Christ The King Catholic High School and Sixth Form Centre

Christ the King Catholic High School and Sixth Form Centre Stamford Road, Southport, Merseyside PR8 4EX

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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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 Good

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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 Requires improvement

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This is a school that requires improvement

 Pupils, particularly boys, are not making enough progress and are not attaining as well as they should in mathematics. This is because teaching in mathematics is not yet consistently good and improvements have been too slow.  Teaching in mathematics does not enable pupils to develop their mental calculations.  Not enough teaching is good or better. Teachers’ planning does not always take into account the needs of all pupils.  Pupils’ mistakes or misunderstandings are not always used effectively by teachers as learning opportunities, or to inform next steps in teaching.  The quality of teachers’ marking is variable. Some books are not marked regularly enough and not all teachers check that pupils act on their comments.  Teaching in several subject areas does not consistently challenge pupils to think for themselves or draw out deep reasoning from them.  Teachers’ questions are not always effective. Pupils are not always encouraged to develop

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This is a school that requires improvement

their answers in sufficient enough detail.  Teachers have started to share effective practice but this is not yet systematic enough to have had a positive impact across all subjects.

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The school has the following strengths

 The headteacher and governors have instilled high ambitions and expectations for pupils and staff.  Pupils’ behaviour is good. The school is an orderly and harmonious community.  Attendance rates are improving and the school has good systems to promote and support good attendance.  The curriculum is well planned. Pupils study a broad range of subjects that meet their individual needs and future aspirations.  Middle leaders have embraced new systems to check up on the work of their departments.  Pupils are safe in school. The school has put in place thorough and effective arrangements to ensure that pupils are properly safeguarded.  Provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. The school is successful in promoting values such as fairness, tolerance and mutual respect for others.  The sixth form is well led and has improved since the last inspection. It is now good.

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The school has the following strengths

Inspection report: Christ the King Catholic High School and Sixth Form Centre, 11–12 November 2015 Page 2 of 9

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise attainment and increase the rates of pupils’ progress, particularly boys, in mathematics by: – making sure that the teaching of mathematics is consistently good or better and builds on pupils’ achievement in Key Stage 2 – providing pupils with work in mathematics that is neither too easy nor too hard – providing opportunities for pupils to improve their mental calculations – identifying and tackling misconceptions and proactively dealing with these.  Ensure that teaching is consistently good or better throughout the school day by: – sticking to the school’s marking policy so that marking is done regularly and that pupils take notice and act on advice given – using questions to enable pupils to develop their reasoning and extend their thinking – using assessment information to plan lessons that challenge and engage all pupils, especially boys – ensuring that the best teaching practice is shared widely and systematically across the school.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

Inspection report: Christ the King Catholic High School and Sixth Form Centre, 11–12 November 2015 Page 3 of 9

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The quality of leadership and management has improved since the previous inspection. The headteacher, other senior leaders and governors are ambitious and want all pupils to achieve the best possible outcomes. They have established an inclusive school that has a positive ethos based on mutual respect, tolerance and care. There is a clear sense of purpose and new appointments made to the senior team since the last inspection have ensured that there is increased capacity for further improvement.  Staff morale is good. The overwhelming majority of staff who spoke with inspectors or completed staff questionnaires say that they enjoy working at the school. They believe that it is well managed and that leaders are doing all they can to ensure that they are motivated and effective. Staff are especially appreciative of the calm and orderly environment in which they work.  Since the last inspection, leaders have put in place clearer systems to check on the quality of work within

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

subjects. Middle leaders are responding well to this culture of accountability and complete regular and consistent checks on the work of other staff in their departments. Senior leaders meet regularly with middle leaders to ensure that actions arising from these checks are undertaken. As a result, the quality of middle leadership has improved.  Leaders know their school well. Self-evaluation is detailed and uses a wide range of performance information. Leaders know the strengths and weaknesses in the performance of the different subjects and plans have been put in place to address these. These are not always clear in terms of identifying how leaders and governors will know if follow-up actions have been fully successful.  The quality of teaching is not yet consistently good and leaders know that systems for holding staff responsible have not yet had a full impact on improving the quality of teaching and outcomes for all pupils

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

across all subjects, especially in mathematics.  Performance management arrangements are strong. Leaders undertake regular lesson observations and review the work in pupils’ books. Leaders have begun to identify strengths in training. However, the system of sharing best practice is having a limited impact on improving the consistency of the quality of teaching.  Leaders have targeted additional funding for disadvantaged pupils and the gap in attainment between disadvantaged pupils and their peers is now closing. Catch-up funding is now helping pupils in Year 7 to develop their literacy skills, although some of these programmes are in their infancy and their impact cannot yet be measured.  The curriculum is broad and balanced, providing a wide range of courses which are designed to meet the needs and ambitions of pupils. Additional support for English or mathematics is given to those pupils who would benefit from it. The majority of pupils undertake courses leading to GCSE examinations, enabling

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

them to continue with their academic studies when they leave school. Those pupils who would benefit from work-related courses are able to access these through the school’s links with the local college. In addition to the formal curriculum, the school offers pupils a wide range of additional activities in sports, drama and music as well as a variety of other enrichment activities and visits. These help pupils make gains in their social and cultural development and help them to lead healthy lifestyles.  The guidance curriculum is well planned and enables pupils to gain skills and knowledge that will serve them well in their future lives. Pupils understand what it means to grow into responsible, tolerant adults and contribute effectively as citizens within a democratic society.  Careers guidance is provided to pupils from Year 8 onwards. A comprehensive programme, which is linked to the academic curriculum, is in place to enable pupils to understand the range of further education and

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

work-related learning options that are available to them. Pupils receive advice that enables them to make informed decisions about future careers. The local authority has an accurate view of the school’s current performance. The school has engaged with an outstanding school to provide additional support for the mathematics department.  The governance of the school – Governors have good skills and are ambitious for their pupils. They have a very good understanding of the priorities for the school which are based on first-hand evidence gained from their regular meetings and visits to school. They understand which subjects are not performing well and the reasons for this. They provide high levels of challenge to the headteacher and other leaders. – Governors ensure that strong performance management processes are put in place. They understand the link between the performance of pupils and the pay that teachers earn. They have not been afraid

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

Inspection report: Christ the King Catholic High School and Sixth Form Centre, 11–12 November 2015 Page 4 of 9 to make difficult decisions when necessary to improve the quality of teaching in school. The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Processes to keep pupils safe are thorough, known to all and well managed. The school works well with parents and external agencies to ensure that pupils are kept safe.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

 While there is good teaching in the school, it is not yet consistently good enough overall.  Teachers do not always follow the school’s marking policy. Some books are not marked regularly enough and pupils are not always expected to respond to advice given to them.  Some teachers do not have high enough expectations of pupils in terms of the presentation of work. As a result, standards of presentation are variable across different subjects.  Teachers do not plan activities consistently well to match the needs and abilities of all pupils. Sometimes tasks and activities are too easy and pupils are not guided to choose more demanding work, even when it is available.  Teachers do not always question pupils effectively to extend their learning and deepen their thinking. Some questions are not deep and do not challenge pupils to explain their answers in enough detail. When pupils get answers wrong, their misconceptions are not always explored properly and, as a result, further learning

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

opportunities are missed.  The teaching of mathematics is not consistently good. Lessons are not planned well enough and they do not always take into account the needs and abilities of all pupils. Some tasks are not challenging enough and repeat work that pupils have already covered at primary school. Boys in particular make less progress in mathematics than girls. There are not enough opportunities for pupils to develop their mental mathematics skills. Staff do not always identify the gaps that pupils have in their mathematical knowledge and therefore they cannot deal effectively with the range of misconceptions that pupils have.  Where teaching is good, expectations are high and tasks are challenging and interesting. The most effective teaching is characterised by questioning that is used well to build on and deepen pupils’ understanding and promote interesting discussion.  Pupils progress well in lessons that allow them to think independently and develop creative responses to

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

open-ended tasks. For example, in a Year 11 music lesson, pupils were composing music in response to some work that they had done on music from other cultures and traditions. They were including the features of this music effectively into their own pieces.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Pupils say that they feel safe in school. They know how to keep themselves safe. For example, they understand the dangers associated with internet use. The school site is a safe place and site safety is well monitored.  Pupils say that bullying is rare and they are confident that if there is any bullying it will be dealt with effectively and quickly by staff.  Pupils are encouraged to think about social values and show commitment to others who are less fortunate than themselves. They give generously to local charities by raising money and contributing their own time to local causes.  Pupils are taught about the importance of tolerance and mutual respect towards others. The school encourages this through the guidance curriculum and through additional activities, such as participation in a significant conference on British values.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school ensures that those pupils who spend some of their time being educated off-site are safe and attend regularly.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils move around the building in a calm and orderly manner between lessons and at break and Inspection report: Christ the King Catholic High School and Sixth Form Centre, 11–12 November 2015 Page 5 of 9 lunchtime. They are polite to teachers and visitors and relationships are friendly.  In lessons, pupils are very well behaved. They say that they can get on with their learning without being disrupted by poor behaviour.  Pupils wear their uniforms properly and with pride. Teachers enforce the uniform policy strictly.  Attendance is improving because the systems that the school has put in place are clear and consistently applied. The importance of good attendance is promoted well to pupils and their families. Punctuality to lessons has improved. Pupils understand that there is no time to waste.  The majority of parents who responded to the online survey said that the school makes sure that pupils are

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

 Outcomes require improvement because since the last inspection significantly fewer pupils have made expected or above expected progress in mathematics compared with the national average. The proportion of pupils making expected progress in mathematics has declined since the last inspection.  Teachers’ assessment, particularly in mathematics, has not been accurate. The school predicted that Year 11 pupils in 2015 would perform much better than they actually did. Leaders have analysed the reasons for underperformance carefully and have taken appropriate action, which is resulting in better outcomes for current pupils.  Pupils’ progress in English is as good as that found nationally. Outcomes in several subjects have improved since the last inspection.  The school’s own performance information shows that current Year 11 pupils are set to achieve better outcomes than in 2014 and 2015. They are progressing at much faster rates than the Year 11 cohort did at

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

the same point last year. More robust assessment practices have been put in place to ensure that assessment information is accurate.  The progress that boys make from their starting points is not as strong as that of girls, particularly in mathematics. School information shows that differences in progress between boys and girls still persist within current cohorts.  Some pupils read widely, although personal wider reading is not as strong in Key Stage 4 as it is in Key Stage 3. The recently appointed librarian has developed plans to promote a culture of reading in the school. Pupils who enter the school with weak skills in reading receive effective support that leads to their catching up with their peers.  Pupils with special educational needs perform well. This is because of the additional support that they receive.  As a result of the effective targeting of additional funding for disadvantaged pupils, the gap between these

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

pupils and their peers is closing.  The arrangements to support pupils through off-site provision make a positive contribution to the wider outcomes for those pupils.

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16 to 19 study programmes are good

 Good leadership and management have secured improvements in outcomes for pupils in the sixth form. Progress has improved in both vocational and academic courses since the last inspection. The minimum standards are met.  The curriculum has been reviewed and this means that pupils are given good guidance to enable them to choose the right courses based on their prior learning and their future aspirations.  Teaching in the sixth form is good. Teachers are enthusiastic and provide a good range of challenging and engaging work. Sometimes however, work for most-able pupils could be even more challenging to enable pupils to think more independently. Marking is generally undertaken to a high standard and pupils receive useful feedback on their work.  Retention rates for pupils progressing from Year 12 into Year 13 are high. Last year all pupils went on from the sixth form into higher education, employment or training.

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16 to 19 study programmes are good

 Pupils who have not achieved a minimum of Grade C in mathematics and English receive specialist teaching to boost their performance in these subjects. As a result, attainment in GCSE resits has improved. Inspection report: Christ the King Catholic High School and Sixth Form Centre, 11–12 November 2015 Page 6 of 9  Beyond the formal academic or vocational curriculum, other qualifications, such as general studies, religious studies and modules from the Certificate in Personal Effectiveness help pupils to prepare for future study or work and to think about a wide range of cultural, moral and social issues. Pupils develop skills in leadership through the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, and Community Sports Leader and Language Leader programmes.  A fortnightly guidance lesson supports pupils with university and job applications, and personal finance as well as other useful life skills. This programme promotes British values effectively. Pupils come from other

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16 to 19 study programmes are good

European countries to study in the school’s sixth form as part of an exchange programme. This helps to promote intercultural awareness and tolerance.  Pupils receive good advice and guidance to help them make choices about their future. There is a planned programme of visits to universities and conferences. Work experience is tailored so that pupils engage in placements that are relevant to their study programmes. Pupils’ progress is regularly reviewed through a well-managed tracking system. Additional support is provided by academic mentors when needed. Parents receive regular information about pupils’ progress. Pupils say that they know their academic targets and what they need to do further to make progress. They are confident that they get the right support when they need it. Inspection report: Christ the King Catholic High School and Sixth Form Centre, 11–12 November 2015 Page 7 of 9

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School details

Unique reference number 104964 Local authority Sefton Inspection number 10002201 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 comprehensive School category Voluntary aided Age range of pupils 11–16 Gender of pupils Mixed

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programmes

Number of pupils on the school roll 1226

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programmes

Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Alan Rayner Headteacher/Principal/Teacher in charge James Lancaster Telephone number 01704 565121 Website www.christtheking-school.com Email address info@christtheking-school.com Date of previous inspection 2–3 October 2013

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Information about this school

 Christ the King Catholic High School and Sixth Form Centre is a larger than average-sized secondary school.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for support by the pupil premium is below the national average. The pupil premium is additional funding for those pupils who are disadvantaged.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, including those with a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan, is below average, although numbers are rising.  The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is below the national average, although this is increasing. Most pupils are of White British heritage.  Some pupils attend Southport College for part of their education.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress. Inspection report: Christ the King Catholic High School and Sixth Form Centre, 11–12 November 2015 Page 8 of 9

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching, learning and assessment in lessons. They also observed tutor times and an assembly. Two lessons were observed jointly with members of the senior leadership team.  The behaviour of pupils was observed throughout the school day.  Inspectors looked closely at samples of pupils’ written work in a range of subjects and year groups.  Inspectors held meetings with senior and middle leaders, groups of teachers and five groups of pupils. They also had informal conversations with pupils and staff. Inspectors met with the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Governing Body and one other governor.  An inspector discussed the school’s work with two representatives of the local authority.  Inspectors took account of 108 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey for parents. Responses to a questionnaire returned by 120 staff were also considered.  School policies and other documentation provided by the school were examined. Records including those

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Information about this inspection

related to safeguarding, attendance and behaviour, self-evaluation and development plans, as well as information related to teacher’s performance management, were also reviewed.  The school’s information on pupils’ progress and attainment was examined.

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Inspection team

Neil Fazackerley, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Shirley Gornall Her Majesty’s Inspector Victoria Atherton Ofsted Inspector Susan Lomas Linda Griffiths Ofsted Inspector 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

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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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