Parkside School

Parkside School Parkside Terrace, Cullingworth, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD13 5AD

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Requires improvement 3 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

 In many subjects, the proportion of students attaining five or more good GCSE grades, including English and mathematics, is not rising quickly enough. Consequently, at the end of Year 11 overall average standards do not yet represent good achievement.  The progress made by a minority of students in English and mathematics, especially boys, disadvantaged and the most-able students, falls short of national expectations.  The quality of teaching remains too variable. Key leaders and managers have not yet secured consistently good teaching in most subjects.  A minority of teachers still do not plan carefully enough to meet all students’ needs, and do not check sufficiently students’ progress in lessons.  The support provided by some teaching assistants, in some lessons, does not make enough difference to students’ outcomes.  In a small proportion of lessons, a minority of students do not show enough commitment and

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

determination to give of their best.  Not all middle leaders have high enough expectations of what students can achieve, nor are they yet suitably rigorous in checking on the effectiveness of teaching.  The analysis of students’ progress by middle leaders is not yet sharp enough to pinpoint and address underperformance efficiently.  Teachers’ performance management objectives are not always precise enough to ensure that their work makes enough impact on students’ learning.  The sixth form requires improvement because teaching is too variable. Some students do not achieve well enough in some subjects across Years 12 to 13.

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The school has the following strengths

 The headteacher, newly appointed senior leaders and many middle managers have high expectations. They have made large-scale changes since the previous inspection, that are improving teaching, and raising achievement in a number of subjects.  Governance is much strengthened as of late. Governors now challenge senior leaders confidently about the performance of the school.  Behaviour around the school is calm and orderly. Students enjoy coming to school, and are welcoming to visitors.  The school’s arrangements to keep students’ safe are good. Students say how well they are supported and cared for and how little bullying takes place.  The many visits and extracurricular opportunities across Years 7 to11 and in the sixth form promote students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching and learning in 45 different lessons, of which four were joint observations with senior and middle leaders. In addition, inspectors visited three tutor groups sessions during the school day.  Students’ work was sampled informally in lessons in a wide range of subjects.  Inspectors also reviewed a range of documents, including the school’s own data on current students’ progress, planning and monitoring documentation, minutes of governing body meetings, records relating to behaviour and attendance and documents pertaining to safeguarding.  Meetings were held with students across Years 7 to 13, governors and school staff, including those with management responsibilities. A discussion also took place with a representative from the Bradford Partnership.  Inspectors evaluated the 77 responses of parents to the Ofsted online questionnaire (Parent View), as well as responses by parents to the school’s own questionnaires. Inspectors also took account of the views of

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Information about this inspection

42 members of the school’s staff through the inspection questionnaires they returned.

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Inspection team

Andrew Swallow, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a larger than average-sized secondary school.  Most students are of White British heritage.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils, and therefore eligible for support through the pupil premium funding, is below the national average. The pupil premium is funding to support those students who are known to be eligible for free school meals and those in the care of the local authority.  The proportion of pupils who are disabled or who have special educational needs is above average.  The school has designated specialist provision for autism, and currently provides support for 14 students with a range of social, emotional and communication needs.  The school runs a nurture group called ‘The Park’. This provides additional support to students as needed, to help them meet the social and intellectual demands of school life.  A small minority of Year 10 and 11 students are educated off-site for part of the school week. They follow

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Information about this school

vocational courses in motor vehicle technology and hair and beauty in local places of work.  No students are now entered early for GCSE examinations.  In 2013, the school met the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for students’ attainment and progress.  The school receives support from the Bradford Partnership, Bradford local authority consultants, Immanuel College and Beckfoot School, Bradford, and Skipton Girls’ High School, North Yorkshire.  Since the previous inspection, there have been significant staffing changes, including those of the headteacher, senior and middle leaders, and governors.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching so that it is consistently good, and better, across Years 7 to 11 and in the sixth form, by:  ensuring that all teachers have high expectations of what all students can achieve, and meet their needs, especially those of boys, disadvantaged and the most-able students consistently  ensuring that all teachers systematically check students’ understanding in lessons, and adapt work accordingly to provide additional challenge or further support, where appropriate  ensuring that all teachers regularly check the impact that teaching assistants are having in lessons.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise students’ attainment and accelerate their progress, particularly across Years 7 to 11 in English and mathematics, but also across Year 12 in the sixth form, by:  using the recently enhanced procedures for tracking the progress of all students to pinpoint students’ underachievement sooner  checking more regularly the quality of students’ daily work and the impact of teachers’ marking and feedback.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further improve the impact of middle leaders by:  raising all subject leaders’ expectations of what students can achieve, and the time scales for improvement, especially for the most able  ensuring that all subject leaders are rigorous in their checking of the effectiveness of teaching on students’ learning and progress over time  ensuring that objectives set for all teachers, as part of annual appraisal arrangements, are suitably challenging and sufficiently precise, in order that the impact on students’ achievement can be measured readily.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Since the previous inspection, there have been many changes in middle and senior leadership. New processes and policies have been introduced, including an enhanced system to check students’ progress across Years 7 to 13. Although there is evidence of improvement in teaching and in students’ achievement, these changes have not yet had sufficient time to impact fully on these aspects across the school.  Over time, some middle leaders have not and are still not identifying and tackling students’ underachievement early enough. They are not taking full advantage of the well-marshalled achievement information available to inform the checking of students’ daily work and the impact of teachers’ marking.  Although much professional development for all staff takes place regularly, some middle leaders do not check the impact of this work on students’ learning rigorously. As a consequence, teaching remains too

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The leadership and management requires improvement

variable to ensure that a minority of boys, disadvantaged and the most-able students make enough progress.  The expectations of a minority of middle leaders are still not high enough in setting challenging objectives for all teachers, which can be precisely measured on the impact they have on students’ achievements, as part of annual performance management arrangements.  Nonetheless, the headteacher collects a secure range of appropriate information to make the appropriate decisions about any teachers’ movement up the salary scale.  The headteacher is hugely ambitious for success. He exudes high aspirations on behalf of all students. He has tackled rigorously many shortcomings in teaching since the previous inspection. At the same time, he has managed effectively a large number of changes in staff, changes in subject leadership and changes in the membership of the governing body. In addition, he has overseen strategies to improve students’

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The leadership and management requires improvement

attendance and reduce the numbers excluded from the school successfully.  Newly appointed senior leaders are fully supportive of the headteacher, and totally committed to moving the school forward rapidly. Many middle leaders are now increasingly involved in reviewing the school’s work.  The school has an accurate view of how well it is doing, and improvement-planning correctly addresses aspects of teaching and learning that still require improvement.  Key leaders, including the recently appointed progress leaders, and those staff working in the designated resources provision and in ‘The Park,’ know students well. They increasingly remove barriers to learning. As a result, most students have an equal opportunity to succeed, but the achievement of boys, the most able and disadvantaged students is not as strong as that of other groups.  The curriculum meets most students’ needs adequately. Arrangements to support the move from primary

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The leadership and management requires improvement

to secondary school, especially for those whose literacy and numeracy skills are not well developed, are increasingly effective.  Assemblies, tutor groups and alternative curriculum days prepare students appropriately for life in modern Britain. They promote the importance of freedom for all individuals, and the significance of mutual respect, particularly for those from different faiths and cultures.  Careers education and advice is influential in supporting the very small number of students, each year, who do not continue in education, employment or training, when they leave school at the end of Year 11, or leave the sixth form.  Students have access to a wide array of sporting, musical and performing events, and extracurricular activities. Sporting fixtures, First and Second World Wars memorial commemorations, visits to Berlin, Krakow and Catalonia, as well as post-16 students’ coffee mornings to raise money for Macmillan Cancer

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The leadership and management requires improvement

Care, and whole-school productions of ‘Sleeping Beauty,’ all enrich students’ good spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness. They help to promote students’ understanding of the importance of equality of opportunity, and the lifestyles and beliefs of people from different countries, cultures and backgrounds.  The school makes generally effective use of much of the pupil premium funding. The appointment of additional teachers and mentors, and opportunities for more one-to-one and small-group learning, have reduced margins in performance between disadvantaged students and non-disadvantaged students over time, although they still remain variable across the school.  Parents are generally supportive of the school. A large majority indicate they would recommend the school to other families.  The school has received well-targeted external support from the local authority and staff from the Bradford Partnership and other local schools. The local authority has confidence that the current school

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The leadership and management requires improvement

leadership is driving the school in the right direction.  The governance of the school:  There have been significant changes in governance since the previous inspection, including a new Chair and Vice-Chair of the Governing Body. Governors have also commissioned an external review of their work. As a result, governors are increasingly confident in asking questions about the school’s performance, are regular visitors to school and frequently challenge the headteacher and key leaders. They recognise fully the need to raise overall achievement more quickly and have put in place plans to drive this work forward more rapidly.  As a result of the regular reports they receive, governors now have a clear view of the quality of teaching, where it is the most variable and where it needs to improve further.  Governors are robust in managing the performance of the headteacher. They ensure that challenging objectives are set annually to drive the school forward. They receive appropriate information about the

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The leadership and management requires improvement

salaries of all staff and decisions about teachers’ applications for promotion.  The school’s work to keep students safe meets statutory requirements and is kept appropriately under review by a designated governor.  Governors check regularly how the school uses the pupil premium and Year 7 ‘catch-up’ funding to raise achievement. For example, they have authorised bespoke mentoring arrangements, and additional time for adults to improve students’ reading and mathematical skills.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of students requires improvement. This is because in a small proportion of lessons, a minority do not show enough commitment and determination and give of their best. This is particularly so where teachers’ expectations are not high enough in some subjects and the planned activities are insufficiently challenging. A minority of students do not always respond in full to teachers’ written and verbal feedback.  Around the school, at breaks and lunchtimes, in the dining and cloakroom areas and when moving between lessons, the vast majority of students relate positively towards one another. The overall school atmosphere is calm and orderly.  Students say how much behaviour has changed for the better, as of late. They affirm that there is little bullying in school, and talk positively about the support they provide for one other. The endeavours of staff are paying off in promoting students’ higher expectations of themselves. As a result, attendance

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Behaviour

across Years 7 to 11 is rising and is now above average.  In the sixth form, students attend regularly and make good use of their study time. They have increasingly high expectations of what they can achieve. They take their responsibilities seriously in helping younger students read, and talk enthusiastically about their charity work, especially the organisation of the ‘Thursday’ club for the elderly in the local community.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep students safe and secure is good. Students talk very positively about the support they receive from all the adults, especially those who work in the designated specialist provision and ‘The Park,’ and from the Years 8 and 9 anti-bullying ‘champions.’ Adults and students increasingly promote a tolerant and harmonious community and a sense of responsibility towards one other, that fosters self-confidence, and self-esteem.  Students with special educational needs, and those on the autistic spectrum are highly regarded by their peers and welcomed into mainstream lessons.  The school’s motto ‘excellence for all,’ is embodied in the positive daily tutor group experiences, well- planned assemblies and personal, social and health education experiences. All contribute to students’ good awareness of the different types of risks and insensitive behaviours, including homophobic and cyber-

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Safety

bullying, mobile phone crime and how to keep safe in and out of school.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Overall the quality of teaching is improving. Inadequate practice has been tackled robustly since the previous inspection, with almost all eradicated. This has resulted in changes to staff in some subjects. In some subjects, new staff have not yet been able to make sufficient impact on addressing historical weaknesses in students’ knowledge and skills. As a result of this and because not enough students make better than expected progress, teaching requires improvement overall.  Not all teaching yet provides all groups of students with work that gets the best out of them. This is because expectations from some teachers are still not high enough. On occasions, teaching in some lessons does not challenge the most able and some boys, to think deeply about what they are learning and whether they can do even better. Often, disadvantaged students are moved on too quickly without having had sufficient time to make sense of what they have learnt.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Some teachers do not check students’ learning carefully enough, and some are insufficiently flexible to adapt activities to meet learners’ changing needs.  While many teachers provide regular and detailed comments on students’ work, not all have high enough expectations of students’ responses to their comments. As a result, some students, particularly the most able, do not always challenge themselves enough to improve their initial work.  Teaching is as equally variable in the sixth form as it is across Years 7 to 11, and for similar reasons.  The impact of the support that teaching assistants provide for individual students varies. This is because some teachers do not communicate sufficiently with teaching assistants in lessons and do not check the effectiveness of their work carefully enough.  Relationships between students and adults in all years and subjects are positive and promote students’

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

social and personal development well. This is especially so in the school’s designated specialist provision, and in ‘The Park,’ ensuring that students with additional needs learn well.  Many teachers, in many subjects, enthuse students to want to do well and plan testing and enjoyable experiences. For example, Year 11 students studying geography were keen to investigate the advantages and disadvantages of tourism in the Yorkshire National Park, constantly challenging and justifying different points of view. Similarly, Year 8 physical education students were absorbed in cardio-vascular exercise, using running and cross-trainer machines effectively, as they explored the optimum heart rate and the positive effects of exercise on the body.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 From students’ generally average starting points on entry to Year 7, they make no better than expected progress overall. By the end of Year 11, the proportion of students attaining five or more good GCSEs is average and has not improved significantly since the previous inspection.  The proportions of students making more than expected progress in English and mathematics are below average. This is particularly the case for a minority of boys, disadvantaged and the most-able students.  Achievement in English requires improvement, because not enough boys or disadvantaged students write extensively, informally and formally, for different purposes. They have not yet mastered the use of paragraphs to sequence ideas, and the development of complex sentences, with a variety of punctuation for effect. Similarly, not enough of the most-able students are challenged or challenge themselves enough to write in sufficient detail, with a wide enough range of effective vocabulary and linguistic techniques.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Achievement also requires improvement in mathematics. A minority of disadvantaged students is not yet confident in applying all four number operations to solve simple mathematical problems. Similarly, a minority of the most-able students is not sufficiently challenged to apply common formulae and mathematical expressions to find solutions to ‘real-life’ scenarios.  In a number of subjects, a very large majority of students make good progress and attain above average standards by the end of Key Stage 4. This is especially so in religious studies, geography, drama and modern foreign languages.  Across the school, students with special educational needs achieve in line with their peers. This is because they receive adequate support for the most part and they have sufficient time to complete what they are asked to do.  In the designated support provision, and in ‘The Park,’ students with specific additional needs achieve

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

well. The precise assessment of individuals’ learning difficulties is matched by careful and sensitive teaching that heightens students’ self-confidence and raises their self-esteem.  The vast majority of the most-able students achieve as expected, although a minority do not reach the highest grades of which they are capable, by the time they leave the school. Overall, they are not challenged sufficiently in some lessons to think and challenge themselves fully in order to make better than expected progress.  As of late, achievement margins between disadvantaged students and non-disadvantaged students in the school have narrowed in English and mathematics. In 2014, the school’s information indicates that disadvantaged students’ attainment was approximately one GCSE grade behind non-disadvantaged students nationally in English, but still over one GCSE grade behind in mathematics. Students’ work indicates that the achievement of disadvantaged students still requires improvement in English and

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

mathematics in some year groups.  Appropriate support is made available for students at risk of falling behind. For example, Year 7 catch-up funding has been used to provide specialist teaching. The school’s information on the impact of these measures shows good gains to date, especially in reading for a large majority of students.

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The sixth form provision requires improvement

 Achievement in the sixth form requires improvement. While Year 12 and Year 13 students’ attainment in 2014 improved and approached the national averages for many A-level and AS courses, these outcomes represented largely expected rates of progress, given this group of students’ broadly average starting points.  Inspection evidence shows that the relatively small number of students pursuing vocational courses also achieve in line with expectations.  Sixth-form outcomes meet the national 16 to 19 interim minimum standards.  While teaching in the sixth form is improving, there remains too much variation across subjects. As a result, students do not yet make good or better progress across Years 12 to 13.  Students are positive about the quality of the careers information and guidance they receive. As a result, more students continue with their courses from Year 12 into Year 13, with increasing numbers going on to

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The sixth form provision requires improvement

prestigious universities when they leave school. Some students opt to take up appropriate apprenticeships or employment opportunities. The relatively small proportion of students who do not choose to move on to Year 13 is supported successfully to other destinations.  The curriculum offers an appropriate range of academic and vocational courses and is annually reviewed. Few students enter the sixth form without a grade ‘C’ or above in English or mathematics. Those who do improve and achieve well. Students show generally positive attitudes to learning, take private study time seriously, behave well and are good role models for younger students. They get on well together and support the school’s activities in a number of ways, for example, planning charity fund-raising events and providing reading support for younger students.  Through regular tutorials, assemblies, bespoke visitors and visits, students’ personal and employability

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The sixth form provision requires improvement

skills are well developed, by the time they leave school.  The sixth-form leader has a clear understanding of the sixth form’s strengths and areas for improvement. Appropriate tracking systems are now in place to check on students’ progress and to provide additional support for any who fall behind and to improve further the quality of teaching.

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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 132217 Local authority Bradford Inspection number 442280

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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 Foundation 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 1,009 Of which, number on roll in sixth form 125 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Umberto Vietri Headteacher Andrew Taylor Date of previous school inspection 12 February 2013 Telephone number 01535 272752 Fax number 01535 274693 Email address mail@parksideschool.net 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

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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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