Hasland Hall Community School

Hasland Hall Community School Broomfield Avenue, Hasland, Chesterfield, Derbyshire, S41 0LP

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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

 Students are currently making good progress in a wide range of subjects and across different year groups. The school’s 2014 examination results were particularly strong.  Leaders and managers have given their attention to the things that need to improve. Much of the school is better than it was at the last inspection.  Governors have a good range of skills and experience. They support school leaders well.  Much of the teaching across different subjects provides students with interesting activities that enable them to learn well. Teaching has improved since the last inspection.  Students behave well in almost all lessons and at break and lunchtimes.  Students enjoy learning in the large majority of lessons and appreciate the support and help they get.  Students are proud of their work. A very large majority ensure their books are neat and presented well.  Students say they feel safe in school. They are

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This is a good school

punctual to lessons and attend regularly.  Students are developing a good understanding of different faiths and cultures. They are ready for the next stage of their education and a high proportion go on to further study or training.  Students have the opportunity to study a good range of subjects. They appreciate the school’s extra activities. These include the arts, sports and additional trips, or visits.  Teachers often mark work in a regular and helpful way. Many students use this information to further improve their work.  Many teachers with responsibility for subjects have a good understanding of how well groups of students are doing. They have made a significant contribution to improvements in students’ outcomes.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 A few subject leaders do not do enough to check the progress of all groups of students. Across year groups some of the most-able students, and some who start with low attainment, are not always making consistently good progress.  A few students, including some boys, do not make consistently good progress because they are not keen enough about learning. In a few cases the work of teaching assistants needs to be planned better so they can provide more effective support for students who need it.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching further by: improving planning so that activities always enable groups of students to make sufficient progress making the work of a few teaching assistants more effective by improving the plans for how they will support groups of students providing additional training and support for a few teachers, especially in languages, RE and design and technology.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management by: ensuring that a few subject leaders use information about assessments to set and check targets for how students can achieve more effectively, as well as ensuring that all groups of students, especially boys, make enough progress. providing additional training and support for some staff in understanding how to motivate and enthuse boys, so they are more consistently keen to learn.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The headteacher has established a strong focus on what needs to improve. She has ensured that, with other leaders, there has been strong and unwavering attention given to the areas for improvement identified in the previous inspection.  Leaders, including governors, have a clear understanding of what needs to improve. Their evaluation of the school is accurate and clear. This has resulted in improvements to teaching, the achievement of students and their attendance since the last inspection.  School leaders have ensured the school provides a good range of subjects for students to study. Additional trips and extra sporting or artistic activities add to the experience of many students. These have all helped students to make good progress across a wide range of subjects and be prepared for the next stage of their education or training.  Students at risk of exclusion have had opportunities to continue with their education elsewhere because

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

of a strong partnership with local schools. This has helped several students over the last few years to stay in education.  Leaders have ensured that staff have access to a regular programme of training and further development which has helped to bring about improvements since the last inspection. The arrangements to reward staff for good performance are strong. Leaders should do more to train some staff in how to motivate and interest groups of students, particularly boys.  Leaders have ensured there is a strong culture of equality within the school. Students and staff have a clear respect for difference and derogatory language is not tolerated.  Students receive helpful and effective guidance about what they might study when they leave school. This has ensured that a very high proportion stay successfully in education and training.  Most subject leaders have ensured they check the progress of groups of students regularly. School

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

leaders have identified areas where this is still not the case and have already made important improvements.  The local authority has provided regular monitoring of how well the school is doing and has supported the work of school leaders.  The additional funding for disadvantaged students and for those who need to catch up in Year 7 is used effectively. Disadvantaged students are starting to make better progress in many subjects and in others they are already doing as well as their peers.  Some important groups of students, particularly boys, are still not making consistently good progress. This is more often the case when they start school with lower attainment, although a few other boys are also making less progress. A small number of subject leaders could do more to improve the progress and attitudes to learning of some boys. A few students are still not making enough progress in languages, RE

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The governance of the school: The governors have a good range of experience and skills. They provide helpful support for school leaders. They have made an effective contribution to ensuring that systems to reward staff for performance are well organised and planned. Governors have looked at information about the use of additional funding received by the school to support disadvantaged students eligible for pupil premium funding. Governors have considered the effectiveness of the use of this funding. They have also looked at the use of catch-up funding for Year 7 students in need of additional support. Governors have supported leaders strongly in ensuring that the school is improving.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The school’s arrangements for safeguarding are effective. School leaders ensure they consider carefully the arrangements they have put in place to keep students safe. They have ensured that staff are trained regularly. The school keeps thorough and detailed records, which support them in ensuring that students are safe, and ensure a good level of communication with parents.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Much of the teaching, across most subjects and in different year groups is good. Teachers have a good understanding of the subjects they teach. In the large majority of lessons they plan activities that are enjoyable and which enable students to make good progress.  Teachers consistently expect work to be presented neatly. Many students take a great deal of care and pride, both in lessons and when completing their homework.  Teachers are careful to give students regular and detailed information on how to correct and improve their work. Many of the students have developed good habits. For example, they respond by taking note of the teacher’s comments and improving the next piece of work they do. They often correct work that could be better.  Lessons are often lively and interesting. Many teachers use helpful and direct questions to check what students know. They go over things where students are not sure about information.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 In many subjects teachers take care to ensure that students understand what has been covered before moving on to the next topic.  Teachers often ensure that skills, such as writing and mathematics, are used effectively across different subject areas.  A small amount of teaching requires improvement because planning does not take sufficient account of what different groups of students know, or because the work of teaching assistants is not planned effectively enough. In some lessons groups of boys, especially those with lower attainment when they started school, still do not have positive enough attitudes to learning. A few more-able students currently in the school also need to be stretched more.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Students say they feel happy and safe in school. They get on with each other in lessons and almost always focus on their learning. These attitudes help them to make progress.  Students say that bullying is not a concern. They feel that it might possibly happen but are confident the school has systems for dealing with any problems. About one in five parents completing the Parent View survey felt that the school does not deal effectively with bullying. The students spoken to during the inspection said they were confident about the way the school might manage any problems with bullying.  Students almost always treat each other with respect and tolerance. They are aware of differences. They understand that it is not appropriate to make derogatory comments about others.  The school has a good track record of working with local schools to provide opportunities for students

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Personal development and welfare

who are at risk of exclusion. This has enabled them to improve their attendance and continue to make progress at a time when they were at risk of being excluded from education. In a few cases students have been able to move successfully to another school and continue their education.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Students behave well in almost all lessons. A small number of parents completing the Parent View survey felt that behaviour at school is not good. The students spoken to during the inspection and the vast majority of staff feel that behaviour is good.  Students treat the school building and grounds with respect. There is little litter, and school property is looked after well.  Students get on with each other at lunchtime and breaktime. They behave particularly sensibly in the dining hall where there is a civilised atmosphere. Students are interested and engaged during assemblies and enjoy the occasional opportunities they have for extended curriculum days.  Attendance is average and has improved over time. Current and recent attendance is showing that the number of students who are regularly absent has reduced. This is the result of strong encouragement, support and regular checking carried out by the school.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Students achieved well in the 2014 GCSE results. Progress and achievement in mathematics has been consistently strong across different year groups. Almost all students are currently making good progress across different year groups in the large majority of subjects.  Provisional 2015 GCSE results show that students did well in the majority of subjects. The work seen by inspectors in a wide range of subjects and year groups shows that students are continuing to make good progress. This includes English, mathematics and a wide range of other subjects.  Students achieved well in the English literature examination in 2015 and results were above average. Examination outcomes in English language were not as strong as the previous year. For this reason, the proportion achieving five or more higher GCSE grades is likely to reduce. However, these results are still provisional and the school is currently waiting for the results of a significant number of requests for some

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Outcomes for pupils are good

English language papers to be re-marked.  Disadvantaged students mostly make good progress in a wide range of subjects. The proportion making expected and better-than-expected progress is often close to other students in the school, especially in mathematics. Where this is not the case, the progress of these students is showing signs of improvement.  Students with special educational needs and disabilities are making good progress in almost all subjects and year groups. The work of teaching assistants is sometimes not planned well enough and this causes a few students to start to get lost, or left behind.  The most-able students did well in the 2014 GCSE examination results. Many achieved well in the 2015 provisional results, although not in English language. The school has asked for a significant number of these papers to be re-marked because they believe that actual outcomes were better. The most-able

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Outcomes for pupils are good

students currently in the school are mostly making good progress, although in a few cases they are not being stretched and challenged enough.  Students currently in the school are making good progress in science. Students are making good progress in arts subjects, much of humanities, PE and design and technology. This includes disadvantaged students who often make good progress in these subjects.  By the time they leave school, students have developed good skills in literacy and numeracy. They are able to present work well, write in a range of styles and are fluent in reading. Many are confident in speaking. Students develop a good understanding of mathematical skills and are able to use these to good effect in subjects such as science.  Students are prepared well for the next stage of their education or training. A very high proportion of students are successful at moving on to further study, or other suitable destinations, after school.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Some students have made less progress in languages, RE and graphic products in recent years. The school has focused on improvements in these areas and students are now doing better. However, some have still not caught up with where they should be.  A few students, especially some boys, are doing less well. This is mostly because they are not sufficiently engaged in their learning and are less positive about it.

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School details

Unique reference number 112959 Local authority Derbyshire Inspection number 10001854

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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 Maintained Age range of pupils 11–16 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 705 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Patricia Bell Headteacher Heather Boulton Telephone number 01246 273985 Website www.haslandhallschool.co.uk Email address admin@haslandhall.derbyshire.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 12–13 September 2013

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Information about this school

 Hasland Hall Community School is a smaller than average-sized secondary school.  The proportion of students supported by the pupil premium is lower than average. This is additional government funding for particular groups of students, including those known to be eligible for free school meals or in local authority care. These students are referred to as disadvantaged in this report.  The proportion of disabled students and those who have special educational needs supported by school action is smaller than average. The proportion supported by school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is also below average.  The school is part of the Chesterfield Learning Community, a group of local schools working collaboratively to enhance educational provision. Part of this work focusses on providing support for students at risk of exclusion.  No students currently access alternative provision.

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Information about this school

 The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set minimum expectations for students’ attainment and progress.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 35 lessons or parts of lessons. Inspectors also observed assemblies, tutor group sessions and talked to staff and students informally during break and lunchtime.  Several meetings were held with senior leaders, a group of subject leaders, the special educational needs coordinator and two governors. A meeting was also held with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors met with four groups of students from all year groups and listened to their views.  Inspectors considered 34 questionnaires completed by school staff, along with the 41 responses from parents and carers to the online survey Parent View. The inspection team also took account of letters and other communication received from parents.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and reviewed information about students’ progress and attainment. They looked at the school’s improvement plan and the school’s analysis of how well it is

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Information about this inspection

doing. Inspectors also looked at the system for managing the performance of staff, records of governing body meetings and a range of policy documents. Inspectors considered information provided by the local authority and reviewed the work of students currently in school during lessons and by looking at additional samples provided by school leaders.

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Inspection team

David Bray Ofsted Inspector Paul Watson Ofsted Inspector Sally Manz Ofsted Inspector Anne White 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

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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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