Harrytown Catholic High School

Harrytown Catholic High School Harrytown Lane, Romiley, Stockport, Cheshire, SK6 3BU

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 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

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

 Over time, students make the progress expected of them in mathematics but too few do better than this. This is also the case in history and geography.  Disabled students and those with special educational needs make less progress than their classmates.  Disadvantaged students make less progress than others in school and, as a result, gaps in attainment are not closing.  Expectations of the work produced by students are not always high enough, especially for disadvantaged students, disabled students and those with special educational needs.  The quality of marking is inconsistent across and within subjects. There is lack of specific guidance for students to enable them to know what they have to do to improve their work.  Students’ behaviour requires improvement, because when teaching is not good, they do not contribute well enough to their own learning. Some students are regularly late to school and this leads to below

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

average attendance.  Subject leaders have not been rigorous enough in checking the quality of teaching and the consistent application of school policies by staff in their departments. As a result, the quality of teaching and the progress made by students is inconsistent.  Over time, leaders, managers and governors have not ensured that all groups of students achieve well and that teaching is good across the school. In particular, they have not ensured that the additional government funding to help disadvantaged students to achieve better standards has had enough impact.

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The school has the following strengths

 Achievement in English, physical education and religious education is good.  Students read well, due to good support and regular opportunities for them to read in form time and in their lessons.  The personal development of students is strong, with good opportunities for them to contribute to charity work as well as taking up leadership roles in school.  Safety is good. Students say they are safe in school and well cared for. Parents and staff agree with this.  There is some good and outstanding teaching in school.  The new headteacher and newly-constituted governing body have a clear understanding of the school’s strengths and how to tackle its weaknesses.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching in a wide range of lessons, across different subjects and year groups. . Four observations were undertaken jointly with leaders from the school.  Inspectors spoke with two groups of students about their learning in lessons and their safety in the school. An inspector also listened to some students reading.  Meetings were held with the Chair of the Governing Body and five other governors. Meetings were held with school staff, including middle and senior leaders. A meeting was held with a representative of the local authority and a conversation took place with a representative of the diocese.  Inspectors also looked at the school’s review of its own performance, its development plan, school policies and the minutes of the governing body meetings. Inspectors also considered a range of documentation in relation to child protection, safeguarding, behaviour and attendance.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors looked at students’ work in lessons and analysed samples of students’ books.  The 58 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) were evaluated.  There were also 16 questionnaires completed by staff which were analysed by inspectors.

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Inspection team

James McGrath, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is smaller than the average-sized secondary school.  Most students are White British. Few students do not speak English as their first language.  The proportion of disadvantaged students, supported by the pupil premium, is below average. The pupil premium is additional funding for those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and those who are looked after by the local authority.  The proportion of disabled students and those who have special educational needs is below average.  Very few students attend alternative, off-site provision. There are four alternative providers used by the school. They are SMS Coaching, Baby Steps, SK1 Arts and The Ark.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics by the end of Year 11.  The school holds the Sports Mark Gold award.

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Information about this school

 A new headteacher started in January 2014.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that it is at least consistently good in all subjects, especially in mathematics, history and geography, in order to guarantee good progress for all students by ensuring:  the marking of students’ work is regular and always tells them what they need to do to improve  expectations of students, especially disadvantaged and those with disabilities and special educational needs, are high so that students’ work is always of a high quality and well presented  questioning is skilful, draws out what students understand and deepens the knowledge of all  students have more opportunities to use their mathematical skills in a wide range of subjects.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve students’ behaviour by developing effective practices to ensure:  punctuality is improved and attendance is at least average for all groups of students  students’ attitudes to learning are consistently good  attendance and behaviour of all groups of students are checked more rigorously by senior and middle leaders and effective action is taken to reduce absenteeism and improve attitudes to learning.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the impact of leaders and managers by ensuring that:  senior leaders hold middle leaders more effectively to account for their work so that progress for disadvantaged students, those with disabilities and special educational needs improves swiftly  middle leaders are more rigorous in checking student progress for all groups  subject leaders check the quality of teaching in their areas more rigorously to ensure it is consistently good  subject leaders check that school policies are implemented effectively to improve students’ attitudes to learning and their progress  additional government funding to support disadvantaged students is used more effectively to raise standards and close gaps in attainment.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

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

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leadership and management require improvement because they have not ensured that all groups of students achieve as well as they should and that the quality of teaching is not consistently good across the school.  The analysis of attendance and behaviour information has not been sufficiently rigorous to take effective action in ensuring that the behaviour of all groups of students is good.  Over time, leaders, managers and governors have not used additional government funding to support disadvantaged students well enough and have not checked the impact of their allocation of the funding.  The headteacher and senior leaders check the work of subject leaders and provide clear guidance about what is expected. However, subject leadership is not consistently good in checking the quality of teaching and staff implementation of school policies.  The new headteacher and the newly-constituted governing body have a clear understanding of the

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The leadership and management requires improvement

performance of the school and how successful it can be. They have identified what needs to be done to improve standards and have secured the support of all the staff to drive their ambitions forward; all staff said they know what they are trying to achieve as a school.  Over time, systems for checking the progress of the various groups of students in school have not been effective. Although an improved system has recently been introduced, middle leaders are not using it consistently well enough to ensure swift improvement in progress for all groups of students. While leadership fosters good relations and is tackling discrimination, there is much to do to ensure equality of opportunity for all.  Systems to check the performance of teachers and holding them to account for the performance of their students have not been rigorous enough although are now improving. Training to meet the needs of students has been identified and as result, teaching is beginning to help students make better progress.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

Appropriate action is taken when teaching falls short of what is expected. Training and support for newly- qualified teachers is guiding them well in their development.  The curriculum offers a good range of subjects for students with a strong emphasis on the development of literacy. Students are given guidance in selecting appropriate courses at Key Stage 4. As a result, all students leaving school at the end of Year 11, in 2014, continued in further education, employment or training.  School visits, opportunities for fund raising, links with an educational charity in Sierra Leone, participation in sport and musical events, assemblies, form time and the ‘one community day’ where students work with others from different faiths and cultures, contribute well to students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The school’s ‘ethics for life’ course and work in form time focus well on British

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The leadership and management requires improvement

values and also on prejudice and extremism. Students are well prepared for life in modern Britain.  Diocesan and local authority representatives meet regularly with the headteacher to check how well the school is doing. This has contributed to improvements to the new systems for checking students’ progress. However, local authority support has not been effective enough to ensure progress is good in mathematics and that all groups of students are making good progress overall.  The governance of the school:  There is a newly-constituted Governing Body which has audited its skills and undertaken effective training over the past year with a view to improving its effectiveness. Governors, with the headteacher, have clearly identified what needs to be done to improve students’ progress. They are challenging the headteacher, other leaders and subject leaders well to improve achievement, the quality of teaching

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The leadership and management requires improvement

and behaviour. They have a detailed understanding of the students’ achievement in comparison to national achievement. Specific governors have been allocated responsibility to check the impact of the school’s work for disadvantaged students, those with disabilities and special educational needs as well as progress for all students in mathematics. Governors are supporting the school effectively in its drive for improvement.  Governors use their skills well and make checks on the school’s budget. Governors are aware of the quality of teaching and understand fully the arrangements linking teachers’ performance and pay. They have supported the headteacher in taking action to secure improved teaching and improvements in middle leadership. Governors ensure that the school’s arrangements for safeguarding meet statutory requirements and check that relevant systems and training are effective.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement. Students’ attitudes to learning vary according to the quality of teaching they receive. They do not respond well enough to comments to improve their work and this limits their progress. Students do not always take a pride in their work and the presentation of work is variable.  Students are proud of their school. They welcome visitors and enjoy telling them about the things they do in the school. Around the school, students treat each other with dignity and respect, moving sensibly and safely between lessons. They are courteous and polite, holding doors open for adults to pass.  There are a small number of students who are late to school and attend after the registers have been closed. As a result, overall attendance remains below average, although it has improved over time.  The school’s use of attendance and behaviour information has not led to swift improvements for groups of

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Behaviour

students, particularly disadvantaged students.  Students readily give to charity and organise fund-raising events. They support the local hostel, arranging and serving Christmas dinner for homeless people. They support the work of an educational charity in Sierra Leone as well as supporting the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD) in its work.  The school provides good leadership opportunities for students. Older students support younger students to improve their reading and act as prefects. Students in the school’s ‘Peace Council’ are available to help students stay safe, all age groups form part of the school council and the ‘Pupil Leadership Team’ contributes well to the life of the school.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good.  The school ensures that students are aware of how to keep themselves safe. There are opportunities in assemblies, form time and lessons for students to learn about safety. They understand clearly how to use the internet safely and how to keep themselves safe.  Students are clear about what constitutes bullying, including prejudice-based bullying and cyber-bullying. Bullying is uncommon and when it happens students are confident that it is dealt with immediately and effectively.  The school uses alternative provision appropriately for a very small number of students. There are well- developed links and procedures with providers of off-site courses to ensure students are safe.  Students say they feel safe at school, they are known well and are well cared for. Parents and staff share the same, positive views about students’ safety.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Over time, the quality of teaching has not been consistently good across and within subjects. This leads to students not making good progress in some of their subjects particularly mathematics, history, geography and some aspects of design technology.  A scrutiny of students’ work in books by inspectors showed that the quality of marking is variable. Some marking is irregular and does not provide useful comments to help students to improve their work. Students are not encouraged well enough to improve their work and this slows their progress. There is high-quality marking in many subjects and strong response from students to support good progress but it is not consistently good within and across subjects.  Expectations of the quality of what students should produce are inconsistent. Students are not challenged well enough to present their work in sufficient detail and neatly at all times. Disadvantaged students,

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

disabled students and those with special educational needs are not challenged well enough to ensure they produce high-quality work often enough.  Inspectors saw examples of skilful questioning across a range of subjects including English, geography and modern languages, with students being keen to give extended answers which deepened the understanding of other students. However, the quality of questioning is not consistent across the school and there are occasions when it is not used skilfully to check the learning of all students and this can result in progress slowing for some.  Literacy is supported well across many subjects with good opportunities for students to write extensively and to develop their reading and communication skills. Students’ use of mathematical skills across a wide range of subjects is less well developed.  When the quality of teaching is good, there are well-planned activities that interest students. Relationships

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

and the way praise is used to encourage and motivate pupils feature strongly and support good learning. Students know what to do to extend their learning and strive to meet high expectations. As an example, these aspects were particularly evident when Year 10 students were learning how to develop choreographic devices in dance.  Teaching assistants are well trained by the school but are not always effectively managed by teachers to ensure that all students make good progress.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Achievement requires improvement as students’ progress in mathematics is as expected but no better than this. The progress made by disadvantaged students, disabled students and those with special educational needs is less than that made by others in school and by non-disadvantaged students nationally.  Since the previous inspection, disabled students and those with special educational needs have made less progress than others. Work set has not matched the needs of these students. More recently, a new system for checking the progress of these students is informing staff better of students’ needs and this is resulting in improvements in progress at Key Stage 3.  Over time, disadvantaged students have made less progress than others in school. At the end of Year 11 in 2014 disadvantaged students were one-and-a-half GCSE grades behind non-disadvantaged students in school in English and in comparison to non-disadvantaged students nationally they were one GCSE grade

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

behind. In mathematics, disadvantaged students were over two GCSE grades behind others in school and nationally. Gaps in attainment between disadvantaged students and non-disadvantaged students are not closing over time either in school or in relation to the national picture. School information shows that, since September 2014, gaps in attainment across the school are beginning to close, but not rapidly enough.  Since the previous inspection, from above-average or well-above-average starting points, the proportion of students attaining five or more GCSE grades at A* to C including English and mathematics has been average and approaching above average. In 2014, from above average starting points on entry to the school, the proportion of students gaining five or more GCSE grades at A* to C, including English and mathematics, was above average. This demonstrated that they made good progress in English but that

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

progress in mathematics required improvement.  Students achieve well in English, physical education and religious education. However, they have not made enough progress in mathematics, history, geography and some technology subjects as teaching has been inconsistent and not good enough overall. Achievement in history is showing signs of improvement due to effective leadership that is improving the quality of teaching in the subject.  The most able students are generally challenged well in their work and they make progress that is similar to comparable students in other schools nationally. Many more of these students than found nationally make better progress than expected in English but not so in mathematics.  The school does not use early entry to GCSE.  There are very few students who study at off-site provision. Comparisons between those students and others in school and nationally are, therefore, not statistically valid.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Information provided by the school shows that due to additional support in Years 10 and 11 students have made better progress than they did in Years 7 to 9. Leadership and management have identified progress in Key Stage 3 as an area for improvement. The inspection team judges that there is now more consistent progress across year groups.  Year 7 catch up funding (government funding for those entering secondary school with below average standards in English and mathematics) is helping to improve students’ literacy and mathematical skills well.  The school is promoting reading well with extra time each week for students to read in class or in small groups. Younger students are listened to by teachers, teaching assistants and older students and this is helping to improve the quality of reading. Students’ reading skills are good and students are keen to read.

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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 106143 Local authority Stockport Inspection number 453304

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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 11–16 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 772 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair L Tommony Headteacher K Turmeau Date of previous school inspection 8 June 2011 Telephone number 0161 430 5277 Fax number 0161 430 1700 Email address office@harrytown.stockport.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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