Casterton College Rutland

Casterton Business & Enterprise College Ryhall Road, Great Casterton, Stamford, PE9 4AT

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected 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 Sixth form provision Requires improvement 3

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

 Achievement in English has not been good because pupils have not made as much progress as they should, especially in writing.  The achievement of disadvantaged students is sometimes not as good as that of their classmates, particularly in English and mathematics.  The quality of teaching over time has not led to good progress. Marking and the feedback to students is not having enough effect on their learning, especially in English. Teachers do not always have high enough expectations for what all students can achieve.  The sixth form requires improvement because results have been below average and some students have not made enough progress.  Students’ behaviour is not consistently good because too many disadvantaged students, sixth form students and some with special educational needs do not attend regularly enough. Some students do not concentrate enough on their learning when teaching is not good.  Leaders and governors have been aware that

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

achievement is not good but have not improved things quickly enough. Funds to support students in Year 7 with their literacy skills have not ensured that they make enough progress.  Leaders have improved some teaching but have not ensured that all groups of students make enough progress. Governors have not made sure that leaders are doing enough to improve priority areas.

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The school has the following strengths

 Progress in mathematics and science is good. The proportion of students achieving five or more GCSEs at grades A* to C including English and mathematics increased significantly in 2013.  The sixth form provision has improved so that recent results, still to be confirmed, show that students are now achieving average results across academic and vocational courses.  The sixth form provides a good range of courses at different levels.  Students feel safe and secure in academy and the majority of parents agree that their children are safe. Students are friendly, polite and get on well with each other. They have very good working relationships with their teachers.  The spiritual, social, moral and cultural development of students is strong.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed parts of 36 lessons. Six of these were carried out jointly with school leaders.  Inspectors scrutinised students’ work in their folders and books in a range of subjects.  Inspectors talked to students in lessons and to several groups formally and informally around the academy.  Inspectors listened to a group of pupils read.  Inspectors took into account the 65 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View.  Inspectors took into account the 91 questionnaires completed by staff expressing their views about the academy.  Discussions were held with staff, the clerk and Chair of the Governing Body.  Documents reviewed included the self-evaluation document, improvement plans, information on students’ achievement, records of students’ behaviour and attendance, documents related to safeguarding and minutes of the governing body meetings.

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Inspection team

David Bray, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is an average-size secondary academy.  Casterton Business and Enterprise College converted to become an academy on 1 September 2011. When the predecessor school of Casterton Business and Enterprise College was previously inspected it was judged to be outstanding.  The large majority of students are from White British backgrounds.  About one sixth of students are disadvantaged and therefore eligible for the pupil premium. This is much lower than average. The pupil premium funding is additional funding for those students known to be eligible for free school meals and those who are looked after by the local authority.  About one in eight students has been identified as having special educational needs. This proportion is average.  Approximately one in ten pupils is from a family serving in the armed forces. As a result, the proportion of students who join and leave the academy at different points in the year is above average.

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Information about this school

 The main academy site, Casterton Business and Enterprise College, provides education for students aged 11–16. The academy’s sixth form is called Rutland County College and is ten miles from the main site. This site has been developed by the academy as a replacement for sixth form provision that had been run by a local further education college. No students are educated other than at these two sites.  The academy meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum level expected for students’ attainment and progress.  The academy is providing a range of leadership and support to Ryhall Primary Academy.  The governors manage Casterton Childcare Centre. This is on the same site as Casterton Business and Enterprise College but is subject to separate inspection.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching by ensuring that all teachers:  mark work regularly and in a way that leaves students in no doubt about exactly what they have to improve and how to improve it  use assessment data to monitor the progress of groups of students, including disadvantaged students, and take action to eradicate any underachievement  in all subjects contribute more effectively to developing students’ writing skills.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Leaders, managers and governors focus on improving progress in English and narrowing gaps in attainment by making sure that:  teachers have consistently high expectations for what all students can achieve, including for disabled students and those who have special educational needs  ‘catch-up’ funding is used effectively so that Year 7 students who join the academy with below-average skills in reading and writing make rapid progress in literacy  additional funding for disadvantaged students is used more effectively to narrow the gap between their performance and that of their classmates.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve students’ behaviour and attitudes to learning by ensuring that:  disadvantaged students, those with special educational needs and students in the sixth form attend regularly  expectations for what students can achieve are high enough to maintain their interest and enthusiasm for learning.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of governance and of the academy’s use of the pupil premium should be undertaken in order to assess how these aspects of leadership and management may be improved.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Plans for improvement and evaluations have not always ensured that progress in identified areas is fast enough. Leaders have been too deflected by issues about national changes in English GCSE marking and have not realised quickly enough that students in the academy are not making good progress. Despite this, senior leaders have ensured that the proportion of students achieving the highest GCSE grades in 2013 increased significantly from 2012. Early data indicates that this improvement was maintained in 2014.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The gap in the achievement of disadvantaged students and others in the academy was too wide in 2013, although it was an improvement compared to 2012. There are signs that this gap is starting to close in some year groups. However, the gap in the achievement of disadvantaged students in other year groups in the academy and in 2014 examination results is still too large.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Underachievement in English has been partly caused by leaders’ decisions to enter students early for GCSE. This has meant that some have not achieved the higher grades of which they are capable. Early entry has also been used in mathematics, but this has not resulted in students underachieving.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leaders have not ensured that the use of ‘catch-up’ funding has been evaluated carefully enough. Although there have been improvements in aspects of spelling and reading for some of these students, not all made good progress.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Subject and other leaders understand their roles and responsibilities and receive regular training. There is, however, too much inconsistency in their work because not all are tackling underachievement with enough focus, or sense of urgency. Stronger subject leadership has ensured that students make good progress in mathematics and science, but, even in these subjects, too many disadvantaged students are still falling behind.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The systems for checking on how well the academy is doing link to the academy’s priorities for improvement. However, these links are not strong and this has resulted in some improvements not being rapid enough. The management of staff performance is in place and, pay progression is linked to the academy’s priorities and students’ progress.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leaders have focused on improving and evaluating teaching. Staff have received additional training and support. Despite this, leaders have had an overly optimistic view of teaching because they have not taken sufficient account of the progress students are making. They have not focused enough on the disadvantaged students not making sufficient progress.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leaders have access to a comprehensive range of data about many aspects of the academy and have identified underperformance. Despite this, leaders have not ensured that expectations are always high enough. Subject teachers have data on every student they teach. However, they are not using this data effectively to ensure that disadvantaged students are always making good progress.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leaders have access to a good range of assessment information. Teachers check that assessments of students work are accurate but leaders have not ensured any external view of how accurate this is. As a result, they have not identified quickly enough a lack of progress in English because they have been too influenced by national publicity about changes in GCSE marking policy.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leaders and managers are aware of the academy’s strengths and weaknesses. Development plans focus on aspects that need improvement. However, leaders have not prioritised these sufficiently, so that plans have too many areas of focus and the most important issues have not always been given sufficient attention.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Students’ spiritual, social, moral and cultural development is strong and this helps them prepare well for life in modern Britain. Students are given good opportunities to talk about current issues, different religions and beliefs. Students were observed listening to each other’s viewpoints, thinking about different ideas and discussing individual views. Although equality of opportunity is promoted, leaders have not ensured that all groups of students make sufficient progress.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The small number of students in the academy who are disabled or who have special educational needs, benefit from the personalised support they receive. Despite this, they are not always making good progress. Academy leaders have not ensured that expectations for their progress are high enough or that their attendance improves.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Students are aware of career opportunities open to them and the relevant qualifications they need to pursue further study. The academy has developed a good range of resources and dedicated staffing to support this provision.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 There is a very good range of extra-curricular artistic and sporting activities. The academy provides a programme of extra activities called ‘electives’ that enable students to pursue particular interests or hobbies during curriculum time. Students appreciate these activities and many take good advantage of them.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leadership in the sixth form has been focused on areas that require improvement. This has ensured that students are starting to make better progress and early, unvalidated data in 2014, shows that their attainment is closer to national subject comparisons.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Effective arrangements have been put in place to ensure that students from a services background are made to feel welcome and quickly settle into the academy. This includes ensuring there is a specific member of staff with responsibility for ensuring their well-being.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Communication with parents is effective and most parents who responded to Parent View are very positive about the academy. These views are replicated in other parental surveys completed by the academy.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Safeguarding arrangements meet statutory requirements.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the academy:  The governing body has provided support to academy leaders but has been less effective in challenging them. Governors are informed about students’ achievement, but not frequently enough. Information they receive about the quality of teaching is also not frequent enough and has sometimes been too optimistic.  Governors have some overview of what is done to reward good performance and how underperformance is tackled. They have a good grasp of finances and manage the budget so that the academy stays within its budget. They are aware of the amount of pupil premium funding the academy receives but have too little information about how the money is spent and what the impact is on the progress of disadvantaged students. Governors have not ensured that ‘catch-up’ funding, allocated to ensure that students starting the academy without sufficient skills in literacy and numeracy, is used

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The leadership and management requires improvement

effectively enough.  Governors have sought to evaluate their skills and identify training needs. Despite this, they have lacked sufficient understanding of key aspects of the academy’s performance.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement. Although overall attendance is above average, the attendance of disadvantaged students and some students with special educational needs is too low. Some students in the sixth form also do not attend well enough. This affects their achievement.

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Behaviour

 Although students behave well in lessons and comply with the academy’s rules for behaviour, they do not always work hard when expectations for what they can achieve are not high enough.

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Behaviour

 The conduct of students around the main site and the sixth form is very good. They are very polite, well mannered and get on very well with each other. They have a mature approach to looking after the academy’s environment and do not drop litter. There is no graffiti evident. Their behaviour in unsupervised areas of the academy is very good.

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Safety

 The academy’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Arrangements for ensuring that students are safe are regularly reviewed and updated. They are thorough and comprehensive.

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Safety

 Students say feel safe and secure. They appreciate that adults are prepared to sort out any problems they may have. They know about different types of bullying, including that related to homophobia, and say that bullying is very rare.

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Safety

 Students know how to keep themselves safe, including when they are using computers and mobile phones to access the internet. Key messages about effective ways to deal with bullying, including racist and cyber-bullying are covered regularly.

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Safety

 The vast majority of parents who responded to the Parent View online survey agreed that their child was safe and well cared for. Inspection evidence supports this view.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The way that teachers mark students’ work is too patchy. Some teachers offer very clear advice, so that students know exactly what to do in order to improve and make better progress. Other teachers tick work to acknowledge it has been seen, or give positive comments but do not give sufficient information about how to improve. Some work is not marked regularly, or is reviewed by other students but then too long passes before the teacher checks what is happening. Marking is not consistently good enough in English and this contributes to some students not making sufficient progress.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Relationships between students and with teachers are good. Students listen to instructions and work on their own, or in groups, as instructed. Some students do not always challenge themselves to do their best because expectations for what they can achieve are not high enough.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Students develop their confidence and skills in numeracy and use these skills across subjects well. They have regular opportunities to read a range of books. However, their writing skills are not as strong, and although they develop their spelling and punctuation to a good level, they are not able to write in a range of styles effectively. The academy has made literacy a focus across all subjects but, despite this, expectations for writing are not high enough across different subjects.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers have access to regular information about students’ progress data. Not all use this effectively to plan activities that have high enough expectations or which ensure that disadvantaged students catch up with others in the academy. Expectations for some students with special educational needs are not high enough. Some students with lower literacy skills do not make rapid progress when they start in Year 7. Some students coast because work is not hard enough for them.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching assistants support students by encouraging them to complete work and try hard. In these lessons, and in extra support sessions, students make better progress. Despite this, they still do not catch up sufficiently because expectations are sometimes not high enough.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers have secure subject knowledge which they use to ensure students learn accurate information. They often use skilful questioning to check on learning.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Work seen and school progress information shows that teaching in the sixth form is ensuring that students are starting to make better progress. Teachers have a good understanding of examination requirements and students from different schools are quickly settled into the sixth form routines. Ineffective teaching has been identified and improved.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Students join the academy with attainment that is average; although fewer than average have the highest or lowest attainment. In 2013, the proportion of students gaining five GCSE grades A* to C, including English and mathematics, was above average. This was a significant improvement on 2012. In 2014, early analysis shows that results dropped slightly but were in line with national results.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Early entry to GCSE English examinations has contributed to the underachievement of some students. This is especially the case where they have not achieved the highest grade they are capable of in English and then have gone on to take an English literature course. Early entry in mathematics has enabled some students to achieve the grades they are capable of and then go on to take additional qualifications. Early entry has now stopped.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 ‘Catch-up’ funding has been used to provide extra sessions for students who start in Year 7 with lower than average skills. There have been improvements in aspects of spelling and reading for some of these students but not all students have made good progress.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The progress students make from Key Stage 2 in English has not been good enough, especially for the proportion making better than expected progress in 2012 and 2013. Early results for 2014 show that improvements are still needed. Students make good progress in mathematics and in science.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The achievement of disadvantaged students requires improvement. In 2013, disadvantaged students attained two thirds of a GCSE grade lower than other students in English and one grade lower than others in mathematics. This was an improvement on 2012. Gaps in attainment and progress are closing in some year groups but not at a fast enough or consistent enough rate. Early data for 2014 shows that the gap in English and mathematics is still too large and that these students are still achieving below the national average for all students. Some do not attend well enough and this affects their achievement.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Students from a services background often make good progress and do better than others in the academy. This is despite the fact that several of them arrive at the academy outside their normal primary to secondary transfer time.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The achievement of disabled students and those who have special educational needs requires improvement, particularly in relation to the progress they make in English, mathematics and science. This is because expectations for what they can achieve are not always high enough. They make better progress in small groups or when supported by teaching assistants. Some do not attend well enough and this affects their achievement.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Academy data and evidence from work and lessons shows that progress in English is better in Years 10 and 11. The academy has made improving English in Years 7, 8 and 9 a priority but this has not yet ensured that progress is good. Progress in mathematics is good across all year groups.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The progress of the most-able students improved in English in 2013. It was not good enough in mathematics but current work seen shows that this is now much stronger. Early data shows that the proportion of student attaining the higher grades at A level improved significantly in 2014. Current academy data, and work seen, shows that most-able students are not always making good progress but they are improving at a faster rate than others in the academy.

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The sixth form provision requires improvement

 The attainment of students in the sixth form has been consistently below average for academic and vocational subjects. This is partly because the academy has sought to ensure that it provides courses that suit students with a wide range of skills. This means that the curriculum includes a good range of courses that are at a lower level than normally found in sixth forms. This is one of the reasons attainment in academic and vocational subjects has been below national figures. However, students have not always made good enough progress, regardless of their starting point.  Early analysis of 2014 results shows that the attainment of students on academic and vocational courses is improving, as has their rates of progress. This is because leaders have focused their attention on subjects that have performed less well and either improved teaching or discontinued subjects. The proportion of students attaining the highest grades has been below average but the most recent, unvalidated, results

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The sixth form provision requires improvement

 Despite these recent improvements, the progress of students has not been consistently good enough and some students are still not attending well enough. This has a negative effect on their attainment. College leaders have sought to address this and have been successful in improving attendance, but for some students it is still too low.

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The sixth form provision requires improvement

 The sixth form offers students the option to study a good range of courses that support the development of skills and learning below A level. This supports them well in developing their skills and qualifications prior to further study or employment. This provision provides students who are not ready for higher level study with a valuable option to stay in education. This group of students achieves well.

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The sixth form provision requires improvement

 Very few students from disadvantaged backgrounds start sixth form courses. Those who do achieve as well as other students.

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The sixth form provision requires improvement

 Work seen in lessons and books confirms that many, but not all, current students are making good progress. Many of those who do not pass GCSE mathematics or English in Year 11 do so successfully in Year 12.

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The sixth form provision requires improvement

 Leaders have ensured that monitoring of progress has been well organised. This has led to improved progress across all areas.

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The sixth form provision requires improvement

 Careers guidance and advice are good. Leaders have ensured that aspirations have started to be raised and that students have aspirations for what they can achieve, including the types of university and further study they can consider.

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The sixth form provision requires improvement

 Sixth formers are not involved in the main academy because the sixth form site is ten miles away and this does not allow them the opportunity. Over half of the sixth form students were educated in other 11–16 schools. What inspection judgements mean

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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 137340 Local authority Rutland Inspection number 449410

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School details

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

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School details

Type of school Secondary School category 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 1005 Of which, number on roll in sixth form 255 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Malcom Goddard Principal Victoria Crosher Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Telephone number 01780 762168 Fax number 01780 766628 Email address info@cbec.rutland.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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