King Edward VII School

Glossop Road, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S10 2PW

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Requires improvement 3 This inspection: Good 2 Leadership and management Outstanding 1 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Sixth form provision Outstanding 1

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Outstanding leadership and management at all levels, including the contribution of the governing body, have driven the school forward very strongly and successfully since the previous inspection. This includes rapid improvement to the quality of teaching and students’ achievement.  Students have positive and mature attitudes to learning. They are eager to give of their best.  Students say they feel safe in school and behaviour is good; inspection findings confirm this. The vast majority are proud of their school.  Attendance has improved and is now above average.  Student’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. The school is an exceptionally harmonious community with respect for others at its core.  The quality of teaching has improved significantly. Teaching is now good; sometimes its impact is outstanding.  Teachers have very good subject knowledge. They expect students in their classes to work hard and

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

are rarely disappointed.  Students’ achievement has improved significantly. Attainment by the end of Key Stage 4 is above average and the proportion of students making the progress expected of them and the proportion doing better than this is now above average in English and well above average in mathematics.  The most able students make outstanding progress because of the high levels of challenge that teaching presents to them.  The attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and other students in the school is closing rapidly and securely.  The sixth form is outstanding. Students in the sixth form achieve outstandingly well. They thoroughly enjoy their time in the sixth form. A very high proportion of students go on to higher education - many at prestigious universities. The sixth form is led and managed outstandingly well.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Not all teaching in Key Stages 3 and 4 uses information about students’ progress and abilities effectively to plan activities that are appropriately challenging for all groups of students, especially middle and lower ability students.  The quality of marking and feedback to students is inconsistent in showing them what they need to do to improve.  Students do not always pay enough attention to accurate spelling, punctuation and grammar in their written work, and too many students do not take enough pride in the presentation of their work.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching and learning in a large number of lessons, four of which took place jointly with the headteacher and a deputy headteacher. An inspector also observed an assembly.  Inspectors held meetings with senior leaders, middle leaders and groups of students. The inspectors also met with three school governors, including the Chair of the Governing Body, two representatives of the local authority and the national leader of education who has been working with the school in recent years.  Inspectors took account of a wide range of documentation including records relating to safeguarding, behaviour and attendance, along with school information about students’ progress and the checks the school makes on teaching.  Inspectors took account of 118 responses to the on-line Ofsted questionnaire (Parent View) and the outcomes of a staff survey issued shortly before the inspection. Five e-mails from parents were also taken

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Inspection team

Stephen Wall, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 King Edward V11 is much larger than the average sized secondary school. It has an above average sized sixth form which attracts a large number of students from other schools across the city.  The proportion of disadvantaged students who are eligible for support through the pupil premium is average. The pupil premium is additional funding for students who are known to be eligible for free school meals and those looked after by the local authority.  The proportion of students from a very wide spectrum of minority ethnic backgrounds is above average. The proportion of students who speak English as an additional language is also above average.  The proportion of disabled students and those who have special educational needs is average.  A small number of students, mostly in Year 11, attend part-time vocational courses off site at seven alternative providers: Whirlow Hall Farm; Sheaf Training; the Construction Design Centre; GTA Motor

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Information about this school

Engineering; Sheffield Engineering Centre; Creator Hair academy and Endeavour.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for students’ attainment and progress.  In recent years, the school has received support from a National Leader of Education from All Saints Catholic High School.  The school enters some students early for GCSE examinations in English Literature, science and some technology subjects.  The school operates on a split site. Key Stage 3 students are housed in a building approximately one-and- a-half miles distant from the Upper School which houses Key Stage 4 and sixth-form students.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise achievement to outstanding, especially for middle and lower ability students, by: - making sure that all teaching uses information about students’ abilities and needs to plan and set activities that are appropriately challenging - ensuring that the quality of teachers’ feedback to students on their work improves and shows students clearly what they need to do to improve their work and students always follow up on the advice given - encouraging all students to take pride in the presentation of their written work and in how accurately they use spelling, punctuation and grammar.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Leaders and managers have an unrelenting and highly successful focus on improving the school.  The steps taken by leaders and managers to improve the school as outlined in the previous inspection report are reaping a fine harvest. The quality of teaching has improved significantly and this, in turn, has led to a significant upturn in students’ achievement, enjoyment of learning and their attendance.  Leaders and managers have a crystal clear understanding of what the school does well and where it could do even better. Planning for future success is detailed and the targeted outcomes are measurable and appropriate.  Leaders and managers have refined procedures for making targets for students’ achievement more demanding and for checking on students’ progress towards achieving them. The targets form an integral part of checking on the performance of staff and are used meticulously to inform decisions about salary

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The leadership and management are outstanding

progression and to identify staff training needs to improve teaching still further.  Outstanding leadership of teaching has brought about a sea change in its quality and impact on students’ learning. Monitoring of the quality of teaching is regular and accurate. It leads to an extensive programme of professional development opportunities for staff, including the sharing of most successful practice both in the school and with other schools.  Middle leaders understand their roles and responsibilities fully. They are enthusiastic and carry out their responsibilities expertly, keeping a sharp eye on the agenda for raising achievement and improving the quality of teaching.  Leaders and managers provide exceptionally well for the large number of students who speak English as an additional language and for those with special educational needs to ensure that they make good and rapidly improving progress. Similarly, leaders and managers have given a much sharper focus to the

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The leadership and management are outstanding

achievement of disadvantaged students with the result that the attainment gap with other students in school is closing securely. These facts illustrate leaders’ and managers’ success in providing equality of opportunity.  The curriculum is designed to meet students’ needs, abilities and aspirations. Leaders and managers keep it under constant review. Plans to meet future changes to the National Curriculum are fully in place.  The taught curriculum and an extensive range of additional activities in sports, the arts and foreign travel ensure that students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. They result in an exceptionally harmonious school community in which differences are deeply respected and celebrated. The promotion of British values of respect and tolerance is part and parcel of everyday life in the school.  Leaders and managers ensure that the quality of information, advice and guidance for the next stage of

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The leadership and management are outstanding

students’ education and/or working life is exceptionally comprehensive. The strength of the programme is seen in the very low proportions of pupils who do not move on to education, employment or training at the end of Year 11.  The school has forged strong relationships with parents. The vast majority hold the school in high esteem and would recommend it to other, prospective parents.  In recognition of the strength of leadership and management in the school and the rapid and secure improvements taking place, the local authority has provided light-touch support since the previous inspection.  Leaders and managers are meticulous in checking on the safeguarding of students who attend alternative provision. They are similarly meticulous in checking on these students’ progress, attendance and behaviour.  The governance of the school: - The governing body has stepped up its level of challenge to school leaders and now holds the school to

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The leadership and management are outstanding

account with an outstanding level of rigour; governors make sure that improvement is at the very core of its work. Governors know exactly the strengths of the school and to what extent the quality of teaching is improving. They understand fully the management of staff performance and are outstandingly rigorous in making sure that decisions about salary increases are fully justified and accurate. - Governors take part in relevant training to make sure their knowledge is up to date. As a result, they understand fully data about the school’s performance, including the use of pupil premium funding and its impact on closing gaps in students’ attainment and progress. Governors keep a sharp eye on the school’s finances and plan appropriately for future budget implications and needs. Governors ensure all statutory safeguarding requirements are met.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of students is good.  Students in the Upper School building conduct themselves responsibly and maturely both in lessons and around the school. However, in the Lower School, behaviour at break times and lunchtimes on the playground and corridors can occasionally be too boisterous.  The vast majority of students are very polite, well-mannered and get on extremely well with each other and with their teachers. They are articulate and confident speakers, at ease with adult visitors. ‘Please’, ‘thank you’ and ‘you’re welcome’ are part and parcel of the daily routine.  Students are proud of their school and the vast majority respond positively to the school’s trust in them to control their own behaviour and to take responsibility for their own conduct.  They arrive punctually for lessons with the necessary equipment and settle quickly to learning. Instances of poor behaviour disrupting teaching and learning are rare. In Key Stage 4 especially, students’ positive

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Behaviour

attitudes to learning are impressive. They show a real desire to learn and a maturity that sometimes belies their age.  Students’ attendance has improved in recent years and is above average.  The behaviour of students at alternative provision is monitored regularly and school records show that it is consistently good.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep students safe and secure is good.  Students whom inspectors met during the inspection say that they feel safe in school and this is confirmed by the vast majority of parents’ responses on Parent View.  Students are aware of different kinds of bullying, including prejudiced-based, racist and cyber bullying. They can identify many adults in the school whom they can call upon if they are worried or bothered.  Students are taught how to keep themselves safe, including when they are using computers or mobile phones, although this is given greater emphasis in Key Stages 3 and 4 than in the sixth form.  Arrangements for checking on the safeguarding of students at alternative provision are comprehensive.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of teaching has improved significantly since the previous inspection because it has a sharper focus on students’ progress in lessons and on promoting higher levels of enjoyment. The impact of teaching, including the teaching of reading, literacy and mathematics, is never less than good and sometimes it is outstanding.  Teachers have very good subject knowledge that they use effectively to pose questions that really make students think and give extended, rational answers. For example, in Year 10 German, students listened to and responded in the German language and were clearly used to this as a matter of routine. High-quality questioning elicited answers that enabled students to develop their confidence and expertise in using complex sentence structures to express their ideas and thoughts.  Lesson plans are detailed and show that teaching strives to move students’ learning on at a fast pace.

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The quality of teaching is good

However, sometimes teaching does not make fully effective use of information on students’ needs to match activities closely to their abilities. While the most able profit from consistently challenging activities, middle and lower ability students sometimes find the work too difficult and this slows their progress.  Relationships between teachers and their students are strong and respectful. As a result, students work hard and productively in most lessons. They are keen to learn and the vast majority have positive attitudes to learning and are keen to give of their best.  Teaching assistants provide effective support, especially for students with special educational needs and those who speak English as an additional language so that these students make good and rapidly improving progress.  Students read frequently in lessons and they read with understanding and fluency. Students often write at length and inspectors read many examples of impressive, extended writing in students’ books. However,

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The quality of teaching is good

students do not always present their work with enough pride and some students’ grasp of spelling, punctuation and grammar is not accurate enough.  Teachers mark students’ work regularly. However, the quality of their comments is not always helpful in showing students what they need to do to improve and in insisting that students act on the comments and advice given.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Students join Year 7 with attainment that is, overall, broadly average.  In recent years, attainment by the end of Year 11 has risen significantly. In 2013 and 2014, the proportion of students attaining five or more GCSE passes at grades A* to C, including English and mathematics, was above the national averages.  In 2014, the proportion of students making the progress expected of them from their individual starting points and the proportion making better progress than this was above the national averages in English and well above in mathematics.  The most able students make outstanding progress and achieve outstandingly well in both English and mathematics because the activities that are given in lessons challenge their thinking and drive their learning at a fast pace.  In comparison, despite improving significantly, middle and lower ability students made good rather than outstanding progress because the work they are set does not always offer sufficient challenge.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Inspection evidence from observing teaching and learning, work in students’ books and talking to students, confirms the school’s predictions that attainment and progress measures are set to continue on an upward trend.  School data, again confirmed by inspection evidence, show that the proportion of students making good and better progress in Key Stage 3 is rising rapidly and securely.  In 2014, differences in attainment between disadvantaged students and others in the school were approximately one GCSE grade lower overall in both English and mathematics. When compared to other students nationally, the gap of one GCSE grade lower was similar. This represents a significant closing of the size of the gap that existed in 2012 and 2013. Data presented by the school and confirmed by inspection evidence show that the gap is currently on track to close further in 2015.  Students who are disabled or with special educational needs make good and improving progress and

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The achievement of pupils is good

achieve well from their starting points because of the effective support that they receive.  Similarly, students who speak English as an additional language make good progress. Some make outstanding progress because their individual needs are met well by staff.  Inspection evidence from scrutiny of school data shows that students who are entered early for GCSE examinations in a few subjects achieve well and that that early entry does not have any detrimental effect on their overall achievement.  School data and inspection evidence show that those students educated off-site also make good progress because their achievement is tracked closely by both the school staff in close liaison with the off-site providers.  Year 7 catch-up funding is used very effectively to provide targeted support for students who have weaker reading skills on entry to Year 7. School data show that the vast majority of these students make

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The achievement of pupils is good

significant advances in their reading ages; a fact confirmed by listening to Year 7 pupils read during the inspection.

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The sixth form provision is outstanding

 Outstanding leadership of the large sixth form has been responsible for an upturn in the achievement of students while maintaining outstanding levels of guidance and support. School data, supported by inspection evidence from talking to students, scrutiny of their work and analysis of data show that the high standards of achievement are set to continue unabated.  Having started in the sixth form in Year 12, approximately 95% of students elect to continue their studies into Year 13.  The high proportion of students who join Year 12 from other schools make good progress during their settling-in process. However, once they are fully integrated and they have acclimatised to the high standards demanded, they make similar, outstanding progress to those students who joined the sixth form from King Edward V11. Attainment at A level is well above average with nearly 50% of students attaining grades A and/or B by the time they leave. In 2014, nearly all students went on to university with nearly

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The sixth form provision is outstanding

50% of them going on to the most prestigious universities, including seven students to Oxford or Cambridge.  Data show that the majority of students achieve their challenging targets and make outstanding progress from their individual starting points by the time they leave the sixth form.  The quality of information, advice and guidance for students is outstanding and is much valued by students. It results in the exceptionally high proportion of students who go on to higher education when they leave.  Behaviour and safety are outstanding in the sixth form. Students say how much they enjoy their time in the sixth form. They behave impeccably and feel exceptionally safe. They praise the facilities that allow them to carry out their research and develop their independent study skills. They enjoy the opportunities to take on responsibilities and value highly the extensive range of extra-curricular activities for which

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The sixth form provision is outstanding

participation rates are very high.  Teaching in the sixth form is outstanding; it is challenging and demanding. Teachers use their excellent subject knowledge consistently to present students with high levels of challenge that result in students making excellent progress. Students’ research and independent learning skills are promoted extremely well. The quality of feedback to students and the tracking of their progress to challenging targets are comprehensive and highly effective in getting the very best out of them.

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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 107140 Local authority Sheffield Inspection number 455550

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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 Community 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 1,760 Of which, number on roll in the sixth form 550 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Barbara Walsh Headteacher Beverley Jackson Date of previous school inspection 18 April 2013 Telephone number 0114 266 2518 Fax number 0114 268 7690 Email address office@kes.sheffield.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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