All Saints Catholic High School

All Saints Catholic High School Roughwood Drive, Northwood, Knowsley, L33 8XF

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Inadequate 4 Leadership and management Inadequate 4 Behaviour and safety of pupils Inadequate 4 Quality of teaching Inadequate 4 Achievement of pupils Inadequate 4 Sixth form provision Requires improvement 3

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a school that requires special measures.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 School leaders have failed to sustain the school’s good overall effectiveness judgement noted at the last inspection. Systems of accountability have not been rigorous enough to address underperformance in teaching and students’ achievement.  Teachers and school leaders are not sufficiently skilled in the analysis of students’ progress data to identify quickly when students are not performing as well as they should.  The governing body does not have the experience to evaluate the school’s performance. Over time, its level of challenge has been insufficient.  Students’ achievement in most subjects, including in mathematics, but particularly in English, and at Key Stage 3, is inadequate.  The gaps in attainment and in progress between disadvantaged students and others are not closing quickly enough.  Weak literacy skills hinder students’ progress across all subjects.  The most able students do not reach their potential

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

because teachers’ expectations of what they can achieve are too low.  Some teachers do not assess students’ work accurately nor do they plan work at the right level for students. Marking and feedback are often ineffective in improving students’ progress because students do not respond to advice given by teachers.  Students are not well prepared for their next stages in employment or education because their attendance is poor.  In some classes, students talk when they should be working or listening; this slows their learning.  The school’s leadership does not create good opportunities to communicate and consult with parents. This restricts strong partnerships forming between home and school.  The sixth form provision requires improvement. While some students achieve well, others do not, particularly those on A level courses and those who re-sit their GCSEs in English and in mathematics.

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The school has the following strengths

 The school provides a very safe environment and culture and the students who are most in need are looked after well.  Disabled students and those with special educational needs make better progress than others in the school because they are taught well.  The school prepares students well for the diversity of life in modern Britain. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is strong. The majority of students respect others and have tolerant attitudes to people from different communities or faiths.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors reviewed a range of documents, including the school’s own data on current students’ progress, planning and monitoring material, minutes of governing body meetings, records relating to behaviour and attendance, documents pertaining to safeguarding and external reports on the school’s overall effectiveness.  Students’ current and earlier work was evaluated. Inspectors also undertook joint observations and reviews of students’ work with senior and middle leaders.  Inspectors spoke with a wide range of students. They spoke with governors and school staff, including those with management responsibilities. Discussions also took place with representatives of the local authority.  There were insufficient responses to evaluate on Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire. However, the inspection team considered similar questionnaires completed at parent consultation evenings. Inspectors met with parents who requested a discussion and their views were taken into account.

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Inspection team

Neil MacKenzie, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Full report

In accordance with the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.

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Information about this school

 This is a larger-than- average- sized secondary school.  The proportion of students who are disadvantaged, and therefore eligible for support through the pupil premium funding, is well-above the national average. The pupil premium is additional 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 students who are disabled or who have special educational needs is broadly average.  Almost all students are of White British heritage.  This school receives additional leadership support from the local authority and the archdiocese, including a leadership consultant and subject-specific expertise.  Twenty-eight students are educated off site at six alternative providers. These are: Skillbridge; SALT; Dream Academy; Adapt4Work; Transitions and Westvale School.  The school works in partnership, through its Career Academy, with a local leading car manufacturer to

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Information about this school

enrich learning and broaden opportunities.  In 2013, the school met the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for students’ attainment and progress.  Part-way through this term, two deputy headteachers stepped into the roles of joint acting headteachers with shared responsibility for leading the school. A temporary headteacher has been appointed from 1 January 2015. A substantive headteacher has been appointed and will take up post in April 2015.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the achievement of all students, including those in the sixth form, so that it is at least good, by ensuring teachers: - improve the accuracy with which they assess the progress that all students make and that they analyse this information and use it to better inform their lesson planning - identify gaps in students’ understanding more quickly and take decisive action to fill any gaps - raise their expectations of what their students can achieve and make sure they are given work that is more appropriately challenging so students are required to think more deeply, evaluate, and explain in more detail - develop opportunities for all students to build their confidence in speaking and writing at length, particularly in Key Stage 3, using the specific vocabulary of the different subjects they study - help students to improve their numeracy and literacy skills in all subjects - set high-quality homework frequently, in line with the best practice seen in the school

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

- give opportunities to students to respond to feedback they receive, to ensure they understand what they need to do to improve and, over time, to apply what they have learned.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve students’ attitudes to their learning by ensuring they: - attend more regularly, particularly those who are disadvantaged and those in the sixth form - catch up on any work missed as a result of their absence - take more pride in their work - do not get involved in causing low-level disruption.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve urgently the impact of leadership at all levels, including governance, by: - i mproving the rigour with which all teachers and leaders, particularly subject leaders, are held to account for the progress of students - developing the skills teachers, leaders and governors use to analyse the data they collect, in order to better use it to identify areas for improvement and inform their planning - strengthening further the communication and hence partnership working between the school and parents.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

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

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The leadership and management are inadequate

 Since the last inspection, teachers and leaders have not been held to account for the significant decline in students’ achievement. Recently, school leaders have introduced more rigour to performance management procedures but these changes have not had time to improve the quality of teaching and the achievement of students.  The school does not promote equality of opportunity effectively; this is demonstrated clearly in the achievement gaps between various groups of students such as the most able and the disadvantaged when compared with others in the school and nationally. Disadvantaged students underperform because the additional funding the school receives to help these students is not used well enough.  Leaders have not, until recently, ensured teachers have had the skills to evaluate accurately the progress of students. As a consequence, teachers have not made timely interventions to address any deficiencies in

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The leadership and management are inadequate

students’ understanding. Inaccurate achievement data, combined with a lack of skill in interpreting this data, resulted in subject leaders and senior leaders not being fully aware of the extent of underperformance until the examination results were published. There has been too little focus on the progress of all students, particularly in Key Stage 3 and across all subjects. A decline in the quality of teaching has resulted in a fall in GCSE results, particularly in English. Teachers’ and leaders’ understanding of students’ progress is starting to develop as a result of considerable recent efforts by the local authority and school’s acting leaders.  The recent additional and significant support provided by the local authority and archdiocese has brought about some improvement. Currently, the school’s own leadership and management teams at all levels, and particularly leaders of some subjects, do not have the capacity to drive rapid improvement.

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The leadership and management are inadequate

 There is considerable variability in the quality and impact of subject leaders because some do not know with sufficient accuracy how well students within their subject area are progressing. Consequently, they cannot quickly address underachievement, leaving too much for the students to catch up in Year 11. The school has identified best practice in the physical education department and is seeking to use this strength and expertise to help secure improvements in other subjects.  There has been a wide range of professional development opportunities over recent years. These have improved the practice of a number of individual staff, but have had little impact on improving teaching and raising students’ achievement as a whole. Too many whole-school initiatives, such as assessment, feedback and literacy development, have not been adopted wholeheartedly by all staff, limiting their impact on achievement. Recent improvements in the leadership of teaching have not yet had sufficient

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The leadership and management are inadequate

impact on students’ learning.  Training on how to evaluate the quality of learning has recently been delivered to key staff. Working with the inspection team, the current acting headteachers demonstrated they can accurately assess the quality of learning and identify areas for teachers to develop that would increase rates of students’ progress.  Leaders and managers are now more rigorous in the monitoring of the quality of teaching students receive when they are educated off site. Strong communications between the providers and the school ensure students’ progress, behaviour and attendance are monitored well. Students attending off-site provision generally complete and pass their courses.  There has been a recent improvement in the accuracy of the school’s evaluation of its own performance. Improvement planning is now better with clear lines of accountability and measurable targets for success based on students’ achievement.

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The leadership and management are inadequate

 The curriculum is broad and balanced. However, since too many students do not leave this school with the literacy and numeracy skills of which they are capable, they are not prepared well enough for their next steps in life. Students use information and communication technology well across a wide range of subjects. Students also benefit from a good range of enrichment activities that include performing arts, cultural visits and sports clubs; Year 9 girls, for example, were recently crowned national football champions.  The school’s Career Academy and partnership with a local car manufacturer provide excellent support, encouragement and opportunities to students who are involved in the initiative. Consequently, students are given opportunities to apply their skills developed in computer science, mathematics, engineering, design and technology to model solutions to real problems in the car industry.

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The leadership and management are inadequate

 Students speak very positively about the good support and guidance they receive not only when deciding their next steps, but also in thinking about their future careers. The information, advice and guidance students receive in the main school is good. Students are encouraged to attend the sixth-form provision that best suits their individual needs.  The school effectively supports students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and so they are well prepared for life in the diversity of modern Britain. The school’s faith-based ethos gives both adults and students strong guidance on how to behave and show respect and tolerance. Adults provide good role models for students. The school tackles all forms of discrimination by making it clear to students that prejudice of any description will not be tolerated.  The school works well with the parents of students who have special educational needs, students who

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The leadership and management are inadequate

have difficulty in behaving well and the parents of those students who are perceived to be particularly in need of support. Opportunities to consult with other parents, however, are not used effectively and so partnerships between home and school are not always strong enough. Some parents say communication with the school is not effective.  The school should not seek to appoint newly qualified teachers.  The governance of the school: - The governing body has not evaluated rigorously the school’s performance or taken rapid and effective steps to improve it. Governors are not sufficiently clear about the quality of teaching or the impact of their spending of the pupil premium on improving the achievement of disadvantaged students. Too few governors are sufficiently skilled in analysing data relating to the progress of students. - Over recent years, the governing body has received a number of reports from consultants on the

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The leadership and management are inadequate

performance of the school, including on the effectiveness of mathematics teaching and on how to improve governance. These have not always identified precisely enough how to strengthen teaching and leadership and so necessary change has not begun to happen until recently. - This year, the governing body is using performance management procedures to better effect in raising the achievement of students. Previously this aspect of their work was weak; although it rewarded good teaching, it did not tackle underperformance with sufficient rigour. - Child protection and safeguarding procedures are secure and the school’s finances are managed well.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of students is inadequate. Attendance is low and this creates a considerable barrier to some students’ learning and being suitably prepared for their next stage of life, whether it is in work or education. The attendance of students who are disadvantaged is particularly low.  Often students have poor attitudes to learning in the classroom. In some lessons, too many students chat when they should be working or listening and this distracts others. Some other students sit quietly but do not take a full part in the lesson. Too few students take pride in their work and so it lacks accuracy. Students generally respect the school environment and there is very little graffiti or damage to school property.  The attitudes of students who are educated off site are much more positive than students in the main school because these students enjoy what they are doing and value the skills they are learning.

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Behaviour

 Around school, students are calm, courteous and friendly. They interact well with adults and social spaces are harmonious.  Students are smartly dressed and most are proud to be associated with their school. A minority of students, however, are not punctual to school or lessons.  Incidences of poor behaviour which lead to exclusion are reducing quickly because school leaders are using more effective strategies to stop problems escalating. On the rare occasion when behaviour is unacceptable, the school uses alternatives to exclusion, enabling students to continue with their learning. Incidents of racist or homophobic misbehaviour have decreased significantly this last term and are now rare.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep students safe and secure is good. It is a high priority for all who work in the school. The safety of students who are educated off site is also good.  Most students who spoke with inspectors said they feel very safe in this school because the site is secure and they feel very well looked after. A very small minority of students say that they are affected by bullying. The school’s procedures for dealing with bullying are generally effective.  All staff are rigorous in their work to help students whose circumstances may make them vulnerable to feel secure and be safe. Although too many students, particularly the disadvantaged, do not attend well, the school makes every effort to follow up absences and ensure they know the students’ whereabouts and that they are safe when they are absent. Students are taught well about the dangers they may face in life outside school, including using social media, forms of exploitation and drug misuse. They know how to

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Safety

respond to keep themselves and their friends safe.  School leaders invest a significant amount of staff time to ensure students are safe at lesson changeover times when using a staircase, which is barely adequate for the number of students in the school. Systems to ensure students are safe when they attend off-site provision are strong: for example, teachers make unannounced visits to these providers, checking on students’ well-being and learning.

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The quality of teaching is inadequate

 The quality of teaching, including in English and mathematics, has declined since the last inspection and its impact on students’ achievement has been inadequate over time. Weak teaching has resulted in too many students being ill-prepared for their GCSE examinations.  In the past, teachers have been over-generous in assessing students’ work. Consequently, they have not been aware of prolonged underachievement. When planning lessons, too many teachers do not take sufficient account of what their students know and do not know. Consequently, lessons often do not meet students’ needs. Teachers have not enabled students to catch up quickly enough following extended periods of underachievement or absence.  Frequently, teachers accept superficial responses from students, often because they have low expectations of what students can achieve. Teachers do not develop students’ capabilities to think in more

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The quality of teaching is inadequate

depth and express their conclusions or opinions in detail. This has a particularly negative impact on the most able students, who consequently do not achieve well.  Too often, teachers ask questions that require only one-word answers, and move on when one student gives a correct response, leaving others behind. Too many teachers accept inaccurate work. Others allow students to use imprecise language and do not encourage sufficiently the use of specific terms associated with their subject. Consequently, when students are given an assessment, test or examination, they do not do well enough and lose confidence.  The school has developed a good system for marking students’ work and giving them feedback that will help them understand better what they have to do to improve. However, too few teachers follow the policy of giving students opportunities to follow up on the advice they receive. Consequently, students do

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The quality of teaching is inadequate

not correct their errors, nor understand where they have gone wrong and so they continue to make the same mistakes.  Poor literacy skills slow students’ progress across all subjects. Teachers have started to address students’ weaknesses in writing but, too often, this is limited to correcting mis-spellings and issuing key words. Students do not have enough opportunity to develop their skills in writing at length, particularly in Key Stage 3, in order to build a secure foundation for the demands of GCSEs. Students are not required to express themselves clearly using language that is precise and specific to the subject.  The teaching of mathematics is improving because teachers within this department are working well as a team. They review their practice and are prepared to adopt new ways of working and teaching. However, teachers in other subjects do not know how best to develop students’ numeracy skills in their teaching.

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The quality of teaching is inadequate

 Reading is taught well to a small number of students including those who have extra support through the additional Year 7 catch-up fund. However, students generally do not read well and teachers do not do enough to improve reading for the majority of students.  Students say the extent to which teachers manage behaviour well in classes is variable. They say that, in some classes, students concentrate well and enjoy their learning. However, where teaching is weak, they say students are not engaged: some students start chatting while others sit quietly and do little work. These views are consistent with the quality of work in students’ books and their progress.  The effectiveness of homework is variable. In mathematics, it is set regularly and makes a valuable contribution to students’ learning because it prepares students for their following lessons, or consolidates recent learning. This is beginning to support improvements in students’ progress in mathematics. In other

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The quality of teaching is inadequate

subjects, homework is not planned well enough, so it is superficial and does not help students learn.

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The achievement of pupils is inadequate

 Since the last inspection, students have consistently underachieved and GCSE results in 2014 dropped further. Only about a third of students achieved five good GCSEs and students made poor progress in many subjects and courses, including in mathematics and especially in English.  Students make stronger progress in geography, science, textiles and in physical education because they are consistently well taught in these subjects. Teachers know what their students are capable of, what their students do not know and how to help them fill the gaps in their understanding and learn efficiently.  The progress the most able students make is not good enough because teachers have low expectations of what these students can achieve. Teachers are not sufficiently skilled in making students think more deeply about what they are learning or encouraging them to explain difficult concepts.  Gaps between the attainment of disadvantaged students and that of other students remain wide. In both

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The achievement of pupils is inadequate

English and mathematics at GCSE, disadvantaged students achieve about a grade below that achieved by other students in the school. The gaps between the attainment of these students and that of other students nationally are even wider and are about a grade and a half weaker in both subjects. From their different starting points, disadvantaged students do not progress as well as other students in the school or nationally in either English or in mathematics.  The small group of students who have extra support through the additional Year 7 catch-up funding make good progress in reading and in literacy. Resources are of good quality; students are taught well and receive good support and encouragement; consequently, their levels of confidence increase.  Students who attend the wide range of off-site provision make good progress in developing their self- esteem, life and social skills and this helps them become more employable. Their attendance is good. The

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The achievement of pupils is inadequate

school is beginning to make better provision for these students to improve their literacy and numeracy skills.  Many teaching assistants know the needs of individual students well and generally make a strong contribution to student progress. This is particularly evident in the progress of students who are disabled or who have special educational needs, which is better than that of other students in the school. The school’s transition centre and nurture groups ensure support is well-tailored to the needs of the students who attend this provision.  The school’s monitoring of the progress of current students points to very early signs of improvement and this can be seen in the work of these students.  The school does not enter students early for GCSE examinations.

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The sixth form provision requires improvement

 Overall, students do not achieve as well in their A level courses as they do in their vocational courses. In their vocational courses, students make strong progress as they respond well to doing course work. However, teachers of A level courses, as in the main school, do not encourage their students to think at a high level and express themselves in sufficient detail.  The proportion of students who successfully resit GCSE English or mathematics in the sixth form to achieve at least a grade C is too low.  Teaching is stronger in the sixth form than in the main school. Students enjoy their learning, which is often practical and related to the world of work. Teaching requires improvement however, because some weaknesses that are apparent in teaching in the main school also exist in the sixth form: it is too easy for some students to make little contribution to the lesson and some teachers do not expect students to

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The sixth form provision requires improvement

answer or respond fully.  Leaders and managers have a clear vision for the sixth form which is linked to employability. Students can study for a wide range of vocational qualifications and some academic ones. The proportion of students that continue their studies from Year 12 into Year 13 is high. Students receive good guidance which helps them to move on to highly suitable further courses or good employment opportunities beyond school.  Students’ attitudes to learning are better than those of students in the main school because they enjoy their work. However, their attendance at lessons is not good enough and requires improvement. Sixth- form students make a good contribution to the life of the school. They help younger students improve their basic skills and take part in a range of volunteering activities. The sixth-form procedures to ensure safety are good.  Tracking of students’ progress is more effective in the sixth form than in the main school because teachers

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The sixth form provision requires improvement

and leaders know how to analyse and respond to the information their monitoring generates. Leadership and management of the sixth form are not good because the quality of teaching and results in some subjects are not good enough.

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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 135479 Local authority Knowsley Inspection number 449198

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Secondary School category Voluntary aided Age range of pupils 11–18 Gender of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils in the sixth form Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 1,048 Of which, number on roll in sixth form 125 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Father Nicholas Wilde Acting headteachers Carol Murray / Brendan Chorley Date of previous school inspection 8 March 2011 Telephone number 0151 477 8740 Fax number 0151 477 8741 Email address info@allsaintschs.org.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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