Carisbrooke College

Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Inadequate 4 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 Sixth form provision Requires improvement 3

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

 Attainment for a large majority of students is below that expected for their age. Recent, rapid improvements in achievement are helping many to catch up but progress remains variable across all subjects.  There is a small minority of teaching which remains weak.  Not all teachers regularly provide accurate guidance to students on how to improve their work.  Not all teachers follow school policies closely or adopt some of the highly effective practice that exists already in school.  Leaders have not been able to eradicate fully weak teaching or poor behaviour.  A minority of students do not benefit from enough good teaching to help them fill any gaps in their knowledge, catch up work they may have missed or focus on revision for examinations.  Standards in the sixth form are variable. Not all students benefit from consistently good teaching and the attendance of some students is not good enough.  The attendance of a minority of students is not

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

good enough.  The number of students who are excluded for short periods of time is too high. The behaviour of an increasingly small minority of students falls below the standards expected by the school.  Not all students benefit from teaching which enables them to explore the wider cultural context of modern Britain.  Not all teachers fully support the development of students’ personal, spiritual, moral, social and cultural development in tutor time, ‘drop-down’ days and personal, social and health education lessons.  Teaching about appropriate moral behaviour does not always lead to students making the right choices about how to behave in school.

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The school has the following strengths

 Strong, effective leadership of the headteacher, enhanced by the governing body.  Clear action plans focused on the right things which are leading to steady and consistent improvements over time.  Strong teaching in a growing number of subjects which is beginning to be shared more widely across the staff.  Robust safeguarding procedures with rigorous checks carried out on the suitability of adults who wish to work in the school.  Effective and sometimes hard-hitting messages teach students how to keep themselves safe in cars, in relationships and online.  The inclusive approach to all its students.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed learning in 43 lessons, 15 of which were jointly seen with senior leaders from the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, other senior leaders, four members of the governing body and representatives of the local authority. Currently, Isle of Wight commissions its school improvement services from Hampshire Inspection and Advisory Service.  Inspectors also met with middle leaders, the teacher in charge of the autistic spectrum (Einstein) resource centre and leaders of the Island Innovation Trust’s sixth form.  Inspectors reviewed a range of the school’s documentation, including its raising achievement plan, development plans, information about students’ attainment and progress, and records of the checks it makes on adults who work at, or visit, the school. They also looked at the governing body minutes, notes of the visits of external advisers and information about the behaviour of students.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors considered 54 responses to Ofsted’s confidential staff survey alongside a report on the results of a survey of parents conducted by the school. Inspectors also considered 50 responses to Ofsted’s online survey (Parent View) and a letter from a parent, a phone call received by the inspection service provider (Tribal) during the inspection and one letter from a local resident. The lead inspector met with a group of five parents.  Inspectors met with and considered the views of students.  Inspectors spoke to some of the school’s alternative provision partners by telephone.

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Inspection team

Dr Simon Hughes, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Full report

In accordance with section 13 (4) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that the school no longer requires special measures.

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Information about this school

 Carisbrooke College is a larger than average secondary school. It is in a hard federation with Medina College in the Island Innovation Trust with whom it shares a governing body. Both schools contribute to the leadership and management of, and teaching in, the Island Innovation Trust’s sixth form.  Most of the students are from White British backgrounds.  Carisbrooke College has an above average number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and serves a community which has average levels of deprivation.  The school has a below average number of students with disabilities or special educational needs. It houses an island-wide specialist resource provision (The Einstein Centre) for 13 students, aged between 11 and 16, with autistic spectrum disorders which is supported by the local authority. This provision is currently oversubscribed.  Each year, a few of Carisbrooke College’s students study for qualifications with alternative providers such

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Information about this school

as The Isle of Wight College, Branstone Farm, Island Equus, HTP, WISE, Island Learning Centre, and Challenge and Adventure.  This was a coordinated and simultaneous inspection with that at Medina College. Because the two schools are jointly responsible for it, the section about the sixth form is identical in both schools’ reports.  The school did not meet the government’s floor standards in 2014.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of teaching, including in the sixth form, that is good or better by: – all leaders insisting that all teachers follow the school’s clear policies – sharing more of the increasingly strong practice that exists already in the school – extending the effectiveness of training teachers receive.  Raise students’ achievement further by: – providing more activities for students which help them fill gaps in their knowledge, catch up on missed work or support their revision for examinations – all leaders insisting that all teachers consistently check students’ progress in each subject.  Increase students’ personal, spiritual, moral, social and cultural development by: – enriching the range of opportunities for students to explore the wider cultural context of modern Britain – insisting that ‘drop-down’ days, tutor time, and personal, social and health education lessons are supported fully by all members of staff

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

– all leaders ensuring that students’ moral development is supported by the consistent application of behaviour management policies and practices.  Reduce even more the number of students who are persistently absent by: – continuing to use the full range of strategies to encourage them into school.  Reduce even more the number of students excluded for short periods of time by: – continuing to challenge poor behaviour early – extending the range of strategies available to avoid excluding students

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The leadership and management require improvement

 The headteacher of the school provides strong leadership which has, over time, contributed to increased effectiveness across the school. He is ably supported by other senior leaders who have grown in confidence and ability in the last year. The impact of their work is clear in the larger amount of teaching that is good or better.  All leaders are clear that they want the best for every student. Leaders have set, and communicate well, high expectations for teaching, achievement and behaviour. The headteacher leads by example. He demonstrates respect for staff and students alike. He moves around the site constantly checking how well students are behaving, picking up litter and asking students to do the same. He challenges students who are not wearing their uniform correctly. Despite the number of students, he knows the vast majority by name.  Leaders challenge teaching that is less than good so that it is gradually being eradicated. Leaders manage

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The leadership and management require improvement

teachers’ performance effectively. They can judge the quality of teaching accurately. They are increasingly using information about teachers’ performance to plan focused training sessions.  Middle leaders are increasingly effective as a unit. They have become skilled at leading improvements in their subject areas so that the necessary pace of change is quickening.  Effective training has already been provided to all staff by some of the school’s middle leaders. A good example of this was when some of the middle leaders showed others how they assess students’ work. This is helping to improve teachers’ practice over time. Not all staff have reacted quickly enough to this training or adopted the intended improvements. This has slowed the pace of progress.  Leaders are monitoring the progress of all students. They know where teaching is most effective and where it still requires improvement. Over time, they have developed an impressive system for checking

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The leadership and management require improvement

how well each student is doing in each subject. These are called ‘Coveys’. They are based on a single template, but a few subject leaders have developed their own unique versions. This means they know, now, exactly how well each student is doing in their subject and where any gaps in their knowledge or skills exist. Detailed monitoring information is regularly shared with governors.  Leaders have insisted on doubling the frequency with which information about students’ progress is collected. Leaders have also insisted that this information must be based on real tests or actual examination questions. This has increased the reliability of information that the school holds about students’ progress. This information is shared with all staff, the governors and representatives of Isle of Wight local authority. All agree that the information shows rapid and increasingly consistent progress by the students in a majority of areas in the school such as English, history, geography, and design and

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The leadership and management require improvement

technology.  The school teaches an appropriate range of subjects. Students mainly study traditional academic subjects. A few study vocational qualifications off site with the school’s alternative education providers. There are a few vocational subjects delivered appropriately to small groups of students in Key Stage 4 such as applied science, health and social care, and performing arts. Many students study physical education, which is a strength of the school, and which provides support for the increasingly good numbers of students participating in after-school sports clubs. The school has some good rowers who compete successfully at national level.  The school has a clear commitment to equal opportunities and tackles discrimination robustly. It has an inclusive atmosphere and provides teaching which enables students to develop appropriate attitudes. Wall displays reinforce positive messages about gender, identity and sexuality.

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The leadership and management require improvement

 Some aspects of the school’s work to promote students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are good. For example, inspectors found students able to cooperate well socially with each other in lessons, around the site and while relaxing at break times. Students were less able to talk about their understanding of the wider cultural context in modern Britain. Less effective work has been done to celebrate the rich diversity of religious and cultural expression in the United Kingdom. Staff do not routinely ensure that students apply lessons learned about right and wrong, which means their behaviour sometimes falls short of expectation. A few opportunities are provided for student leadership and to participate in democratic processes, and these make a small contribution to students’ understanding of fundamental British values.  Students receive good advice about the next steps in their education, work or further training. Parents are

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The leadership and management require improvement

particularly appreciative of the clear information, focused for their own children, which they receive. As a result, students generally make the right option choices. Careers information advice and guidance begins in Year 7, and continues through Key Stage 4 and on into the sixth form.  Leaders, including governors, also know how well disadvantaged students are doing, including those who are disabled or with special educational needs, and those for whom the pupil premium (additional funding provided by the government) provides support. They check that the money provided is spent wisely and is helping these students to do as well as they can.  The work the school does to ensure students are safe meets statutory requirements. These procedures have created a secure environment where accidents are rare and where, for the most part, bullying is minimal and dealt with robustly. Students feel safe at the school and the vast majority of parents say that

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The leadership and management require improvement

this is so.  Leaders monitor carefully the attendance and performance of those students educated off site to ensure they are safe and making good progress.  Hampshire Inspection and Advisory Service, on behalf of Isle of Wight education authority, provides sharply focused and effective support to the school which has contributed to rapid improvement over the past year.  The governance of the school:  The governing body provides good support to the school and challenges the headteacher and leadership team through regular meetings and effective sub-committees. Governors receive detailed reports, including data on the school’s performance and quality of teaching, from the headteacher and review carefully the monthly raising achievement plans he provides. Governors ask questions about the information provided so that they are better informed. They are aware of the need to follow up issues from meeting-to-meeting so that important matters are not missed.

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The leadership and management require improvement

 Governors understand the financial challenges faced by the school and support the headteacher in the precise work he undertakes to balance the budget. They have provided helpful advice and guidance when he has had to take tough decisions about staffing. They endorse fully the brave decisions he has taken with regard to teachers’ pay to only reward good performance. They are able to do this because they review rigorously information about the school’s strengths and weaknesses.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement. This is because there are a few students who do not attend school regularly enough, take pride in their work or their uniform, and who sometimes fail to meet the school’s expectations about how they should behave.  Not all members of staff consistently and robustly ensure that any poor behaviour by students is challenged. Students told inspectors this. A minority of parents also said this and a significant minority of the staff agreed. Consequently, a few students make poor behaviour choices. This means that the work the school does to develop students morally requires some improvement.  In many lessons, however, the conduct of students is good. Students arrive punctually, with the right equipment, and are keen to learn. In one English lesson, the teacher skilfully worked with students to encourage them to persevere even when the work was hard and they wanted to give up.

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Behaviour

 The large majority of students attend school well and, as a result, overall attendance has improved significantly since the last inspection and is getting close to the national average. The school has used a full range of strategies to improve attendance.  The school’s high expectations about behaviour mean that there are times when students are excluded for a fixed period of time. These exclusions are above the national average. The school does, however, admit a very large number of challenging students from across the island during the course of each year. There have been no permanent exclusions from Carisbrooke College since 2012. Indeed, the local authority’s representative commented that “This is the most inclusive school on the island.”  The school manages the potentially challenging behaviour of some of its disadvantaged and disabled students extremely well. It has carefully worked out procedures for predicting and avoiding incidents, and

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Behaviour

accommodates severe behavioural needs effectively.  The behaviour of students at alternative provision is good, due to the strong links formed over time with the school. Partners in those settings commented favourably on the careful cooperation and good liaison between themselves and the school, stating “It is the best on the island to deal with.”

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure requires improvement. This is because not all members of staff consistently and rigorously enforce the school’s expectations about behaviour, which leads to some of it becoming over-boisterous. This raises the likelihood of accident and injury.  The checks that the school makes on adults wishing to work, volunteer in, or visit the school are robust. The risk assessments undertaken in the physical education department for all of its activities are a good example of how all teachers can share responsibility for safeguarding.  The school has rightly closed down access to the site by the erection of a secure perimeter fence. The school has also closed off access to a tennis court, which is in a poor condition and might pose a threat to safety. It has also fenced off an area for students in the Einstein Centre which helps to keep them safe.  The school deals robustly with bullying when it is discovered. It has good systems in place for checking

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Safety

the frequency, seriousness and responses to any incidents that occur. Incidents of a racist or homophobic nature are addressed in accordance with the school’s commitment to diversity and equal opportunities. As a result, the large majority of students comment that they feel safe in school.  The safety of students attending alternative provision is good. Appropriate checks are in place to ensure that the students will be well looked after before they start their placements. Communication between the school and the alternative providers also ensures that students stay safe while on placement.  The school ensures that students are provided with clear, sometimes hard-hitting, advice about staying safe in cars, online and in relationships. This is a strength of the school’s work.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Overall, the quality of teaching is variable and thus requires improvement. In particular, a few teachers are not following closely the school’s policies or making the necessary changes to their work, demonstrated through focused training.  Teaching has improved in the last year due to the rigorous management of staff performance. There is a greater proportion that is good and some that is outstanding. However, there remain some pockets of teaching which are weak, leading to slow progress and poor behaviour.  Many teachers are making better use of the wide array of information they have about students’ prior knowledge, skills and understanding. In Year 11, especially, they have used an analysis of test information to identify sections of the syllabus not yet covered or known well enough by students. Teachers plan lessons that take this into account.  Good training provided recently means that teaching assistants are making a more positive contribution to

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

students’ learning. The majority actively seek out students struggling with their work. Teaching is most effective when teachers have planned activities and shared them in advance with assistants so that they know exactly where to focus their efforts. The most effective assistants coax students who would rather not work into deepening their knowledge, skills and understanding by asking them relevant questions. Effective support for learning was observed in the Einstein Centre.  The most effective teachers pause lessons regularly to check that all students understand what they are learning about. Not all teachers check students’ understanding frequently enough.  Many teachers enter a productive dialogue with students about the quality of their work. Some show this through clear marking in books. Others provide clear oral feedback as each lesson progresses. There is too much variability, however, in this practice across the school. Consequently, students’ work in a few

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

subjects, for example with a small number of science teachers, is rarely looked at and students do not know what else to do to improve their work. When students know that their work is likely not to be marked, they take less care with it and their books become disorganised and messy. Some students are, therefore, not ready to prepare for their examinations. This has led historically to weaker attainment in some areas.  Some students receive homework regularly. Parents like the support for mathematics provided online. They appreciate the contact about their child’s learning through the school’s homework planners. Parents were very appreciative of the communication made available through email. They recognise that this is helpful to them but increases teachers’ workloads.  Students use the better literacy skills they have developed recently in English. They use these improved skills to support their learning in other subjects. The least-able readers receive additional focused support

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

which is helping them catch up. Some students are significantly behind their peers in reading and so this additional teaching is necessary. These students are encouraged to read for half an hour before going to bed.  The teaching of mathematics is becoming a strength of the school. Over half of the students in Year 11 in 2014 achieved a good pass at GCSE, with all of the higher-attaining pupils meeting this standard and over a third of this group making more than expected progress. Inspectors saw teaching in mathematics that was never less than good. This is contributing to the good progress students make in this subject.  Teachers tend to work well with the most-able students so that the majority go on to achieve good results. The results of students in the top sets are typically the strongest.

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requires improvement

 Students enter the school with standards below average for their age. For example, in 2014, 42% of Year 11 entered the school with results lower in English than the national average. In mathematics, 43% of Year 11 entered the school with results lower than the national average. The school, therefore, struggles to close the gaps between the performance of its students and their peers nationally. In 2014, it failed to do so and the results were very disappointing when put together as a single headline figure of 29% A*-C with English and mathematics.  The school, however, helps many to catch up by the end of Key Stage 4 so that performance in, for example, design and technology, resistant materials, textiles, media studies, music, business studies, and health and social care compared favourably with results nationally. In mathematics, 56% achieved a grade C or above. Standards in reading, in particular, remain in need of improvement.

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requires improvement

 Girls generally do better than boys in English, while boys generally do better than girls in mathematics.  Progress is improving due to the better teaching that is spreading through the school. Current information shows that already about two thirds of the students in Year 11 are on track to make expected progress in both English and mathematics. A third are expected to make more than expected progress in English and about a fifth in mathematics.  Progress is, therefore, increasing so that over half the students are currently on track to achieve five good GCSE passes.  Inspectors found that progress in the majority of lessons and over time was improving. Work in students’ books shows steady progress from the beginning of the year in many subjects.  Students in the autistic spectrum resource (Einstein) centre have variable achievement. This is because they follow programmes of study that better meet their needs than the traditional curriculum in the rest of

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requires improvement

the school. This curriculum means that they achieve extensive personal gains but not a full set of academic qualifications. This is appropriate.  Disabled students and those with special educational needs, not educated in the Einstein Centre, do reasonably well when they have a statement of special educational needs. They are currently about a grade behind their peers. However, the achievement of students with special educational needs without a statement is a concern as their performance is, on average, two whole grades behind their peers. They have weak achievement compared with similar students nationally.  The achievement of disadvantaged students compares reasonably well with their classmates. This is because additional funding is being used increasingly well to focus support on their needs. They are less than a grade behind their peers at the end of Key Stage 4 in English and mathematics, though their

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requires improvement

performance is well below that of other students nationally. There is a very wide gap between them, especially those with average prior attainment.  The school is targeting support at the disadvantaged students so that their achievement continues to improve. Current in-year data show the gap in Year 11 closing dramatically to about 1% for expected progress in English and less than 1% for expected progress in mathematics. A similar pattern is seen in other year groups.  The most-able students attain results which are close to the national average. In 2014, in Year 11 in mathematics, they did particularly well. They did less well in English, science, languages and the humanities. The school’s own information about the achievement of most-able students in all other year groups shows them to be on track to make good or better progress.  The progress of students attending alternative provision is good, though many of the qualiifcations they

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requires improvement

achieve fall outside the scope of the performance league tables. This is also appropriate.  Early entry is not used by the school.

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The sixth form provision requires improvement

 The sixth form is improving. Its purpose with the local area is sharply defined and appropriate, helping to raise aspirations. Its leaders show determination and clarity of thought. They manage the sixth form effectively and it operates smoothly.  Students make broadly average progress throughout the sixth form, from below average starting points at the end of Year 11. Consequently, the profile of grades they achieve is below the national average.  Students perform particularly well in some subjects, such as art and design, geography, government and politics, psychology, music, fashion and film studies. Subjects where they perform less well include the sciences, mathematics and sociology.  The quality of teaching is inconsistent, as in both schools. Staff do not always provide challenging enough work for students, based on their individual needs and prior attainment. Students do not consistently

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The sixth form provision requires improvement

follow up teachers’ marking comments and thus improve their work. However, teachers generally demonstrate strong subject knowledge and prepare students suitably for specific examination requirements. Teachers and students enjoy constructive relationships.  Students’ behaviour in lessons is of mixed quality. On occasion, they lose interest in the lessons and become distracted. When the teaching is at its best, students fully engage and make strong progress.  Attendance is below average. Some students have got into bad habits and consider that being present in some lessons is not required. For the most part, however, students are happy and cooperative. They appreciate the personal support and well-focused advice staff provide, including for university applications and careers guidance. They value the wide range of course options.  The sixth form offers students some opportunities for personal development, including participation in a

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The sixth form provision requires improvement

very well-attended and successful Duke of Edinburgh’s award scheme. Students feel secure within the sixth form and show sound awareness of how to keep safe, including in relationships and when using the internet.

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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 136012 Local authority Isle of Wight Inspection number 453809

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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 Foundation Age range of pupils 11–19 Gender of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils in the sixth form Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 1,306 Of which, number on roll in sixth form 253 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Jonathan Finch Headteacher Peter Shaw Date of previous school inspection 12–13 March 2013 Telephone number 01983 524651 Fax number 01983 825456 Email address info@carisbrooke.iow.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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