Settle College

School report Settle College Giggleswick, Settle, North Yorkshire BD24 0AU

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Overall effectiveness Good

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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This is a good school

 The excellent work of school leaders and governors has brought about significantly improved examination results since the previous inspection. This has been for all groups of pupils, and particularly in English and mathematics.  Leaders’ vision for the continuing improvement of the school is ambitious, realistic and accurate. It is also shared and understood by parents and pupils.  The progress of all groups of pupils within the school is now good. The performance of disadvantaged pupils and of pupils with disabilities and those who have special educational needs is particularly strong.  The quality of teaching is good overall and leads to pupils making at least good progress in the majority of lessons.  The sixth form is good. The curriculum, the quality of teaching and the wider enrichment experiences are impressive and result in very good examination outcomes overall.  Pupils’ behaviour and attitudes to their learning

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This is a good school

are good. The care and support provided by the school are well structured and robust and the school’s approach to keeping pupils safe is excellent.  Pupils receive good advice and support to ensure that their next steps in education, training or employment are successful.  The governing body has been rigorous in its support and challenge of the Principal and other school leaders.  Strong spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a key characteristic of the school’s work.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teaching is not sufficiently challenging across the whole curriculum. This is particularly the case for higher ability pupils in Key Stage 3.  The school’s innovative work to strengthen pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills requires further development, including in the support of weaker readers.  In the small proportion of lessons where teaching lacks challenge and pace, pupils lose focus in, and enthusiasm for, their learning.  Not all subject leaders ensure that teaching is at least good and that pupils are making strong progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise pupils’ progress and attainment further so that: the most able achieve consistently high standards across all subjects all pupils are confident in their ability to read, write and use numbers exceptionally well across the curriculum.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen the impact of subject leadership by ensuring that: excellent practice in teaching that is apparent in some departments and across the sixth form is shared and developed all subject leaders are rigorous in their quality assurance systems and ensure that all teaching is appropriately challenging.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further improve the culture of achievement at the school through: developing impeccable standards of conduct outside lessons and a self-discipline in learning which matches the attitudes of learners in the sixth form.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The Principal has been relentless in her drive to successfully tackle all of the issues raised in the previous inspection. As a consequence she has ensured that senior leaders have markedly improved their own effectiveness in improving the progress of all groups, including disadvantaged pupils as well as pupils with disabilities and those who have special educational needs. In a number of key measures, disadvantaged pupils now outperform their peers within school and nationally.  The leaders of mathematics and English have been particularly effective in improving the outcomes of all pupils since the previous inspection. The progress and attainment of all groups of pupils in English and mathematics in 2014 and 2015 are well above the national average, and continuing to rise.  Leaders have established accurate and robust systems for assessing the impact of teaching on pupils’ learning. This information is also used to develop effective opportunities for professional development for

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

teachers and other professionals; they fully support the Principal’s determination to sustain rapid improvement.  Underperforming staff have been challenged robustly since the previous inspection. Leaders now link pay and responsibilities to progress and teachers’ success in raising the achievement of all groups of pupils. Staff welcome the importance of accountability and reported to inspectors that they feel valued, supported and challenged.  The school now makes better use of the Year 7 catch-up funding but leaders are aware that there is more to do in this area.  The school uses additional funding for disadvantaged pupils exceptionally well so that they make at least good progress. They are supported through a range of innovative strategies and activities both during and outside the school day and this combines with increasingly effective teaching, particularly in English and mathematics, to ensure that they achieve very well.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The school’s curriculum is aspirational and inclusive. Pupils enjoy the challenge of academic rigour and their core literacy and mathematical skills are increasingly secure. As a result, pupils are motivated to achieve well.  Pupils enjoy the very wide range of extra-curricular activities available to them. The majority of pupils are engaged in at least one of those activities and this adds significantly to the sense of aspiration and enjoyment in the atmosphere of the school.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is strong. Pupils are given a lot of time to think carefully about important contemporary issues such as the refugee crisis and recent terrorist activity in France. These discussions are of a high quality and ensure that pupils reflect carefully on difficult social, moral, cultural and spiritual issues from a mature and well-informed perspective.  Pupils also think very carefully about life in modern Britain, our values and our place in the world. They

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

are respectful of the views of others and develop within the school examples of democracy and tolerance which underpin the key characteristics of life in our country today.  The local authority has established a very positive relationship with the school since its previous inspection. It has supported and challenged leaders, including governors, and increased the confidence and expertise of school leadership. The school has also benefited from its relationships with a close range of school partners within the Northern Lights Teaching School Alliance. This has included specific support for example, in the sixth form in preparing learners for successful entry into top universities.  Some subject leaders are not sufficiently effective in ensuring that all teaching is at least good. Where that is the case, quality-control systems lack robustness and teaching lacks challenge.  Leaders also need to ensure that pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills are more sophisticated and that they

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

are more expert in applying these skills across the curriculum.  The governance of the school The governing body has changed significantly since the previous inspection. It is now highly effective in its role of challenging and supporting school leaders to improve school performance. Governors maintain a high profile within the school and in their partnerships with parents. Governors look regularly at the work and progress of pupils and are effective in their links to subject areas and key parts of the school’s work. Governors have ensured that teachers’ pay is linked to progress and they take seriously their responsibility for ensuring that funds are used to maximum effect. This is reflected in the impact of pupil premium funding on improving the progress of disadvantaged pupils which is now very strong.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective and meet all statutory requirements. Attendance is

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

monitored and checked closely. All pupils, including the very small number who are educated off-site, are well looked after and are kept safe. Pupils speak with confidence about the school’s work to keep them safe, their ability to assess risk and to use technology safely.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 The quality of teaching is now good, with some examples of outstanding practice particularly in the sixth form. As a result, all groups of pupils now make good progress in all key stages.  There are particular strengths in the quality of teaching in English and mathematics. Where teaching is strongest, teachers have very high expectations of pupils who are challenged in each and every lesson. Teachers assess pupils’ work expertly and set challenging tasks which motivate pupils to give of their best. Work is well presented and shows an excellent depth of understanding. Key knowledge and skills are remembered, ensuring that pupils are prepared well for success in examinations.  Pupils and parents believe that teaching has improved considerably since the previous inspection. Relationships between staff and pupils in lessons are good and the great majority of pupils are keen to learn and do well.  Most teachers are effective in using assessment information for planning. Teachers know their pupils well

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

and they are very well aware of the need to ensure that disadvantaged pupils, pupils with disabilities and those who have special educational needs are challenged and supported appropriately.  Pupils’ work is marked thoroughly and in most cases pupils respond to that marking and know how to improve their work.  Pupils at risk of underachieving are provided with high-quality support which ensures that where they lack confidence or understanding they catch up quickly and successfully return to their lessons.  Although teaching is securely good, it is not outstanding. At times lessons lack challenge and when this does occur, pupils lose focus and can become distracted. Higher ability pupils, particularly in the younger years, are not pushed and challenged sufficiently in some parts of the curriculum.  Across the curriculum the use of teaching assistants is inconsistent in terms of impact. Though examples

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

were seen of exceptional practice of teaching assistants being used to great effect, in other lessons they offered little value for money and were little more than bystanders in the learning process.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Pupils are fully aware of their targets and are well supported by the school in their learning both in and out of lessons.  Leaders have put great emphasis on making sure that all pupils feel safe in school and learn to protect themselves from any risks to their physical and emotional well-being. Pupils know what to do if they feel unsafe or unhappy and have very high regard for the immediate support that is available to them in such instances. All pupils who spoke to the inspection team made clear that they very much enjoy coming to school.  The school’s personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education programme is comprehensive and highly valued by pupils. A number of pupils were able to give important examples of how the programme had helped them in their journey through the school.  Many pupils enjoy taking on responsibility and showed good initiative when, for example, raising money

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils are positive about the school and are keen to learn. This is reflected in the improved attendance of all groups of pupils since the previous inspection.  Behaviour in the significant majority of lessons is good or better. However, in the small number of lessons where teaching lacks challenge, pupils lose focus and engagement in their learning.  Incidents resulting in exclusions or other serious sanctions have reduced significantly since the previous inspection. The few incidents that do result in exclusion are analysed carefully by the governing body.  Overall, pupils behave well outside lessons, though a small number of pupils did refer during discussions with the inspection team to occasional silly behaviour from some older boys.  Levels of persistent absenteeism have fallen markedly over the past two years. The school has worked extremely hard in this area and to great effect. Staff communicate very well with the school’s whole

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Behaviour

community, including with those parents who are more reluctant to engage with the school. Where necessary, sanctions have been applied in order to improve attendance.  Parents and pupils are all of the view that bullying is rare and that when it does occur, the school deals with it most effectively. Parents agree with pupils that they feel safe in school at all times.  Pupils value the ambitious plan for improvement that has been shared with them. They are excited to play their part in delivering that improvement and understand the importance of their education as they move forward into adulthood.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Pupils’ attainment has risen significantly since the previous inspection. GCSE results, particularly for A*–C grades and including English and mathematics, were above the national average in 2014 and well above in 2015. The proportion of pupils making at least expected progress at Key Stage 4 was well above average in 2014 and unverified data indicate that this trend has continued in 2015.  Pupil outcomes are good across all year groups and in most subjects. Progress is particularly strong in English and mathematics and the school is now strengthening provision across the wider curriculum. Younger pupils make good progress and enjoy being challenged when teaching is of a very high standard.  The progress of all groups of pupils has improved significantly over the past two years, and in many cases significantly so. Disadvantaged pupils, as well as pupils with disabilities and those who have special

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Outcomes for pupils are good

educational needs make very strong progress and are now matching or outperforming the achievement of their peers in school and nationally. Both groups have benefited from additional staff support and a range of strategies that have successfully motivated pupils and equipped them to do well in examinations.  There are no significant gaps between the attainment and progress of boys and girls.  Though most higher ability pupils make good progress overall, the school recognises the achievement of this group as a key area of focus in the next stage of its development. The importance of this focus was confirmed during this inspection when it was found to be the case that in some subjects the most-able pupils were not being challenged sufficiently.  Parents are very confident that pupils are making increasingly good progress at the school and this was also confirmed to be the view of pupils in their extensive discussions with the inspection team.

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16 to 19 study programmes are good

 The sixth form is increasingly successful and now provides a good education for learners following academic courses and the small number following vocational programmes. The unvalidated A-level results for 2015 are the highest ever for the school and show that learners are now achieving well beyond national expectations. This was also the case for vocational qualifications in 2014 and 2015.  Achievement is not yet outstanding because there are still variations in attainment and rates of progress between different subjects at A level. Where progress was weaker, the thoroughness and cohesion of the programme of study did not prepare learners effectively for success in examinations.  The sixth form’s success is reflected in its popularity and in its excellent retention rates as learners move through into their final year of study. Learners spoke with great conviction about the excellence of the work of leaders, teachers and other professionals in supporting them in their studies including at times of

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16 to 19 study programmes are good

personal difficulty or challenge.  Learners who enter the sixth form without having secured a C grade for GCSE English or mathematics are given excellent teaching. As a consequence, the great majority secure that qualification before the end of Year 12; success rates are well beyond the national average.  Teaching in the sixth form has improved significantly and is now good with much outstanding. Such is its strength it is now representing an example of excellence for the rest of the school, particularly around the area of challenge and pace. Outstanding teaching and its impact over time was noted in English, mathematics, modern foreign languages and science. In an exceptional Year 13 mathematics lesson, the level of engagement, motivation, application and intellectual rigour was remarkable.  Sixth-form learners have extremely positive attitudes to all aspects of life at the school and attend very

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16 to 19 study programmes are good

well. A very high proportion of learners go on to top universities and the quality of advice and guidance provided for them is rated highly by the whole learner population.  Learners benefit from the very good opportunities for personal development which are also evident throughout the rest of the school. They are well prepared for life after school because they are successfully supported to speak with confidence, to listen with humility and to be curious about life beyond the school. All sixth formers benefit from a detailed and highly effective programme of spiritual, moral, social and cultural education. A comprehensive range of work-experience opportunities enhances the enrichment programme.  All learners are confident of their safety within the school environment. They are also mature and sensible in their use of technology.  The sixth form is very well led and managed. The school has raised the profile of academic courses in the

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16 to 19 study programmes are good

sixth form and, although the sixth form is relatively small, learners are able to study their preferred combination of options.

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School details

Unique reference number 121689 Local authority North Yorkshire Inspection number 10002078 This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Secondary comprehensive School category Community Age range of pupils 11–18 Gender of pupils Mixed

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programmes

Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Rosemary Rees Principal Michele Costello Telephone number 01729 822451 Website www.settlecollege.org.uk Email address admin@settlecollege.n-yorks.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 18 September 2013

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Information about this school

 The school is smaller than the average-sized secondary school.  The vast majority of pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of pupils eligible for pupil premium funding is below the national average. This is additional government funding to support pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and looked after young people.  The proportion of pupils with disabilities and those who have special educational needs is below the national average.  The school meets the government’s floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The school’s sixth form provides both academic and vocational courses. All vocational courses provided for learners between the ages of 14 and 19 are taught on-site. The school uses one alternative provider, North Craven PRS, which five pupils attend.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed pupils’ learning in 34 lessons. Three of the observations were carried out jointly with members of the senior leadership team. Inspectors also visited parts of lessons and looked at a range of pupils’ work.  Inspectors held meetings with the Principal and other senior leaders, other staff and eight groups of pupils. The lead inspector met with six members of the governing body and had a meeting with a representative of the local authority.  The inspection team looked at a range of documentation, including the school development plan, information on pupils’ attainment and progress, and records relating to safeguarding, pupils’ behaviour and attendance.  Inspectors observed an assembly and observed movement around the school between lessons, at lunchtime and at breaktimes.  Inspectors took account of the 93 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire. They considered the school’s own surveys of views of parents and pupils. Inspectors also considered the 52

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Information about this inspection

responses to the staff questionnaire completed during the inspection.

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Inspection team

John Townsley, Lead Inspector Ofsted Inspector Lesley Powell Ofsted Inspector David Pridding Ofsted Inspector Claire Hollister Ofsted Inspector guidance ‘Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . 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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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted.

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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