Chulmleigh Community College

School report Chulmleigh Community College

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected as an academy This inspection: Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The executive headteacher sets high expectations for academic excellence; as a result, students’ achievement is improving. The headteacher is prepared to take difficult decisions to achieve this ambition.  Students’ attainment at the end of Year 11 is above average.  Most students make at least good progress in a wide range of subjects, including English and mathematics.  Students’ skills in reading, writing and speaking are developed well across the school.  The achievement of disadvantaged students has improved to be much closer to that of other students.  The achievement of boys in English has improved significantly.  Teaching in a wide range of subjects is good, and particularly strong in English.  Students show positive attitudes to their learning and behave well in lessons. They move around the site safely and with a sense of urgency so that they arrive at lessons promptly and ready to learn.  The board of directors supports the headteacher

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

well and provides a good balance of support and challenge to help the school improve further.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Not enough teaching is consistently good to ensure that all students, including the most able, make as much progress as they should.  Subject leaders do not make the best use of current assessment information to challenge teachers about those students not making the progress expected.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed learning in 29 lessons. Eight of these observations were conducted jointly with senior leaders. There were also a number of short visits to classes and inspectors followed a small number of individual students through a number of lessons.  Meetings were held with the executive headteacher, senior and middle leaders, the Chair and another member of the board of directors of the academy trust, and several groups of students.  Inspectors observed students’ conduct and behaviour in the academy during lesson changeovers and at break and lunch times. During these times, inspectors talked with a large number of students.  Inspectors scrutinised a wide range of documentation, including information on students’ achievement, the academy’s self-evaluation and improvement plan, minutes of meetings and records relating to the monitoring of teaching, behaviour, attendance and safety. Inspectors also looked at the academy’s risk

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Information about this inspection

assessment of the site, which the academy has occupied since summer 2013.  Consideration was given to 157 responses to the online Parent View survey, as well as responses to the academy’s own surveys of parents and students. Inspectors also took account of emails from a number of parents. No staff questionnaires were completed.

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Inspection team

James Sage, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Information about this school

 Chulmleigh Community College converted to become an academy school in August 2011. When its predecessor school, also known as Chulmleigh Community College, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good overall.  The academy is part of the Chulmleigh Academy Trust, with four partner primary schools. Recently, a Year 6 academy has been established, taking pupils from three of the four primary schools, to smooth the transition between the primary and secondary academies.  The academy trust board of directors act as governors for each of the schools.  Chulmleigh Community College is a smaller than average-sized secondary school.  Most students are from White British backgrounds. The proportion of disadvantaged students eligible for the pupil premium funding is below average. This is additional government funding to support students known to be eligible for free school meals and those in local authority care.

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Information about this school

 The proportion of disabled students and those who have special educational needs is above the national average.  There are more boys than girls in each year of the academy.  Significant numbers of students arrive in the academy at times other than the start of Year 7. A high proportion of these students are disadvantaged.  The academy meets the government’s floor standards which set the minimum expectations for students’ attainment and progress.  The academy currently has a very small number of students in Years 10 and 11 who spend one day each week either on work experience or in Petroc Further Education College.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that teaching is at least consistently good by making sure that all teachers:  monitor students’ progress during lessons, including through well-targeted questions  provide clear and challenging subject-specific points for improvement when marking students’ work, ensure that all students do what is expected to address these points and check that this leads to improvements in the student’s work  use all information about each and every student’s progress in the current piece of work to plan subsequent lessons  use questioning and other approaches in lessons to challenge all students and deepen their understanding.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Use the academy’s regular assessment points to provide information to subject leaders that will enable them to focus on students and classes that are not making the progress expected of them.

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The leadership and management are good

 The senior leadership of the academy was recently restructured to provide a much sharper focus on what the academy needed to do to improve. This was based on a detailed, accurate and ongoing evaluation of the academy’s strengths and areas for development. The board of directors was fully involved in this process.  The executive headteacher, supported by other senior leaders and the directors, is striving for academic excellence. This involves making some difficult decisions, for example about students missing lessons to take part in sporting fixtures or other external activities. This has not been popular with some parents. However, all actions are considered through the need to improve the achievement of students in the academy.  The academy gathers information on students’ progress and reports to parents six times each year. This enables the current progress of all students to be monitored effectively. The academy rigorously checks

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The leadership and management are good

the accuracy of the assessment information provided by subject teachers. Currently, this regular assessment information is not used well by all subject leaders to focus their support and challenge on students and classes that are not making the progress expected of them, and on their teachers.  The academy undertakes regular monitoring of the quality of teaching through lessons observations, checking students’ work and evaluations of the progress of students. Teachers are set performance targets based on the attainment, but not the progress, of the students they teach. This lack of focus on students’ progress does not provide a full picture of the teachers’ performance. However, teachers who need support or guidance are identified quickly and helped to improve.  The curriculum meets all requirements and is broad and balanced. It has recently been reviewed and the proposed new curriculum reflects well the academy’s drive for academic excellence. To ensure that no

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The leadership and management are good

students are left behind, careful consideration is being given to alternative pathways for a small number of students who enter the academy with low prior attainment.  The very good arrangements to develop students’ skills in reading, writing and speaking across the curriculum work well. The plans for developing their mathematical skills are much less well developed.  Additional funding has been used well to improve the achievement of disadvantaged students.  The new curriculum will provide more time for English, religious education and personal, social and health education to build on the current good practice. Students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development permeates the work of the academy and students are well prepared for life in modern Britain. More effective attention has been given to developing students’ better understanding of the cultural diversity within Britain. The school promotes equality of opportunity and tackles discrimination well.

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The leadership and management are good

 The academy follows up what happens to students when they leave the academy at the end of Year 11. They maintain contact to check destinations, retention and success to check that the careers guidance they provide ensures that all students embark on the most appropriate next steps for them.  The academy works well with parents. While some parents disagree with some of the actions the academy has taken, the executive headteacher, other senior leaders and the directors all work hard to communicate with parents and enable them to voice their opinions. Regular parents’ forums provide opportunities for discussion and clarification; these are recorded in detail and are available to parents through the academy website. The academy’s annual surveys show that students are more positive about the academy than their parents. The headteacher’s strongly held view is that attitudes will change when the academy

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The leadership and management are good

achieves improved results in the 2015 examinations.  The new site and buildings are designed to promote good relations with the community. The academy has undertaken a risk assessment of the new site within the context of its welcoming ethos and community use.  The governance of the school:  The board of directors is led well and provides good support and challenge to the academy leaders. The board has a good balance of expertise to enable it to undertake its functions well.  Directors regularly check on the effectiveness of the academy so that they have a clear view of what is working well and what needs to be improved further. They undertake independent evaluation of, for example, student achievement data to hold senior and middle leaders to account.  They are well informed about the quality of teaching in the academy and about how good performance is rewarded and weak performance dealt with.

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The leadership and management are good

 Directors have been involved in the review of the academy’s curriculum to ensure it best meets the needs of all students and prepares them well for their next steps.  Good management of finances means that the additional government funding is used to improve the learning of those students for whom it is intended. It has been used well to raise the achievement of these disadvantaged students.  Directors ensure that all statutory requirements, including for safeguarding, are met.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  In lessons, students behave well and respond quickly to what teachers expect them to do. They show positive attitudes to their learning by, for example, working at a good pace when undertaking individual tasks. They work together well, often initiating help for each other. Learning is rarely disrupted by inappropriate behaviour. Teachers often only need to use, for example, quick glances, raised eyebrows or slight hand movements to bring students back on task.  Students move to lessons promptly and arrive well-equipped and ready to learn; they settle quickly. Around the school site, they treat each other and adults with respect. The willingly engage in conversation. There is a calmness and good sense of order in the academy.  The use of disciplinary procedures has declined, and continues to do so.  Parents are generally positive in their views about behaviour and the large majority agree with students

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Behaviour

that incidents are dealt with swiftly and effectively.  Attendance has been consistently above the national average. Cases of persistent absence are low.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good.  The academy takes its responsibilities for safeguarding seriously and all statutory requirements are met. There is regular training for all staff.  Students feel safe and know how to keep themselves safe.  Incidents of bullying are rare. When they do occur, they are dealt with swiftly and effectively. The large majority of parents agree. All incidents are recorded in detail and analysed to ensure lessons are learned.  Students have a good understanding of all of the different forms of bullying.  The academy makes referrals to external agencies when necessary. They work with these agencies to support students and families who are vulnerable.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching across a wide range of year groups and subjects, including English and mathematics, is mostly at least good. As a result, the progress of most students is at least good. Teachers set and maintain high expectations for students’ behaviour and attitudes. In many lessons, students show keen interest in their work and enjoy the activities they are given to do.  Senior leaders know where teaching is weaker and provide focused support to help these teachers improve.  Teachers mark students’ work regularly. The quality of subject-specific feedback to help students improve is inconsistent. While some is good, too much does not make clear what the student is expected to do to further develop their understanding of the particular aspect of the subject being studied.  The academy’s procedures for checking students’ spelling, punctuation and grammar are used consistently by all teachers. Generally, students respond well to the improvement points they are given and these

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The quality of teaching is good

improve the quality of later work. However, not all students do this and a small minority of teachers do not follow this up effectively.  Less attention is given to students’ use of their mathematical skills in other subjects. Some good work has been done to ensure consistency between mathematics and science, for example in the use of graphs.  Teachers’ planning increasingly takes account of current information about students’ progress. However, some teachers assume that because the students are organised into ability sets, they do not need to match their teaching to individual and groups of students’ current progress. This has an inhibiting effect on the progress of the more able students in some groups.  Excellent practice was seen in English and French. In both subjects, the teacher’s precise understanding of each student’s progress is used well to plan the next and subsequent lessons. In English, students re-draft

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The quality of teaching is good

pieces of writing to improve its quality, including taking account of the improvement points they were given from earlier pieces of work. In both subjects, students of all ages are clear about what they need to do to improve.  Many teachers question students during lessons as one way of checking their understanding. Some also use questioning to challenge students to help develop a deeper understanding, although the use and quality of this vary widely.  In classes that contain students with disabilities or special educational needs, the teaching pays good attention to their needs and they make at least good progress. Teaching assistants are generally used well. In one English lesson observed, the teacher and assistants had planned very carefully to ensure that all knew which students needed help and what they were expected to do. This good practice is not yet universal.

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is good

 Overall, students’ attainment when they enter the academy at the start of Year 7 is above average. The proportion who achieve five good GCSEs, including English and mathematics, at the end of Year 11 is above average. This has been sustained for the last three years and the academy’s own data show that this is set to be at least maintained for the current Year 11.  Despite the overall above average attainment at the start of Year 7, a significant proportion of students enter with low reading and writing skills. The academy ensures that these students develop these skills quickly so that they can make progress in all subjects. Improving students’ basic skills is now being tackled through the Year 6 Academy.  Students in all year groups make good progress in English and mathematics, as well as in a wide range of other subjects.  Teaching in English is now focused well on ensuring the progress of individual students. The academy’s

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is good

data, supported by the quality of students’ work in all year groups observed during the inspection, show that the gaps in achievement between different groups of students in English in 2014 have been closed. The progress made by boys is much closer to that of girls and disadvantaged students make at least as much progress as other students in the school and nationally. The achievement of students of all abilities, including the most able, is set to be at least in line with similar groups nationally.  Achievement for most groups of students in mathematics has been sustained at the national level or better for three years. This is set to be at least sustained for students currently in Year 11. This good progress was also seen in students’ work in lower years. However, some of the most able students do not make as much progress as they should.  The attainment of disadvantaged students in 2014 was lower than that of other students because of their

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is good

lower starting points. In English, they were half a grade behind other students in the school and nationally. In mathematics, they were a grade behind other students in the school and almost a grade behind students nationally. The wider gap in mathematics is due to the high attainment of those students in the academy who are not from disadvantaged backgrounds.  Students in all year groups are making good progress in a wide range of other subjects, including art, music and drama. Good progress was seen in students’ work in, for example, geography and science. However, in some subjects in Year 11, too many students are currently not on track to make as much progress as they could. Teachers and subject leaders are fully aware of this and taking appropriate actions to make sure their progress quickens. The introduction of separate science courses in Year 10 is providing a higher level of challenge for the most able students and these students are making good

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is good

progress.  Students who are disabled or have special educational needs make as much progress as other students in the school. They are often supported well in lessons and given the additional support they need to do well. The progress of these students is checked frequently by the special educational needs coordinator, who knows them all very well. The curriculum is checked carefully to ensure that it meets their needs well.  The very small numbers of students who undertake part of their studies elsewhere are making good progress. The courses they are following are well matched to their planned next steps.  The school does not enter students early for GCSE.

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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 137024 Local authority Devon Inspection number 448614

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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 Academy converter Age range of pupils 11–16 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 564 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Steve Baber Headteacher Michael Johnson Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected as an academy Telephone number 01769580215 Fax number 01769581119 Email address admin@chulmleigh.devon.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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