Beverley High School

Beverley High School Norwood, Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire, HU17 9EX

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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 Outstanding 1 Achievement of pupils Outstanding 1 Sixth form provision Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Students make excellent progress throughout Key Stages 3 and 4 because the school has focused relentlessly on raising achievement since the last inspection. Students achieve standards that are well above average and are continuing to rise in many subjects.  Many students make rapid progress over time, including in English and mathematics because much teaching is outstanding.  The headteacher has provided very strong leadership in driving up standards and progress. As a result, students are prepared very well for the next stage of their education, or for training and employment.  The governing body oversees the school’s work comprehensively. It asks probing questions about leaders and managers’ impact on teaching and students’ progress, and plans well for the future.  Students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding is promoted exceptionally well through the curriculum and through daily routines.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 New senior leaders have settled into their whole- school roles well and have had a good impact on achievement and teaching through their increasingly thorough monitoring and prompt actions.  Students feel safe and know how to keep themselves safe.  Students’ behaviour around the school is very good. Their behaviour in lessons is good.  Students achieve well in the sixth form. They make good progress, aided by improved communication between the two schools and the greater rigour in checking the quality of teaching and achievement.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 A small minority of students do not apply themselves fully in lessons despite having access to high quality teaching.  The proportion of students who are late to school, while reducing, is too high and means that some students lose learning time.  Students do not consistently feel that their views are considered and accepted by the staff. Similarly, parents do not always feel that their views are taken on board.  Middle leaders are developing their roles quickly, but do not yet all use information about students’ progress as skilfully as possible in the checking of teaching and the rate of students’ progress.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed teaching and learning in a wide range of subjects. Five lessons were observed jointly with either the headteacher or with individual members of the senior leadership team.  The inspectors talked with students during lessons and at break and lunchtimes. They met formally with four groups of students to find out their views about the quality of education they receive at the school.  The inspectors also held meetings with senior and middle leaders, members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority.  The inspectors looked at a variety of documentation including information about the achievement of all groups of students in the school. They checked the school’s development plan and its impact on driving improvement, including in the sixth form. They scrutinised students’ work, including with a senior leader, checked records of their attendance and behaviour and reviewed policies to help keep them safe.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors took the following into account: the 93 responses to the Ofsted online questionnaire (Parent View), several phone calls and letters from parents, and 66 questionnaire responses given by the school staff.

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Inspection team

Lynne Blakelock, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is smaller than others of its type. The number on roll has declined since the last inspection.  Most students are of White British heritage and speak English as their first language.  The proportion of students known to be disadvantaged and therefore supported through the pupil premium is below average. The pupil premium funding is additional government funding for those students 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.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for students’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics by the end of Year 11.  The school works in partnership with Beverley Grammar School to provide a joint sixth form. Students divide their time equally between the two sites.

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Information about this school

 Since the last inspection, the school has worked closely with the local authority, a National Leader of Education (NLE) from the Riding Forward Teaching School Alliance and a Local Leader of Education (LLE) from Wolferton School.  The school does not enter any students early for GCSE examinations. No students in Key Stages 3 and 4 are educated away from the school.  A new deputy headteacher joined the school in January 2014. An assistant headteacher who is also the head of the sixth form joined in April 2014.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve further the behaviour and safety of students by making sure that: - students’ attitudes to learning are consistently of the highest standards - all students’ views are listened to and fully considered by the staff - the school has the highest expectations of punctuality to school and takes prompt and effective action to improve it.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Enable all aspects of leadership and management to be outstanding by ensuring that: - all middle leaders use data about students’ progress skilfully in the checking of teaching and the rate of students’ progress - parents feel confident that their views are taken on board and, when appropriate, are acted upon.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher’s major focus on raising achievement through very effective teaching has paid off. This is seen in the rapid and sustained improvements in the rate of students’ learning and the standards that they achieve. She is ably supported by the deputy headteacher in strengthening the school’s work. One of the headteacher’s strengths is her comprehensive overview of the school’s work. She knows the school very well indeed and where improvements can be made, including in aspects of behaviour and safety. The staff share her determination to improve the school further.  The school’s much improved systems to check the school’s work, including in the sixth form, and its emphasis on rates of students’ progress throughout the school have been the basis for improvements. The restructuring of the senior leadership team has also resulted in roles and accountability that match these priorities very well. Information about students’ progress is comprehensive and leaders at all levels are

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The leadership and management are good

held to account on a weekly basis for the quality of learning in their areas of responsibility.  Leadership is distributed much more evenly across the school and middle leaders, including those who are new to their roles, have been empowered and driven by the greater expectations of their role and impact by the senior leaders. While middle leaders do not all yet use data about students’ progress equally thoroughly in the checking of teaching and the rate of students’ progress, they are making good progress in developing their skills and are adding to the school’s capacity to improve further.  The leadership of teaching has improved and is good because there is a far greater emphasis on students’ progress. Teaching is observed regularly and leaders at all levels are developing a more accurate understanding of how to evaluate teaching. They are looking more at the impact of teaching on the quality of students’ learning over time and ensuring that any weaknesses are addressed quickly.

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The leadership and management are good

 Teachers’ performance targets match the school’s drive to ensure strong teaching and leadership across the school. Leaders are now working to ensure that all targets are measureable and that staff know exactly the difference they are expected to make in order to be awarded a pay rise.  The sixth form is improving quickly because the effective leader has been tenacious in ensuring that the quality of checks on teaching and progress, and on the students’ personal development across the two schools, are more thorough. The headteacher and governors of both schools oversee the provision and this has helped to facilitate improvements.  The school now makes sure that all students can achieve their potential and, therefore, they successfully promote equality of opportunity. As an example, leaders have allocated pupil premium funding carefully, taking very much into consideration the individual needs of the students and ensuring that they check in

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The leadership and management are good

detail the impact of the strategies to promote their academic and personal development. Consequently, attainment gaps continue to narrow at both key stages and also for students who have special educational needs, who are supported extremely well towards achieving their individual goals.  Parents are getting more involved in the school’s work and the school values this. For example, the parents’ forum discusses issues such as the curriculum and its match to the students’ needs. Although many parents support the school’s work and most say that the school keeps their children safe and cares for them well, a number of parents have queries about other aspects of the school’s work that they do not feel are taken fully on board by the school.  Students are positive overall about the curriculum and inspectors agree that it provides them with a good range of learning. They think that it is increasingly well adapted to meet their needs and career

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The leadership and management are good

aspirations, such as being able to study three sciences. Careers information provides them with the skills they need: to write a curriculum vitae, for example, or to develop their interview skills. They feel well informed about post-16 options. They have a range of opportunities to enrich their learning and to develop skills and talents through, for example, music, art and sport.  There are many and rich opportunities for students to develop their spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding, through the content of lessons and the daily life of the school. British values are successfully built in to the school day through the staff’s expectations that students respect each other and value their differences. Students learn about the responsibilities of society, about children’s rights and how democracy can be used for the good of others. Good relationships are fostered and discrimination is

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The leadership and management are good

tackled robustly.  The headteacher and governing body praise the support provided by the local authority, which the school has utilised fully to help its performance back on track. The representative has brokered wide-ranging support in the last two years from other schools to enhance staff’s skills in teaching and leadership which have ensured the school’s improvement.  The school continues to build up its effectiveness in promoting the behaviour and safety of students. Leaders accurately judge behaviour as good and emphasise the necessity for the very best behaviour and attitudes from all students in all situations so that they achieve their full potential, both academically and personally.  Safeguarding procedures meet the statutory requirements. This aspect of the school’s work is led well. The leader acts wholly appropriately and in a timely manner. The relevant outside agencies are quickly

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The leadership and management are good

involved in any issues. The school’s files show meticulous recording of any concerns addressed to the school.  The governance of the school: - The governors are fully committed to the school and know it well. They support, challenge and oversee it effectively. - They have a wide range of skills, further enhanced by training, that match the school’s needs and which have been very helpful in their quest to further improve the school. They have asked probing questions of the school’s performance, including about what data tell them and how present data are matching up to the national picture. - The headteacher provides governors with detailed information so that they know there is a strong picture of teaching but they also find out a lot for themselves. This is through their links with subjects and with leaders in charge of whole-school aspects. Individual leaders attend governing body meetings to discuss how things are going.

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The leadership and management are good

- The governors are fully aware of the use and impact of pupil premium funding. They know that the gap has narrowed, and continues to narrow, between the performance of disadvantaged students and that of the other students in the school in both English and mathematics. - They rigorously monitor performance management including teachers’ pay progression. They make sure that it is closely linked to improving pupils’ progress and the quality of teaching, and that pay rewards are appropriate.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of students is good.  Around the school, their behaviour is a strength. They move in an orderly and sensible way at changes of lessons and at the end of the day. Lunch is a friendly, sociable occasion where students mix well.  In lessons, many students behave maturely. They want to learn, take lessons seriously, and work industriously. They help each other in lessons and benefit from sharing their ideas.  Occasionally, however, attitudes to learning vary between lessons and a small minority of students do not display attitudes that ensure they get the most out of the high quality teaching. A few of the staff questionnaires echo this. Students say that behaviour is mostly good, which is accurate, and teachers always make sure that learning is not disrupted.  The number of behavioural incidents has declined and the staff do a very good job in guiding those students who find it hard sometimes to manage their behaviour.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep students safe and secure is good.  Students say that they feel safe in school although they would like the gate to be closed throughout the day to help to ensure their safety.  They say that there is not much bullying and that the school constantly reinforces the point that bullying is wrong. It is more ‘falling-out’ with each other that takes place and the students say that they are given strategies to deal with this.  Students know a lot about cyber-bullying. They say they are constantly being reminded of the potential dangers of using the internet. They know the different groups of society that are likely to be treated unfairly due to, for example, their sexuality or religion and the vast majority behave as they would want to be treated.  Most students show their understanding of British values through their respect for democratic processes. Some feel, though, that their own views are not always listened to or taken seriously.

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Safety

 Students value the contribution of the sixth form students who help out in lessons and act as good role models.  The school checks students’ attendance thoroughly and acts promptly when students are absent. Students’ attendance is consistently above average, including for disadvantaged students. The proportion of students who are persistently absent has fallen. The proportion of students who are late to school has also fallen but there are still too many who are habitually late which means that some do not develop good time-keeping habits.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Much teaching is outstanding, including in English and mathematics. Work in students’ books demonstrates a similarly strong picture over time, leading to students’ outstanding achievement.  There are many common strengths in teaching, including very high expectations of students’ learning and teachers’ good subject knowledge. Most teaching reflects the range of ability in the class and caters for the needs of all groups, including the most able, very well. All students have targets which spur them on.  An inspector described music teaching as stunning in the rapid rate of progress it promoted in Year 7 students’ keyboard skills. Students were challenged strongly and questioning was very effective in developing their quick understanding of notation skills.  Students have many opportunities to write in a wide range of subjects and to practise the grammatical skills learned so well in English. In mathematics, students use technical vocabulary very appropriately.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Students are encouraged to read. They have access to a well-stocked library and designated time to read in English lessons. They like the weekly book club where they get more practice in discussing books and the characters in them.  There is lots of problem-solving in a range of subjects, including in mathematics, which makes students think hard and use established skills as well as new ones.  Teachers’ questioning often accelerates students’ progress quickly because it is carefully targeted towards individual students and makes them think hard about their work. This is a developing feature in the sixth form although in Religious Studies, it broadened students’ viewpoints and promoted their thinking well.  Marking is an overall strength, with examples of outstanding practice, such as in history, where students are given exceptionally helpful guidance. Students are given time to reflect on their work and to evaluate

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

it, which leads to improvements in the quality of their learning.  Students’ excellent work rates are primarily because they know the purpose of learning, and have work that challenges them very well. In a Year 8 English lesson, for example, students’ learning built up through carefully planned teaching. By the end of the lesson, they were able to make powerful and sophisticated responses in evaluating how the character of a tiger was presented in a poem. The most- able students were able to interpret the poem in depth and empathise with the emotions of the animal.  Teaching assistants provide effective, individual support, for example for students who have special educational needs.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Students achieve exceptionally well throughout the school because teaching is consistently very good and often outstanding. The staff’s expectations are high. Many students demonstrate a very business-like approach to learning and achieving and have high expectations of their own performance.  Standards by the end of Year 11 have been well above average in the proportion achieving at least five GCSE passes at grades A* to C, including in English and mathematics for the last two years. The school’s data for 2015 and 2016, backed up by the quality of students’ work over time, show further rises in standards.  In subjects such as history, textiles and biology, students achieve an above-average proportion of A* and A grades. Performance is strong in most areas, particularly in humanities. Performance at A* and A in information technology was weaker in 2014 as the curriculum did not allow students to access the higher

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

grades, this has been addressed for 2015.  Students’ performance reflects their rapid progress throughout the school for the last two years and a continuing improving picture from their individual starting points. An above-average proportion makes expected and better than expected progress, including in English and mathematics.  By the end of Year 9, the well-above average standards achieved last year are set to rise further this year, including in English, mathematics and science. This reflects the students’ very good progress in Key Stage 3.  The performance of disadvantaged students has improved significantly. The gap between their performance and that of other students in the school and others nationally has narrowed sharply. In 2014, disadvantaged students achieved GCSE grades in English that were half a grade behind other non- disadvantaged students in the school, and their grades in GCSE mathematics exams were two thirds of a

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

grade behind other non-disadvantaged students. There was no gap between other students nationally in GCSE English grades and they were a third of grade behind others nationally in mathematics. Disadvantaged students progressed at the same rates as non-disadvantaged students nationally in mathematics although their progress was slightly slower than non-disadvantaged students nationally in English. Currently, disadvantaged students are making the same swift progress as other students in the school.  Students with special educational needs make rapid progress now because their learning is carefully tracked and quick action is taken to secure, in particular, their literacy and numeracy skills.  The most able students make very rapid progress because, in most lessons, they are challenged to achieve the highest standards in their thinking and analysis of their learning.  Those students who have not reached the expected standards in English and mathematics by the end of

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

primary school receive specific help through catch-up funding, in reading, writing and mathematics. By the end of Year 7, most pupils reach the levels expected of them, with the other students making good progress towards these.  All students go on to join the sixth form, further education, or go into training.

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The sixth form provision is good

 Students achieve well in Years 12 and 13 due to good teaching, support and guidance.  Half of the students in Year 11 stay on into Year 12. This is a statistic that the school is working to improve through more robust marketing of the school. At the end of Year 13, most students go on to higher education. The rest go into employment or training.  Most students join Year 12 with at least C grades in both English and mathematics. Those who do not, resit the examinations and, last year, all passed.  Students feel well prepared for sixth form learning and the joint provision, because the school makes good arrangements for them to discuss their courses and to meet with other students. This contributes to the high retention rates into Year 13.  The students value the joint provision because it offers a broader range of courses than the school could provide by itself. This choice of courses is continuously improving, including for students wanting to study

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The sixth form provision is good

vocational courses.  The students make good progress during their time in the sixth form because teaching is good. It is rapidly improving but is not yet at such a uniformly high standard as the teaching in the main school. By the end of Year 13 they reach standards that are above average.  The leadership and management of the sixth form are effective. The leader is making rapid improvements, together with the head of sixth form at Beverley Grammar School, to the quality of communication between the schools, including the depth of information about students’ achievement, safety and personal development.  Staff track students’ progress more regularly and meet with them after each ‘progress check’ to discuss their rate of progress and how well they are learning. Expectations of their work, effort and attendance, are high. Students’ behaviour is good.  The students like being in the sixth form. In roles such as student ambassadors and department helpers,

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The sixth form provision is good

they develop important wider skills, such as good social interaction that prepare them well for higher education, employment and citizenship. They practise cookery skills for living independently and practise working, through paid employment at the school as cleaners. They are very good role models for the younger students, who look up to them.  A programme throughout the sixth form ensures that the students consider their future options and have accurate information to enable them to make informed choices to ensure their safety as well as understanding their rights and responsibilities as British citizens.

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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 118072 Local authority East Riding of Yorkshire Inspection number 462272

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School details

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

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School details

Type of school Secondary School category Community Age range of pupils 11–18 Gender of pupils Girls Gender of pupils in the sixth form Girls Number of pupils on the school roll 816 Of which, number on roll in sixth form 113 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair John Dunning Headteacher Sharon Japp Date of previous school inspection 18 April 2013 Telephone number 01482 881658 Fax number 01482 870935 Email address office@beverleyhigh.net 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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