Worle Community School

Worle Community School Redwing Drive, Weston-super-Mare, Somerset BS22 8XX

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Inadequate

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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This is an inadequate school

 Safeguarding is ineffective. Legal requirements are not met and there is a poor culture of safeguarding. As a result, pupils do not feel safe in school.  Pupils’ behaviour is inadequate. Leaders and managers have failed to tackle the poor behaviour of the minority of pupils who make others feel unsafe or repeatedly disrupt learning.  Progress in mathematics is inadequate. Disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs or disability do not make enough progress because their needs are not catered for well enough in lessons and teachers’ expectations of what pupils can achieve are too low.  Absence rates are too high and are not improving quickly enough.  The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is too variable across the school. Leaders have not improved teaching quickly enough and this has a negative impact on pupils’ achievement.  Too little attention is paid to the quality of the

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This is an inadequate school

curriculum and teaching in the new alternative on- site centre. Checks on the welfare and progress of pupils who are educated off site are not frequent or thorough enough.  Governors have been ineffective. They have failed to hold the school’s leaders to account. They have not monitored the impact of the school’s management of safeguarding, and failed to halt the decline in pupils’ achievement and to close the gap that exists between the standards reached by disadvantaged pupils and those of other pupils.

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The school has the following strengths

 Pupils make good progress in all aspects of design and information technology because the quality of teaching in these subjects is typically good.  The curriculum has been adapted well to meet the requirements of the government’s new achievement measures.  Extra-curricular provision and community links extend and improve the skills of a large number of pupils. What is on offer to pupils here also demonstrates the commitment of many teaching staff to the school.

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Full report

In accordance with the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Urgently improve the culture of safeguarding in the school by ensuring that the planned review of safeguarding by the local authority is completed as soon as possible and its recommendations are quickly implemented.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the management of behaviour and raise levels of attendance by ensuring that: there is a well-understood strategic approach for handling poor behaviour and bullying incidents that is operated by all staff consistently analysis of attendance information and monitoring of procedures leads to focused intervention and help for specific groups of pupils.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of leadership and management by ensuring that: the curriculum, and progress, teaching and welfare of pupils in both on- and off-site provision is monitored more rigorously pupils’ and parents’ views are sought and acted on regularly.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Urgently improve the quality of teaching and learning by ensuring that: teachers have training and support to manage behaviour in lessons teachers have higher expectations of what all groups of pupils can achieve the amount of supply cover is kept to a minimum and that supply teachers have enough information, guidance and support to be able to teach effectively.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Rapidly raise achievement, particularly in mathematics, and for boys, disadvantaged pupils and those who receive support because they have special educational needs, by ensuring that: there is a mechanism for monitoring and measuring the impact of teaching on these specific groups of pupils assessment information is accurate in all subjects and for all year groups so that pupils’ progress can be tracked over time the performance of disadvantaged pupils is compared with national standards rather than just with other pupils in the school.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

 The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective. There is a poor culture of safeguarding at the school. Leaders do not have a clear overview of how effectively the 2015 statutory government guidance, ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’, is being implemented because they do not have systems in place for rigorous monitoring and evaluation and no strategic overview of provision. As a result, legal requirements are not met and pupils say that they do not feel safe. Leaders have not recognised the link between weak safeguarding arrangements, pupils’ behaviour and attendance and the welfare of both pupils and staff. Each incident has been investigated and treated separately, with reports to governors focusing on day-to- day rather than long-term strategic issues.  Teachers have had regular training in safeguarding, including the dangers of radicalisation, female genital mutilation and child sexual exploitation and are aware of what to do if they are concerned about a pupil.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

There are clear systems in place for the induction of new staff, who are required to sign confirming that they have read all the relevant documents concerning their behaviour online and systems for health and safety. This good practice is not followed through for safeguarding documents. The school has responded very quickly to a recent health and safety audit from the local authority.  Senior leaders and governors have not demonstrated sufficient urgency in tackling the problem of falling standards and the inconsistency in teaching across the school. The local authority has recently provided support to write short-term raising attainment plans, which are providing clear priorities, responsibilities, targets and systems for monitoring the impact of actions taken. These are at an early stage of development and the first six-week cycle has only recently been evaluated.  A comprehensive system to monitor teaching and learning is carried out by middle and senior leaders,

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

followed by personalised professional development and coaching. However, there is insufficient urgency to improve the quality of teaching in response to falling standards and variable teaching across different year groups and subjects. There is a lack of clarity, for example, about who is responsible for monitoring how effectively the strategies available for pupils who have special educational needs or disability are used in lessons.  The school has adapted the curriculum in order to make sure that it meets the requirements for new achievement measures in 2016, and has reduced the number of GCSE courses pupils will sit in the future. An increase in the range of vocational courses, even if numbers are low, ensures that the curriculum is flexible enough to meet the needs of individual pupils.  Opportunities for preparing pupils for life in modern Britain have been mapped across the curriculum. The

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

citizenship curriculum is thorough and relevant in Years 7, 8 and 9 and also covers many aspects of personal, social and health education but is not taught to all pupils in Years 10 and 11. Next year, there are plans to provide other opportunities for this content through specific information, advice and guidance lessons and whole-day activities. There is a comprehensive programme of relevant assemblies. Some work supporting citizenship and personal, health and social education is delivered during mentor or registration sessions.  At the on-site unit, the focus is on improving behaviour and social skills. Curriculum and teaching arrangements are not sufficiently rigorous to ensure that pupils, however short or long their stay, have the opportunity to follow a stimulating curriculum that will allow them to make progress, lead to qualifications appropriate to their interests and ability and allow them to move on to further education or

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

training.  The monitoring of progress for pupils at alternative provision both on- and off site is not sufficiently rigorous. Checks on how much progress pupils are making, their welfare and the quality of the provision for them are not frequent enough for leaders to be sure that pupils are well provided for.  The wide range of extra-curricular activity, particularly in physical education, is highly valued by pupils and large numbers are involved both before and after school. Many off-site trips are offered, particularly in humanities, and there are arrangements to ensure that disadvantaged pupils can go even if parents do not have the necessary funding. There is extensive community involvement, particularly in working with primary schools. Teaching staff are very committed to providing these extra opportunities for pupils.  Newly qualified teachers may not be appointed.  The governance of the school

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

Governors have not recognised that the series of complaints that triggered this inspection were symptomatic of broader shortcomings in the safeguarding culture of the school. There is no rigorous, systematic monitoring and evaluation of the impact of safeguarding processes, so governors do not have a clear overview of provision which would allow them to make sure that the school plans effectively for improvement. They are unaware, for example, that the school’s safeguarding policy, although recently reviewed, lacks essential information or that the record of checks on the suitability of staff to work with children is an incomplete document. Governors have failed to challenge the school’s leadership effectively and as a result have failed to halt the fall in achievement and deterioration in pupils’ behaviour over the last three years. They have too readily accepted information provided to them by the school. For example, the school’s predictions for

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

GCSE performance were over generous before the last inspection in 2013, and this was still the case in 2015. Governors have not made sure that extra government funding is used effectively and as a result the gap between the performance of the disadvantaged pupils for whom this money is intended and that of others has widened over time. They have requested that the school considers the ‘in-school’ gap for these pupils rather than measure their achievement against national standards. This has the effect of making expectations much too low for disadvantaged pupils, who form more than a quarter of the school’s intake. The views of parents are not systematically collected and acted on.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

 The quality of teaching is too variable across the school and across subjects. In too many lessons, pupils do not make enough progress. Teachers frequently have difficulty settling pupils at the beginning of lessons, and some pupils’ poor attitudes to learning disrupt lessons and prevent others from making progress. However, in some subjects, for example in design and information technology, teaching is very effective and this is reflected in pupils’ better achievement in these subjects.  Many pupils are frustrated by the relatively high proportion of supply cover. They say they make the least progress in these lessons because often the behaviour of some pupils is poor, the lessons are not well prepared and there is little feedback for them. When pupils’ teachers change frequently, the lack of continuity slows their learning, especially if the teacher does not know the pupils well.  Teachers’ expectations of what pupils can achieve are too low. The individual needs of disadvantaged

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

pupils and those who have special educational needs or disability are not met effectively in lessons. Not all teachers know who these pupils are or what is needed to help them make progress. As a result, these pupils make slower progress than other pupils. The most-able pupils are frequently not challenged to deepen their learning further. Pupils who have special educational needs or disability and are supported by staff from the special needs department make better progress.  Some teachers are enthusiastic about their subject, have strong subject knowledge and are skilled in ensuring that pupils respond well and engage fully with the work they are doing. These same teachers use assessment information effectively to plan activities and so pupils know exactly what to do in order to improve. In these lessons, where teachers know their pupils well, individual needs are met much more effectively, and disadvantaged and most-able pupils, and pupils who have special educational needs or

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

disability make better progress. In physical education, expectations and activities are matched carefully to pupils’ abilities.  The quality of feedback to pupils was an area for development at the last inspection. In spite of this being a school priority, the marking policy is still not applied consistently across the school. When high-quality feedback is provided, it is valued by pupils who say they have a regular dialogue with teachers and that this helps them make better progress because they know how to improve and what to do next.  The daily mentor session is not well structured. Although personal, social and health education materials are provided for teachers to use, these were not seen in the majority of sessions visited during the inspection. Pupils say that they do not value these lessons, nor learn from them, but usually use them as social time or to catch up on homework.  At the on-site centre, there is too little emphasis on providing high-quality teaching to enable pupils to

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

achieve well, so that when they rejoin the main school curriculum they have not fallen behind. Expectations of achievement are too low, staff do not have a wide enough range of subject knowledge and there is no specialist learning support for pupils who have special educational needs or disability. As a result, pupils, especially those who attend for extended periods of time, do not make enough progress.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is inadequate.  There are some areas of the school site where pupils say they do not feel safe, and as a result they stay in central areas at break- and lunchtime. This is because at these times, some areas, particularly the school field, are dominated by groups of mainly boys, who are confrontational and do not respond quickly when challenged by staff. Staff presence around the edges of the school site at these critical times is not high enough to prevent pupils congregating in this way.  Pupils do not trust the school to handle bullying effectively. Although they know whom to talk to if they have a problem, they say that sometimes the situation is made worse and as a result they do not have the confidence to report incidents.  Pupils are articulate and talk confidently to adults but do not listen to each other well. They are critical of

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Personal development and welfare

the school and do not feel that their opinions are asked for and acted on. A school council meets regularly but information is not reliably fed back and pupils do not feel confident that the school council represents their views.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is inadequate.  In lessons, pupils’ behaviour is linked to the quality of teaching. Where teaching fails to stimulate and inspire them, interest wanes. These lessons are often interrupted by a significant minority of pupils who have poor attitudes to learning. They are frequently late for lessons, refuse to cooperate with teachers and are sometimes openly defiant. Other pupils find this very frustrating because teachers spend time managing the disruption and so the pace of learning slows. Low-level disruption is frequently tolerated by teachers and is not challenged effectively. However, in some lessons pupils are well motivated and their behaviour is well managed.  Around the school at break- and lunchtimes, the majority of pupils behave well and avoid or ignore the boisterous behaviour of a few pupils.  Behaviour in the school canteen is very well managed. Pupils enjoy the food, there is a high staff

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Behaviour

presence and the atmosphere is calm. In the on-site alternative provision, pupils generally behave well.  Rates of exclusion are much higher than the national average, with disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs or disability over-represented in the figures. Numbers have reduced slightly since the opening of the on-site alternative provision. The majority of exclusions during this academic year have been for defiance towards staff and violence directed towards staff and other pupils.  Attendance is well below the national average and has fallen over the past three years. The proportion of persistent absentees is also well above that found nationally. During this academic year there has been a slight improvement, and there have been particular successes with some pupils who were persistently absent and are now attending more regularly in the on-site alternative provision.

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Behaviour

 The analysis of attendance information is increasingly detailed but strategic planning arising from this is at an early stage. The attendance team is not working together effectively enough, although the systems for following up poor attendance, especially for persistent absentees, are thorough, with sanctions applied to a substantial number of parents.

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Outcomes for pupils are inadequate

 Pupils in all year groups make inadequate progress from their starting points in mathematics. The new head of department is working effectively with other experienced teachers, and some green shoots of improvement are beginning to show, especially in the quality and accuracy of assessment. However, some weak teaching and extended staff absence mean that overall, pupils are underachieving.  For the past three years, predictions for Year 11 GCSE results have been unreliable and much higher than the actual results. The school is tracking pupils’ progress more effectively than in previous years, particularly in younger year groups. Accuracy of assessment information is improving for English and mathematics in Year 11 but insecurity remains in some other subjects and other year groups.  The current assessment information shows that boys, lower and higher ability pupils, disadvantaged pupils and those who receive support because they have special educational needs are lagging behind

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Outcomes for pupils are inadequate

others, although overall achievement is better in English than in mathematics. GCSE results show a similar picture; there has been a falling trend over the last three years, with pupils in Year 11 making inadequate progress in a wide range of subjects. Over this period, girls made similar progress to others nationally. The strongest attainment and progress are in all design technology subjects and information technology.  Work in books across the school shows that pupils, especially boys, are not making enough progress in a wide range of subjects, and those pupils who fall behind are not catching up fast enough.  The gap between the achievement of disadvantaged pupils and that of others has widened over time. Their individual needs are not met effectively by teachers in lessons. Pupils who have the most serious special educational needs or with disability are supported well by the special needs department and most

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Outcomes for pupils are inadequate

of these pupils make good progress. However, those who rely on receiving extra help from teachers in lessons make inadequate progress because their needs are not consistently met.  Too few pupils make more than expected progress, including the most able, especially in mathematics.

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School details

Unique reference number 109313 Local authority North Somerset Inspection number 10008950

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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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 1,455 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair David Elliott Headteacher Peter Binding Telephone number 01934 510777 Website www.worle.n-somerset.sch.uk Email address admin@worle-school.org.uk Date of previous inspection 4  5 June 2014

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Information about this school

 Worle Community School is larger than the average-sized secondary school.  Most students are of White British background and there are lower than average proportions of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds, with very few pupils who speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils who are eligible for pupil premium funding is just below the national average. This is additional government funding provided to give extra support to those pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those who are looked after by the local authority.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs or disability is much lower than the national average.  In September 2015, the school set up the Redwing Alternative Curriculum and Inclusion Centre. This is an on-site facility to cater for pupils with behavioural, medical or mental health problems. It currently provides short- or longer term support for about 70 pupils.

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Information about this school

 Three pupils study vocational courses at Weston College. Seven pupils attend the Voyager Learning Campus, a pupil referral unit run by the local authority to support pupils with medical needs or social and behavioural difficulties.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 21 lessons, some of which were carried out jointly with senior leaders. They also carried out nine focused tours around the school to specifically observe pupils’ behaviour in lessons, provision for disadvantaged pupils and mentor sessions.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, senior and middle leaders, groups of pupils, the safeguarding governor, the assistant director for learning and achievement from the local authority, and the local authority school improvement partner. A telephone call was made to the chair of the governing body. Inspectors were available over lunchtime for many teachers to come and talk to them.  Inspectors scrutinised a wide range of documents, including the school’s self-evaluation and planning, minutes of meetings, and records relating to the monitoring of teaching, learning and assessment, safeguarding, health and safety, behaviour, attendance and exclusion of pupils.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors spoke informally to large numbers of pupils and observed behaviour at the start of the day, and at break- and lunchtimes.  Inspectors scrutinised pupils’ work in lessons.  Inspectors took account of 23 responses to the online Parent View survey.  This inspection was conducted with no notice and took place due to complaints received by Ofsted.

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Inspection team

Mary Massey, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Richard Butler Ofsted Inspector Malcolm Davison Ofsted Inspector Paul Nicholson Ofsted Inspector Martin Watson 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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