larger than average-sized secondary school with fewer girls than boys.  The school population is mainly White British with a lower-than-average proportion of students from other ethnic groups.  The proportion of students eligible for the pupil premium is below the national average.  The proportion of students supported at school action is below the national average. The proportion of students supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below the national average.  The school owns and manages the North Suffolk Skills Academy (NSSA) in Halesworth as a subsidiary business. The NSSA operates as a successful partnership with a number of local schools.  The sixth form centre moved to its current site on Hillside Road East in September 2012.  A small minority of students at Key Stage 4 and in the sixth form attend either full or part time vocational

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Information about this school

courses at the NSSA.  Bungay High School converted to become an academy school on 1 August 2011. When its predecessor school of the same name was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be outstanding.  The current headteacher was appointed in September 2014.  The school meets the current government floor standards which set minimum expectations for students’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen the teaching for, and achievement of, students eligible for pupil premium funding by:  making sure that all teachers provide work which is appropriate to the needs of all pupil premium students in their classes  ensuring that the progress of these students is closely monitored and that the recording of achievement in different subjects is accurate  providing timely intervention when their learning slows and monitoring the impact of this intervention.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve achievement in the sixth form by:  ensuring that sixth-form teaching is consistently good  making clear what is expected of sixth-form students from the outset  providing the necessary supervision and support for students who struggle to meet these expectations.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality and effectiveness of leadership and management by:  continuing to conduct subject reviews across the school in light of the 2014 GCSE and sixth form results and implement any recommendations swiftly to ensure standards rise across all areas of the school  measuring the impact of new systems relating the performance and pay for teachers to the achievement of their students  holding subject leaders and teachers to account for the progress of their students  using the expertise within the governing body to provide effective challenge and support for the new headteacher.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of the school’s use of the pupil premium should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 School leaders and governors have been aware of the gap between the performance of students supported by the pupil premium and their peers, and have taken steps to correct this. These measures are now in place, but have come too late to affect the progress of students that took their GCSE examinations in 2014.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school was overly optimistic about its performance last year at GCSE. School predictions about attainment in the 2014 GCSE examinations were not accurate. The new headteacher has a more realistic view but has not been in post long enough to have any impact.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Middle leaders are committed to raising standards and have considerable capacity but need further direction so that they target underachievement more effectively. For example, the literacy policy is being applied across the school in many areas but the picture is inconsistent.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The new headteacher has already had an impact by raising expectations and staff are supportive of his appointment; the staff questionnaire indicates that teaching and non-teaching staff have overwhelming confidence in the school leadership.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school has made arrangements to implement the new curriculum but its plans are not yet finalised, particularly in relation to assessment.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Under the leadership of the new headteacher, the school has continued and developed a process of subject reviews in the light of the 2014 results. These reviews will be used as part of the school development process to raise standards, but it is too early to see any impact.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The local authority has been in regular contact with the school, but this challenge and support have not been sufficiently robust to prevent the fall in standards.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Provision at the ‘second learning chance’ centre, on-site provision to support students who have low attendance, is effective and is allowing the school to support students that might otherwise truant from school. Attendance rates among these students are rapidly increasing.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The appointment of an ‘aspiration coach’ is providing good support for students during transition from Year 9 to GCSE courses and for entry to the sixth form.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The new headteacher is keen to maintain and develop strong links with other local schools and has already visited some in the area.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  The capacity of the governing body to monitor the progress of pupil premium students has been recently strengthened. New procedures are now in place, and a member of the school leadership reports regularly on the progress of these students to the governing body. As a result, there has been a narrowing of the gap in attainment between these students and their peers across Key Stages 3 and 4.  The governing body has not addressed effectively enough the leadership of the sixth form. As a result standards in some academic subjects have been too low.  The governing body has taken brave and decisive action with regard to the management and financial support for the North Suffolk Skills Academy. This has resulted in good pass rates for vocational students and enabled the school to continue to offer a broad curriculum post-16 which meets the needs of the local community.  Governors are committed to the school and are involved in a programme of governor training. They

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The leadership and management requires improvement

have undergone extensive safeguarding training, and monitor safeguarding, exclusions, attendance and child protection matters effectively.  Governors have managed the financial resources of the school appropriately.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of students is good. Most parents that responded to the online questionnaire and took part in school surveys indicate that the school manages behaviour well.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Students’ attitudes to learning are good. They settle promptly to their work and are generally keen to answer questions. Most students take pride in their work, which often shows care and thought. Low- level disruption in lessons is rare, but where it occurs the school’s behaviour policy is applied effectively and consistently by teachers.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Students are well behaved, considerate and courteous around the school. They fully understand the importance of respect with regard to their peers as well as the school environment.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school has put into place measures to improve attendance and it is rising. Absence rates were average last year.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Students have a good understanding of the different forms of bullying and feel that the school deals with any incidents quickly and effectively. Any incidents which do occur are recorded and followed up with action.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school’s work to keep students safe and secure is good. Students and parents feel that the transition from primary education is managed well by the school and that students settle quickly into their new environment.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The house system with mixed-age tutoring is viewed positively by the students and they enjoy the healthy competition which this generates.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 In lessons where the students are not challenged sufficiently they do not have the necessary study skills and positive attitudes to learning that would still allow them to make good progress.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of teaching requires improvement because it is too variable across the school. In some lessons, teaching is aimed at the middle-ability students and there is insufficient challenge for the most able. Where progress is good, the level of challenge is matched closely to the needs of the students. This was effectively demonstrated where laptops were being used to support disabled students and those who have special educational needs.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Students eligible for the pupil premium have not been identified early enough or provided with effective intervention to ensure that they make good progress. Teachers are given useful information about different groups of students in their classes and they now understand its importance when planning and providing intervention work. However, it is too early to measure the impact of this on the achievement of pupil premium students in particular.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The recently introduced marking system is starting to provide students with more effective feedback to steer their progress. Students are positive about these initiatives but have yet to realise the potential impact on their learning. Good practice, however, was not seen in all subject areas.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Where students make good progress, teachers used a variety of teaching methods to accelerate learning. Opportunities to promote spirituality were observed in music and religious education through deep reflection. High level questioning to probe students’ understanding and accelerate learning was seen being used particularly effectively in a netball class. The teacher used natural breaks in the game to ask searching questions which reinforced learning points without affecting the flow of the lesson.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching in the NSSA is of the highest quality. The facility uses highly trained staff with recent experience in industry to provide small-group learning which meets the needs of the students. The students make good progress because the focus on skills and preparation for the world of work underpin the curriculum.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Where teaching is most effective, there is a constructive dialogue between teacher and student, either verbally or through written comments and responses. This was seen being used particularly effectively in health and social care where progress over time was evident from the quality of this dialogue between the teacher and student in the students’ books. The use of regular feedback in geography promotes rapid learning and has led to good attainment at both GCSE and A level.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The teaching assistants that were observed provide timely intervention and had a good understanding of the individuals they support in lessons.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Standards at GCSE have fluctuated year on year and dipped markedly in 2014. The expected progress of all students in English has previously been above national figures, but dropped in 2014.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 There is also fluctuation and variation in the achievement of different groups. The progress of the most- able students and disabled students and those who have special educational needs is good, from their respective starting points. However, achievement of boys is consistently lower than the achievement of girls, particularly in English

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Students supported by the pupil premium have historically attained much lower results than their classmates. In 2014, they attained on average 1.25 grades below their peers. However, the school has shown that the gap between students in receipt of the pupil premium and their peers is narrowing rapidly at Key Stage 3.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The achievement of students at the North Suffolk Skills Academy is good. Over 70 Key Stage 4 students on a part-time basis attend the facility to follow vocational courses, and make good progress. Success rates on most courses exceed 90%.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Students read regularly and often and understand the value of reading to access work in lessons.

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The sixth form provision requires improvement

 Students do not make enough progress in some subjects at AS and A level.

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The sixth form provision requires improvement

 Leadership has not addressed low standards in some areas by holding subject leaders and teachers to account for the progress of their students.

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The sixth form provision requires improvement

 Students are allowed to develop poor study habits too early on in their time in the sixth form. Even though study skills are taught, this comes too late and is ineffective in addressing issues of planning, organisation and revision. Folders are therefore often disorganised and do not show evidence of learning over time. In some lessons they are left to decide what is important for themselves and often make poor choices with regard to organisation.

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The sixth form provision requires improvement

 Teaching in the sixth form requires improvement. Teaching does not always challenge students to think for themselves or to work through problems independently in order to deepen their understanding. They are not being allowed to develop the skills they will need to be successful in the next stage of their lives, particularly if they move on to higher education.

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The sixth form provision requires improvement

 Marking and feedback in the sixth form are variable. The use of reflective logs in A-level health and social care lessons is a good example of how effective this sort of intervention can be. Marking and students’ responses in health and social care books were also noted as a model of good practice. In A- level mathematics and physics, self-assessment records provided an effective tool for intervention. Geography folders were constructively marked and well organised. Students have access to self- monitoring sheets in other lessons but their importance is not stressed regularly enough by teachers who need to check and intervene when these are not being completed.

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The sixth form provision requires improvement

 The behaviour of students in the sixth form requires improvement because while they are polite and generally attentive in lessons and conduct themselves well around school, they have not developed the study skills and learning habits necessary to enable them to extend and challenge their learning.

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The sixth form provision requires improvement

 Leadership of the NSSA has been outstanding and has enabled post-16 students to follow a range of vocational courses taught by highly effective tutors. The aeronautical engineering course is a good example of the academy meeting a local need by promoting engineering skills with a view to future employment opportunities. The hairdressing salon and construction courses also promote high expectations and standards among the students. When presented with a deficit in provision, the leadership acted swiftly to address the issue to ensure there was no drop in standards.

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The sixth form provision requires improvement

 Students in the sixth form speak highly of the advice and guidance they are given, not only on making choices about which courses are most appropriate for them but also about the possible pathways after they leave. Students feel secure and understand how to keep themselves safe. The sixth form provides a package of support and guidance which is effective.

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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.

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School details

Unique reference number 136998 Local authority Suffolk Inspection number 449412

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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 Academy converter 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 1285 Of which, number on roll in sixth form 278 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Zoe Sprake Headteacher Angelo Goduti Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Telephone number 01986 892140 Fax number 01986 895319 Email address mail@bungayhigh.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 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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