Frederick Gough School

Frederick Gough School – A Specialist Language College Grange Lane South, Bottesford, Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, DN16 3NG

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Requires improvement 3 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 headteacher, senior and middle leaders, and governors have high expectations for all students. Leaders are driving improvements in teaching strongly, so that most students now achieve well.  The vast majority of students make good progress across Years 7 to 11, especially in English and mathematics, reaching securely above average standards by the time they leave school.  Teaching is good overall. Students say how much they enjoy the many thought-provoking experiences and activities.  Students with disabilities and those who have special educational needs achieve well. This is because adults are fully aware of these students’ needs and provide timely and bespoke support.  Pupil premium funding is used successfully to promote the achievement of disadvantaged students.  The most able students are challenged appropriately and the proportion attaining the highest GCSE grades is increasing.  Students enjoy coming to school and behave well.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

They ensure the school’s climate is one that includes all of their peers in all experiences.  The school promotes students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. It is enhanced by the strong relationships in school, and through the many visits and extra-curricular experiences that help build students’ confidence and self- esteem.  Students are exceptionally well cared for and feel very safe at all times.  Parents and staff are very positive about the school’s work. In particular, parents believe their views are taken into account and that their children learn well.  The school is well led by the headteacher and leaders at all levels who are determined to raise achievement even higher.  Governors check the performance of the school systematically through the detailed information they receive.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The proportion of students making more than expected progress in mathematics by the end of Year 11, albeit rising, is still not high enough.  A small minority of teaching requires improvement, particularly in information and communication technology (ICT) and modern foreign languages.  Occasionally, teaching in some lessons does not check that all students understand fully before moving on to other activities.  A small minority of students are insufficiently motivated in some lessons to give of their best.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching and learning in 40 different lessons, of which four were joint observations with senior leaders. In addition, inspectors visited six tutor group sessions and one assembly during the school day.  Students’ work was sampled informally in lessons in a wide range of subjects and, in addition, Year 10 students’ work was specifically checked in modern foreign languages.  Inspectors also reviewed a range of documents, including the school’s own data on current students’ progress, planning and monitoring documentation, minutes of governing body meetings, records relating to behaviour and attendance and documents pertaining to safeguarding.  Meetings were held with students across Years 7 to 11, governors and school staff, including those with management responsibilities. A discussion also took place with a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors evaluated the 58 responses of parents to the Ofsted on-line questionnaire (Parent View) as well

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Information about this inspection

as responses from parents, students and staff to the school’s own questionnaires. Inspectors also took account of the views of 94 members of the school’s staff through the inspection questionnaires they returned.

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Inspection team

Andrew Swallow, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a larger than average-sized secondary school.  Most students are of White British heritage. A small minority speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of disadvantaged students supported through the pupil premium funding is below the national average. The pupil premium is additional funding to support those students known to be eligible for free school meals and those looked after by the local authority.  The proportion of disabled students and those who have special educational needs is above the national average.  In 2014, the school met the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for students’ attainment and progress by the end of Year 11.  A small minority of Year 10 and 11 students are educated off site for part of the school week. They follow vocational courses, such as motor vehicle maintenance at North Lindsey College, and work-related

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Information about this school

learning courses with alternative providers such as BESPOKE, Fluent, 7KS and Study United.  Over time, there has been an increasing number of students joining the school partway through the academic year.  The school receives support from the local authority and is a member of the North Lincolnshire Education Consortium.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure teaching is never less than consistently good, and more is outstanding, by:  ensuring that all teaching in ICT and modern foreign languages comprises high expectations and appropriately challenging work is planned for all students in order to improve their achievement in these subjects  ensuring that all teachers systematically check students’ understanding in all lessons and adapt work accordingly to provide additional challenge or further support, so that students understand fully before moving on to other activities  ensuring that experiences and activities in all lessons motivate and encourage all students to challenge themselves to the full, especially the most able.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of students making more than expected progress by the end of Year 11 in mathematics by:  providing more challenging problem-solving work  developing further the confidence of a minority of students in tackling unfamiliar mathematical questions and fully explaining the reasoning that lies behind their answers.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher exudes high expectations and ensured a concerted response to the previous inspection’s findings and all areas for improvement. His determination to raise achievement, and the high aspirations he shows on the part of all students, inspire leaders and managers at all levels.  Senior leaders share his ambition for further improvement. They have refined procedures for gathering information about students’ progress and ensure that this is used increasingly effectively by most teachers to pinpoint, and address, underachievement early. As a result, the achievement of boys and disadvantaged students in particular has risen.  The roles and expectations of middle leaders have been transformed since the previous inspection. Bespoke training has heightened their confidence in checking regularly the quality of teaching and its impact on students’ learning and progress over time. Middle leaders are now instrumental in sharing best

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The leadership and management are good

practice, and in identifying and improving aspects of teaching that still require attention.  A similarly rigorous approach is taken by key leaders to check the progress, attendance and behaviour of students attending vocational courses that take place off the school’s site.  Strong professional development provided by colleagues within school and commissioned from other schools in the North Lincolnshire Education Consortium, as well as astute support from the local education authority, has enhanced the quality of teaching. This, in turn, has improved students’ achievement.  The headteacher has the right systems in place to make decisions about teachers’ movement up the salary scale. Robust appraisal procedures ensure that the precise training needs of all individuals are continuously met. There is reliable information about the impact of their teaching on students’ learning over time.  The school has an accurate picture of its strengths and areas for development. Leaders and managers

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The leadership and management are good

produce detailed plans to improve further the school’s work. For example, they have identified the work still to be done to improve the proportion of students making more than expected progress in mathematics by the end of Year 11, and to improve further teaching and learning in ICT and modern foreign languages.  Teachers know their students well. As a result, the school makes sure all have an equal opportunity to achieve success. Margins in the performance between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged students have substantially closed by the end of Year 11 since the previous inspection. This continues to be the case in school. This is evidence of effective use of pupil premium funding.  The curriculum is well planned to meet students’ needs, particularly those who join during the school year. Small group work, one-to-one tuition, judicious off-site learning opportunities, a broad range of subjects,

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The leadership and management are good

and very strong personal, social, health and citizenship education lessons prepare students well for life in modern Britain. The curriculum promotes the importance of freedom for all individuals and the significance of mutual respect, particularly for those from different faiths and cultures.  Careers education and advice meet the needs of individual students well. School leaders ensure that all students are afforded impartial and bespoke interviews, which effectively contribute to the choices that students make about what they will do when they leave school. As a consequence, almost all students continue in education, employment or training at the end of Year 11.  Students have access to a wide array of sporting, musical and performance events and extra-curricular activities. Sporting fixtures, participation in the many ‘challenge’ days, extra-curricular opportunities such as the school newspaper, school council work and visits to places as far afield as Moscow and Burkina

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The leadership and management are good

Faso, all aptly enrich students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness. The visits help to promote students’ understanding of the importance of equality of opportunity, together with the lifestyles and beliefs of people from different backgrounds. In providing these experiences, the school emphasises the importance of good relations and ensures any discrimination that may arise is tackled decisively.  Safeguarding arrangements meet requirements and are highly effective.  Parents are very supportive of the school. The vast majority believe that their views are listened to and taken into account. They consider that their children are well taught, make good progress and would recommend the school to other families.  The local authority knows the school well. It provides good support through the regular ‘progress meetings’ to check the accuracy of the school’s judgements about its effectiveness.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governors have responded positively to the external review of governance carried out after the previous inspection. They show determination to carry out their responsibilities more rigorously than before. The reviewed committee structure, as well as additional training, now ensures governors understand the school’s performance better. As a result, they are rigorous in holding senior leaders to account for improving students’ outcomes and for enhancing the quality of teaching.  Minutes of the strategic and scrutiny committees indicate governors are confident in challenging the headteacher about key aspects of the school’s work, especially through the detailed information they receive about all students’ progress, attendance and behaviour.  Governors now have detailed discussions about major spending decisions, in particular the allocation of pupil premium and Year 7 ‘catch-up’ funding. For example, governors have authorised additional

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The leadership and management are good

staffing to support students’ literacy and numeracy skills’ development in small groups, and have appointed mentors and coaches to enhance their self-esteem and well-being. Increasingly, they are aware of the impact that these measures have on students’ achievement.  Governors are rigorous in annually reviewing the performance of the headteacher and receiving information about the performance targets set for teachers, and potential links with salary progression. Governors ensure that teachers only receive financial reward if their students reach their progress and attainment targets.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of students is good. The vast majority of students enjoy positive relationships with one another and with the many adults who support students’ work and personal development.  Around school, at breaks and lunchtimes, in the dining room and when moving between lessons most students conduct themselves in a mature and orderly manner. They are especially welcoming of visitors and of other students who join the school during the school year.  The behaviour of students following vocational courses that take place off the school’s main site is also good. The school’s information shows that these students attend well, establish positive relationships with their tutors and students from other schools, and sustain positive attitudes to the many practical activities.  The school’s information indicates that bullying and racist incidents are rare over time. Students say that any misdemeanours are addressed swiftly by staff. As a result, the school’s environment is clean, litter-

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Behaviour

and graffiti-free, and the accommodation and specialist equipment well respected.  Students are keen to talk about each other’s achievements in the various challenge days, house competitions and sporting and musical events.  Since the previous inspection, attendance has risen and is now above average.  In a minority of lessons, and particularly where teaching does not capture sufficiently students’ interests or exude sufficiently high expectations, a small minority do not persevere fully with their work. They do not always respond meaningfully to teachers’ written feedback in their books and stretch themselves in lessons.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep students safe and secure is outstanding. The school’s leaders have established a team of highly trained and dedicated staff who are always at hand to offer support to individual students, as well as their families. Links with external agencies are wide-ranging, and provide additional specialist advice when needed.  The school’s personal, social and health education programme is extremely well complemented by a well- conceived assembly roster, and timely visits by the police, fire brigade and ambulance services, so that students are very much aware of how to keep themselves and others safe at all times. They are exceptionally confident in the use of the internet and highly conscious of potential risks posed by emails from unknown people, by conversations using social media, and by the surfing of extreme websites.  Adults are very well trained in child protection and safeguarding matters. Students say that all of the

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Safety

adults look after them extremely well. They confirm that the school’s climate is one of openness in which all of their views are encouraged, and listened to carefully, by all staff and their peers.  Students go out of their way to include one another in friendship groups, school visits and on-site activities to ensure that no-one feels left out. The school council is particularly vigilant in sounding out form representatives about the extent to which students in all years feel safe on, and off, site, and assured in their learning.  Governors visit the school frequently to carry out checks of safety and act upon their findings. They are provided with detailed information about the regular checks carried out by school leaders on the safety of students attending vocational courses off the school’s site. These checks indicate that all health and safety requirements are stringently followed by external providers, and that all students have a named adult to

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Safety

whom they can turn, should they need bespoke support.  Parents are very supportive of the school’s work. A very high proportion of parents’ responses on Parent View, and of those collected by the school to recent questionnaires, say their children feel very happy and safe.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching has improved rapidly since the previous inspection. Staff readily share ideas about their teaching with other staff in school and within the North Lincolnshire Education Consortium. As a result, achievement has improved and students now learn well in almost all subjects.  The vast majority of teachers have high expectations of what students can achieve and plan stimulating experiences to encourage a thirst for learning. For example, in a Year 8 history lesson students were enthralled to learn about the limitations in 16th century surgical awareness on the battlefield, and the contributions of Ambroise Paré to modern surgical techniques and forensic pathology. Similarly, Year 9 students concentrated very well indeed to calculate averages from a data set in a mathematics lesson. They were inspired by the teacher’s constant praise and high levels of challenge to share verbally their working out and reasoning with one another, and to persevere fully to arrive at the correct calculation.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Relationships in the vast majority of lessons are very supportive. The positive climate created by teachers encourages students to think for themselves and to apply key subject skills in specific scenarios to deepen their understanding.  Expectations of the way students present their work and of the amount of work to be completed have also improved. Increasing numbers of students respond to marking that invites them to improve their written work.  The teaching of writing, reading and mathematical skills across all subjects is good. Many students respond readily to teachers’ comments that challenge them to organise their ideas more sequentially, write in more detail and with a wider range of effective vocabulary. The vast majority read fluently, showing well-developed inference skills to ‘read between the lines’ and deduce hidden meanings. Students’ well-honed mathematical skills enable them to measure accurately, calculate accurately and

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The quality of teaching is good

interpret a range of charts and graphs confidently in different subjects.  Since the previous inspection, staff have received much training on the use of students’ progress information to help plan lessons, so most staff meet individuals’ needs more carefully. Not all teaching, across all subjects, yet provides all students with work that consistently gets the best out of them. On occasions, teaching in some lessons is insufficiently demanding or motivating to encourage students to think deeply enough about what they are learning, and whether they can do even better. This is particularly the case in ICT and in modern foreign languages.  In a minority of lessons, teaching does not check carefully whether all students understand sufficiently what they are learning. It does not affirm whether they have absorbed all key information and practised sufficiently before moving on. Conversely, sometimes the most able learners are not immersed quickly

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The quality of teaching is good

enough in new experiences that test them well enough.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Students begin Year 7 with generally below average standards. The vast majority make good rates of progress, so that the proportion attaining five or more good GCSE grades is increasingly above average. This represents significant improvement since the previous inspection. The school’s information and work in students’ books indicate that this wave of improvement is sustained throughout the school.  The proportions of students making expected and more than expected progress in English are now above national expectations. In particular, boys’ achievement is strong. They are motivated by thoughtful choice of topics by their teachers, such as the poetry of the First World War and novels such as An Inspector Calls. Students of all abilities write extensively, informally and formally, for different purposes. Students’ books show good use of paragraphs to sequence ideas and the development of complex sentences with a

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The achievement of pupils is good

variety of punctuation for effect.  Achievement overall in mathematics is also good. The proportion of students making expected progress is above the national figure. Students show increasing confidence in many lessons to calculate mentally, make accurate comparisons between decimals and fractions, and successfully solve algebraic equations. While the proportion of students making more than expected progress is rising, it is still not high enough. Not all students are provided with sufficiently challenging problems to solve that invite them to apply their mathematical knowledge and deepen understanding, thereby showing mastery of key mathematical concepts. Opportunities are sometimes missed to stretch a minority of students to tackle unfamiliar mathematical questions and to explain fully the reasoning that lies behind their mathematical solutions.  Students make good progress and achieve well in many subjects, notably science, technology subjects,

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The achievement of pupils is good

drama, music, sport and childcare. Achievement in ICT and in modern foreign languages is not high enough. This is because the work students undertake does not yet develop fully their subject-specific skills or encourage them to deepen their understanding through applying their knowledge in practical contexts.  Disabled students and those who have special educational needs achieve well. They are well supported in lessons and in small groups by practitioners who understand precisely their specific skills and competencies that require further development.  The most able students also achieve well for the most part. While school leaders are mindful of the need to increase the proportion attaining the highest GCSE grades in many subjects, an increasing number of students are stretched appropriately in lessons and reach their challenging targets.  The small minority of students from minority ethnic backgrounds, including those who speak English as an

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The achievement of pupils is good

additional language, make good progress. Their specific needs are well catered for by teachers and other adults who support effectively their knowledge and understanding of the English language and tailor work well to meet their specific needs.  The small minority of students who follow vocational courses and additional learning experiences away from the school attend and achieve well. They gain worthwhile qualifications in subjects such as motor vehicle maintenance, and enhance their basic literacy and numeracy skills.  The school makes judicious and successful decisions about the minority of students entered early for GCSE examinations, with the result that their attainment is not limited in any way. This is particularly the case for the most able students who are encouraged to attain the highest outcomes.  Any gaps between the progress from their starting points, in English and mathematics, of disadvantaged

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The achievement of pupils is good

students and those of non-disadvantaged students, both in the school and nationally, are closing. In school, they have closed completely in some years. Gaps in attainment are also closing, although in 2014 end-of-Year 11, disadvantaged students’ attainment in English and mathematics was just over one full GCSE grade behind both other students in the school and other students nationally. The school’s outcomes for Year 11 students entered early for 2015 English examinations, together with current work in Year 11 students’ books in mathematics, indicate that these gaps are set to close to less than half a GCSE grade by the end of the academic year.  Appropriate support is made available for students at risk of falling behind. For example, Year 7 ‘catch-up’ funding has been used to provide specialist resources and teaching. The school’s information on the impact of these measures shows good gains to date, especially in reading, writing and basic numeracy

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The achievement of pupils is good

skills, for a large majority of students.

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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 118097 Local authority North Lincolnshire Inspection number 454976

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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 11–16 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 1164 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mike Galey Headteacher Ben Lawrance Date of previous school inspection 29 October 2013 Telephone number 01724 292930 Fax number 01724 271007 Email address admin@frederickgoughschool.co.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

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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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