St Edmund Campion Catholic School & Sixth Form Centre

St Edmund Campion Catholic School Sutton Road, Erdington, Birmingham B23 5XA

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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This is a school that requires improvement

 Pupils’ achievements are not high enough because not enough make the progress that they should, particularly in mathematics and science.  Disadvantaged pupils make less progress than others in the school, particularly in mathematics, and less progress than others nationally.  Teaching varies too much within subjects and across the school as teachers are not skilful in using the information they have about pupils’ achievements in planning work which is suitably challenging for them.  Mathematics teaching, including support for numeracy, is not preparing pupils well enough to enable them to communicate well using mathematics, to understand mathematical processes or to have sufficient skills to be able to solve problems.  Teachers do not always have high enough expectations of behaviour in lessons and some inconsistencies exist in the way that teachers apply school policies on managing behaviour.  Leaders share a vision to make sure that all pupils

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This is a school that requires improvement

are well cared for at this school. However, some leaders do not use information well enough to support their over-generous views of the school’s performance, and miss opportunities that will further improve the school’s work.  Governors know more about pupils who have left the school than the progress of current pupils, and therefore do not know if teaching is good enough to improve progress for all groups of pupils or to know if additional support provided is making a difference.

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The school has the following strengths

 School leaders place great emphasis on making sure that pupils are well cared for and benefit from a strong caring ethos at this school.  Many disabled pupils and those with special education needs, emotional difficulties, medical or mental health needs achieve better than other pupils in the school because of the excellent pastoral support they receive.  Attendance is improving because of the effective work of the attendance officer and the impact of individual attendance plans for pupils monitored by tutors.  Sixth form learners are well supported through their study programme, which provides them with the qualifications and skills they need to be successful in the next stage of their education, employment or training.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the teaching of mathematics at Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 so that pupils are taught the skills they need to communicate well using mathematics, through: ― making sure that all teachers, including those teaching mathematics during form time, teach approaches which help pupils to understand their mathematics ― insisting that correct mathematical language is used by teachers, pupils and other adults supporting learning in their explanations ― making sure that pupils are taught the skills that they need to become confident in solving problems.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management through making better use of assessment information and what leaders know about the achievements of pupils so that: ― all leaders, including governors, are able to support their views of the school’s performance, particularly in relation to the achievement of groups such as disadvantaged pupils and the most-able ― teachers understand how pupils’ ability groups have been identified and how they are meant to use this information to make sure that work is sufficiently challenging for all pupils ― governors know how well pupils are doing and whether the strategies to fill gaps in learning for those pupils eligible for support through additional funding are making any difference.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the way in which pupils’ behaviour is managed in lessons through leaders checking that all teachers encourage good attitudes to learning by: ― setting high expectations for behaviour ― consistently using the school’s behaviour management policies.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

External reviews of governance, and of the school’s use of the pupil premium and catch-up funding should be undertaken in order to assess how these aspects of leadership and governance may be improved.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

 Senior leaders share a vision to make sure that all pupils are extremely well-cared for at the school. They have a good knowledge of the often challenging personal circumstances of many of the pupils and work hard to try to provide a good standard of education for all pupils. However, some leaders do not use information well enough to support their judgements about the school’s performance. Consequently, leaders have an over-generous view and miss opportunities that will further improve the school’s work.  School leaders are proud of the way in which the school supports disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs. Leaders of this area of the school are knowledgeable but are not able to demonstrate convincingly the impact of some of their work due to the way in which information is used in school.  Pupils who fail to improve their reading skills are masked because of the school’s practice of averaging

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

improvements to reading and spelling scores. It is therefore difficult to see if the school’s strategies are working for all pupils and some may miss out on different support that may be better for them.  Arrangements for monitoring the performance of teachers are effective through the use of the Teachers’ Standards and targets set for teachers based on the progress expected for different ability groups. However, teachers are confused about how different ability groups are identified in their subject and are not confident in using this information reliably in their planning of work for pupils.  Improvements in the school are not happening quickly enough because senior leaders are not doing enough to secure consistently good outcomes for all pupils through better teaching.  Early entry for GCSE mathematics continues to be used by leaders as a strategy to raise attainment at Key Stage 4 from grade D to grade C. About half of the pupils sitting this examination have been entered

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

inappropriately early because they are indicated to be underachieving and working below the grade they are expected to be at based on their starting points.  The curriculum does not always meet the needs of pupils based on their ability. Some Key Stage 4 pupils are studying science courses that are too difficult for them, whereas some most-able pupils are not yet being given the opportunity to study physics, chemistry and biology to sufficient depth.  Leadership weaknesses in English and mathematics have led to slow progress being made by some pupils. New subject leaders have recently been appointed in these subjects, but it is too soon to see the impact of their work in improving teaching and securing consistently better progress, especially in mathematics.  A new approach to assessment without national curriculum levels is in place throughout the school. Targets set for some pupils do not reflect sufficiently high enough expectations and may not be

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

sufficiently demanding, especially for the most able. Weaknesses of this system are most likely linked to its newness and further adaptations will be made.  Monitoring of the quality of teaching and learning by senior leaders is effective based on a wide range of information. This includes formal observations of teaching, regular ‘drop ins’ to lessons including by subject leaders who keep a log book of their findings, checks on pupils’ work in books to make sure there is a consistent approach to marking across the school and asking pupils about their views. Leaders quickly identify weaknesses in teaching and use a support plan for teachers to help them to improve.  Leaders ensure that pupils have the opportunity to experience a wide range of opportunities to develop their spiritual, moral, social and cultural experiences and an awareness of British values. Spiritual aspects are particularly strong as they are delivered through the religious education programme and assembly

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

themes where pupils find out about other faiths and beliefs.  Leaders are determined to improve attendance further for pupils. A range of effective strategies have been introduced, including one-to-one mentoring, individual support and the appointment of an attendance officer to work with families. Attendance is not yet monitored well enough for particular groups, such as for disabled pupils, those with special educational needs and disadvantaged pupils.  The governance of the school: cannot be confident that interventions provide value for money as governors do not know enough about the use and impact of the pupil premium funding to know if this is making any difference. Governors are unaware of how Year 7 catch-up funding is spent. knows more about the progress made by pupils who have left the school and those nearing the end of their key stage and less about the progress made by current pupils. Governors therefore do not know

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

if teaching is improving quickly enough to accelerate learning. knows how teachers’ salary decisions link with the quality of their teaching and has supported the headteacher in making difficult decisions where teachers’ performance has not been good enough and it has been necessary to make arrangements for teachers to leave the school. is skilled in supporting the headteacher in developing a culture of safety because they have taken part in a range of training, including safer recruitment, ‘Prevent’ strategies and how to keep children safe.  The arrangements for safeguarding are detailed, thorough and effective. An external review of this area of the school has very recently been carried out and inspectors agreed with the findings in this report.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

 Teaching requires improvement because there is too much variability within subjects and across the school. Teaching is not yet consistently good enough in mathematics and science to make up for the weaknesses of teaching in the past.  Teachers do not effectively use the information they have about pupils’ achievements in planning suitable work for them. Work is targeted at middle-ability pupils in mixed-ability science lessons at Key Stage 4. Lower-ability pupils need more help, such as in making their own notes from science text books.  Teachers’ expectations in mathematics are too low, resulting in pupils not being prepared well enough for the new GCSE in mathematics. Repetitive tasks are often set, including for ‘extension work’, rather than pupils being given questions which encourage them to demonstrate their understanding of mathematical concepts. Insufficient opportunity is provided for pupils to develop their skills in solving problems, which

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

teachers too often interpret as ‘word problems’.  Challenge is low across a range of subjects because some of the work is repetitive and mundane rather than making pupils, including the most able, think harder about their work.  Pupils become restless and fidgety where work set for them is too easy. On these occasions, they talk to friends or simply sit back and watch rather than taking part in the lesson. Teachers sometimes make little attempt to find out why pupils are not taking part, resorting instead to frequent reminders to ‘get on with your work’.  During form time, tutors and teaching assistants teach numeracy topics to further consolidate basic skills. Inconsistencies were seen in the use of mathematical language because teachers have not been given enough guidance or expectations as to how to deliver this work.  Strong support is provided for pupils who are disabled or who have special educational needs (SEN)

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

because teachers take account of their pupil profiles and use these in their planning. Teachers told inspectors that they receive effective support from SEN leaders, helping them to understand pupils’ needs and how best to help support pupils with learning. However, sometimes teachers do not give enough consideration as to how best to use teaching assistants in lessons.  Teaching is improving and strengths of teaching leading to effective learning were seen through good use of questioning, where questions were targeted at individual pupils to check their knowledge of key words or processes, or to explain and provide reasons to support their thinking. Inspectors generally saw good attention to detail and accuracy in written work, especially in English. Teachers are enthusiastic, have excellent subject knowledge and set high expectations for pupils in work-related learning, art and languages. Teaching in sixth form vocational courses is particularly strong.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

 Checks are carried out within subjects to make sure that all teachers are marking work in the same way and assessments are accurate, particularly at Key Stage 4. External checks are being developed and further work is needed to make sure Key Stage 3 assessments are accurate.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupil’s personal development and welfare is good because of the priority placed on this area by school leaders to make sure that all pupils are well cared for and benefit from the caring ethos at the school.  Pupils with challenging needs such as mental health issues, emotional difficulties and medical needs are very well looked after and are well supported through the partnerships made by school leaders with external agencies.  Pupils spoke very warmly about the support that they receive from the school, including providing places for them to go if they feel vulnerable, or if they need additional support to help them with their studies for GCSEs. Teachers freely give up their time to support pupils before school starts, after school and at weekend or holiday revision classes.  Pupils, including sixth form learners, say that they feel safe at the school and are helped to keep

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Personal development and welfare

themselves safe from threats such as knife crime, cyber-bullying and are aware of the dangers of extremism and radicalisation.  Parents have extremely positive views towards the high quality of care, guidance and support provided for pupils at the school. A small number are concerned about the progress that their child makes and are unhappy with the information they receive about their child’s progress.  Attendance is now improving from being below the national average, as a result of leaders’ work to improve this area, and new strategies, many of which started in September. The particularly high absence rates for disadvantaged pupils and those who are disabled or who have special educational needs is also starting to show signs of improvement, with these pupils attending school more often and being monitored on their individual attendance plans.  Pupils who require more specialised provision are extremely well supported through the Pope Francis Unit

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Personal development and welfare

run by the school. Although arrangements are made for pupils to attend the library or the gym for the last lesson of the day, few choose to do this and pupils typically go home early. They therefore receive fewer hours of education than their peers.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement because attitudes to learning in lessons are not good enough, particularly where teachers do not plan work that is challenging enough to make pupils think harder or provide activities to interest them.  Teachers do not always have high enough expectations for the behaviour of their pupils in lessons or use the school’s behaviour management policy in a consistent way. Boys disrupted learning in some lessons and even showed a lack of respect by sitting with their back facing the teacher.  Behaviour around the school site is better than in lessons. Pupils are well supervised at break and lunchtime by teachers on duty. Prefects effectively help in this role and reduce the number of pupils leaving the dining room with food, which they know they are not allowed to do.  Exclusions are reducing, whereas previously these have been high compared with that seen nationally.

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Behaviour

Pupils who present more challenging behaviours are well supported through the Pope Francis Unit.  Pupils who are withdrawn from lessons, because of concerns about their behaviour, work in ‘seclusion’. This provides a calm environment for pupils, mainly those from Key Stage 3, to receive support to help them to manage their behaviour.

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

 Outcomes require improvement because not enough pupils make the progress they are expected to make, particularly in mathematics and science.  In 2015, a much smaller proportion of pupils than seen nationally made the progress they should in mathematics. Disadvantaged pupils made less progress than others in the school and much less progress than other pupils nationally in mathematics, particularly from a Level 4 starting point. ‘Forecast’ grades provided by the school indicate improvements for all year groups, but teaching in mathematics is not yet consistently strong enough to accelerate progress to make up for the weaker teaching of the past.  Some pupils in Year 11 starting from Level 4, including some who are disadvantaged, have very recently been entered for GCSE mathematics following a two-week revision programme in which they were withdrawn from other subjects that they had chosen to study. Pupils and teachers lack clarity on what

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

happens should those entered attain a grade C. Some say they will be re-entered in summer, others say they can drop mathematics and concentrate on other subjects. This strategy does not represent an effective approach to addressing the weaknesses in outcomes seen in 2015.  Pupils’ achievements in English declined in 2015 because some pupils were entered for their GCSE in English language but without being given the opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of English through a study of English literature. This practice has ceased and better progress is indicated for all pupils in English at Key Stage 4.  Pupils make slow progress in science at Key Stage 4 because some pupils are studying a course that does not appear to fully meet their needs based on their ability group. Some lower-ability pupils are struggling to keep up as they do not have enough support in their science lessons, whereas some of the most-able

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

pupils are not sufficiently challenged by their course. Teachers told inspectors that pupils can change courses for Year 11 if necessary.  Progress is improving in a range of subjects at Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4, including in languages and humanities, based on information provided by school leaders. Inconsistencies remain and slow progress continues to be seen in some subjects. Pupils are indicated to be making better progress in history than in geography or religious education. Only about half of pupils in Year 9 are making the progress that they should in art.  Teaching in English is improving and helped weaker pupils, who are now in Year 8, to catch up with their peers, with almost all attaining Level 4 by the end of last year. Year 7 catch-up funding is making less of a difference in mathematics, where only about half of the pupils eligible for additional support caught up.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs achieve better than other pupils because of the

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

detailed attention that is given to their needs, combined with the good support provided for their pastoral care.

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16 to 19 study programmes are good

 Leadership and management of the sixth form is a strength of the school’s work. Leaders have a thorough and accurate view of sixth form provision and act swiftly in response to external changes in post-16 education or to address weaknesses.  Sixth form numbers are declining but school leaders have continued to provide a wide range of academic and work-related courses to meet the needs and interests of individual learners. Some groups are very small and personalised learning is supported.  The 16 to 19 interim minimum standards (which set the government’s minimum expectations for sixth form study) are met, as are the requirements of the 16 to 19 study programme.  Learners achieve well in work-related courses due to consistently effective teaching. To address weak learning seen in the academic information technology course, this course has been changed to a vocational course to enable learners to experience greater success.

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16 to 19 study programmes are good

 Pastoral support is of a high standard and the caring ethos seen in Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 continues through to the sixth form, resulting in sixth form learners being extremely well cared for.  Sixth form leaders have amended the sixth form study programme in response to weaknesses identified in AS Level outcomes, reducing from four to three the number of subjects that all learners are expected to study. In addition, learners study the courses chosen through to A Level, rather than being allowed to drop subjects during Year 12.  Learners are successful in achieving the qualifications they need to continue with the next stage of their education, employment or training. About two-thirds of learners secure places at university each year because of the effective advice and guidance they receive about higher education.  Work experience is available to all learners in Year 12 and sixth form leaders provide assistance in helping

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16 to 19 study programmes are good

learners to secure a suitable placement.  Learners improve their employability skills through their good attendance, Year 12 mock interviews, opportunities to develop team working skills, support with writing a curriculum vitae and completing application forms. Skills to support them at college or university are encouraged through information on financial planning and cooking for university, for example.  Enrichment opportunities are numerous and include sporting activities, drama, music and coaching courses. Learners are able to volunteer to support younger pupils, such as in paired reading, or to act as teaching assistants.  Although learners are provided with the opportunity to improve upon their Year 11 GCSE grade in English and mathematics, this is currently restricted to those who have yet to attain at least a grade C. All learners in Year 12 have successfully attained a grade A* to C in English and therefore only resit

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16 to 19 study programmes are good

mathematics is offered. About half of Year 12, who were entered for a resit in mathematics, are successful in attaining at least a grade C, with the remainder continuing with further resits in Year 13.  Not all learners make the progress that they should, particularly in their academic courses, where progress at AS and A Level is below that seen nationally. However, much stronger teaching is now leading to learners making better progress in their lessons.

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School details

Unique reference number 103537 Local authority Birmingham Inspection number 10001458

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School details

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 Voluntary aided Age range of pupils 11–18 Gender of pupils Mixed

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programmes

Number of pupils on the school roll 1015

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programmes

Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mr Tom Davenport Headteacher Mrs Mary Steele Telephone number 0121 464 7700 Website www.stedcamp.bham.sch.uk Email address enquiry@stedcamp.bham.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 21–22 November 2011

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Information about this school

 The school is an average-sized voluntary aided school which admits pupils from Catholic families and those of other faiths and religions.  A much larger proportion of pupils than seen nationally are supported by pupil premium funding.  Half of the pupils are from minority ethnic groups, the largest proportions being of Caribbean, Pakistani and African heritages. The proportion of pupils whose first language is not English is similar to the national average.  The proportion of pupils who are disabled or who have special educational needs is below average. Very few pupils have a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan.  No pupils attend alternative or off-site provision as the school has its own on-site alternative provision centre known as Pope Francis House.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for

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Information about this school

attainment and progress in English and mathematics.  The school receives support through the Birmingham Education Partnership and additional support through consultants bought in to carry out reviews of aspects of the school’s work.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching and learning in 30 lessons, alongside short visits to other lessons. Pupils’ work in books was scrutinised and inspectors talked to pupils about their work during lessons to find out what they were learning and their attitudes towards learning. An inspector also carried out a ‘learning walk’ to find out more about spiritual, moral, social and cultural provision in the school. Some of these activities were carried out jointly with school leaders.  An inspector visited the Pope Francis Unit and ‘seclusion’ to look at the quality of provision for pupils working in these areas. The inspector talked to pupils about the support that they receive and how they are helped to better manage their behaviour.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, senior leaders and other leaders in the school. The Lead Inspector met with a group of governors, including the Chair of Governors. Notes from governors’

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Information about this inspection

meetings and reports from external reviews presented to governors were scrutinised.  Behaviour of pupils at break and lunchtime was observed and an inspector visited an assembly on the theme of knife crime.  Meetings were held with a group of pupils who were entitled to support through the pupil premium funding or Year 7 catch-up funding to find out their views on the quality of support they have received. Inspectors also met with a group of learners from the sixth form who talked about their experience of the 16 to 19 study programme. They listened to reading from a group of pupils identified by school leaders as receiving support for their reading.  The 40 views from parents expressed in the last 365 days on Parent View, the online questionnaire, were considered, in addition to the school’s own reviews of surveys they have carried out. No responses were recorded from staff or pupils at the school to the online questionnaire.

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Information about this inspection

 A wide range of other information was also taken into account, including information on pupils’ achievements, attendance and behaviour. The school’s self-evaluation summary and action plan overview presented to governors were considered, along with checks on the school’s arrangements for keeping pupils safe.

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Inspection team

Denah Jones, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Christine Bray Ofsted Inspector Alison Broomfield Ofsted Inspector Elizabeth Ellis-Martin Ofsted Inspector Susan Lewis Ofsted Inspector Martin Spoor 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

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, further education and skills, 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Inspection team

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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Inspection team

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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