Brune Park Community School

Brune Park Community School Military Road, Gosport PO12 3BU

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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 Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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This is an inadequate school

 School leaders and members of the governing body have been too slow in addressing the areas for improvement identified in the previous inspection report.  Leaders, managers and governors have not yet demonstrated the capacity to secure the necessary improvements over time.  Plans for school improvement are not sufficiently focused on developing teaching and improving outcomes for pupils. Actions to address the stated priorities are not specific and success criteria are confused.  Pupils’ achievement has not improved and progress for many is not good enough. Groups, including boys, most-able pupils and those who have special educational needs or disability are not making sufficient progress in relation to their peers and national expectations. Gaps in their performance are not narrowing quickly enough.  Some middle leaders lack skills and expertise in checking and improving the quality of teaching and the outcomes for pupils in their subjects.

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This is an inadequate school

 Teachers do not make use of available data to take account of the different abilities of pupils and what they already know and can do.  Historic weaknesses in teaching mean that some pupils have gaps in their knowledge, skills and understanding. These gaps are hampering pupils’ progress.  Teachers do not consistently give helpful guidance on what pupils need to do to improve. Teaching does not routinely engage or enthuse pupils.  Improvements made by leaders since September 2015 have had too little time to impact on teaching and outcomes. Some staff are not clear about school policies and procedures.

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The school has the following strengths

 Senior leaders, working closely with the local authority and other providers, have already brought about some improvements in pupils’ achievement, particularly in reading.  Staff work hard to develop pupils’ literacy skills and provide effective careers education, information, advice and guidance.  Attendance has improved significantly and is now in line with the national average. Incidences of low-level disruption and exclusions have reduced.  Leaders and staff ensure that pupils are supported and safe.

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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?

 Improve the effectiveness of leaders and managers to develop teaching and improve outcomes, by ensuring that:

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

school improvement plans are better focused and there is greater consistency in the application of school policies and procedures middle leaders have the skills and the capacity to support, monitor and evaluate improvements in their subject areas there is an urgent focus on developing approaches that enable boys, most-able pupils and those who have special educational needs or disability, to catch up rapidly.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Rapidly improve the quality of teaching and outcomes for pupils by ensuring that teachers:

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

use available data to provide activities which take account of the spread of ability in classes have higher expectations of what pupils, especially most-able pupils, can do and can achieve provide pupils with learning activities that engage and interest them to make better progress help pupils understand what to do to improve their work share the effective practice that already exists across the school.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

The school may appoint newly qualified teachers.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

 Leadership and management are inadequate because leaders’ efforts have not resulted in sustained improvements in achievement. Leaders and governors have reflected on, and analysed, the poor examination results over time and the lack of improvement in 2015. Their analysis indicates that inaccurate assessment processes and a high turnover of staff partly explain the poor results. Improvement plans are not, however, sufficiently specific about how to improve teaching and learning and what the intended outcome will be.  Weaknesses in the quality of assessment have been addressed through the moderation of examination papers in conjunction with the local authority and other schools. This has given leaders confidence that standards in Year 11 have been more accurately assessed. However, their forecasts for GCSE results are unrealistic given pupils’ previous performance and the variable teaching and learning observed during the

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

inspection.  Leaders have introduced many changes to improve attendance, behaviour, teaching and assessment in a short period of time. Changes have been appropriate, but their implementation has been inconsistent as some staff are not clear about school policies and procedures which has limited their impact.  Middle leaders lack expertise in carrying out their monitoring and evaluation responsibilities. Senior leaders are supporting middle leaders, but inconsistencies remain across subjects and in the support offered to different groups of pupils.  The leadership of teaching is improving. Arrangements to check and improve the quality of teaching are clearer than in the recent past but have not been securely in place for long enough to eradicate weaknesses. Teachers confirm that the extensive professional development programme is helping them to improve their teaching. Performance management has ensured that staff are now much clearer about

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

expectations of them.  Staff morale is high and the large majority of those who responded to the online staff survey said they are proud to work in the school. A similar proportion of staff felt that the school has improved since the last inspection, but expressed concern over the number of new initiatives which have been introduced.  The curriculum meets statutory requirements with academic subjects supported by vocational elements designed to supplement a range of needs and aspirations. However, the curriculum does not cater sufficiently for boys or ensure that the most able are suitably challenged.  Extra-curricular activities and assembly themes, such as respect and tolerance for the values and views of others, make an adequate contribution to pupils’ personal development and well-being. Tutor time is used well to support pupils’ understanding of British values.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted through a range of activities but there

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

is no strategic overview of this provision. As a result, there are missed opportunities to improve pupils’ development.  School leaders monitor the impact of pupil premium spending which is beginning to narrow the gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers. Governors ask searching question of middle and senior leaders to ensure that this money is used effectively. Additionally, Year 7 catch-up funding is improving the basic skills of those with low English and mathematics attainment on entry.  Leaders are working hard to restore the confidence of parents who have mixed views about the school. However, feedback from parents is less positive now than at the time of the previous inspection.  There is a strong working relationship between the school and the local authority, which has provided ongoing support and development for leaders, teachers and governors.  The governance of the school The governing body has a realistic view of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. They now challenge

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

and support the headteacher and the school, especially regarding statutory requirements. As a result of recent training, governors have a clearer understanding of current attainment and progress information, and have meetings with senior leaders to check how this is being used to drive improvements. They closely monitor the work of the school and use their own expertise to triangulate information provided by leaders with their own visits to the school. The governing body has a good awareness of pupil premium expenditure and has been instrumental in reviewing the management of teachers’ performance.  The school’s policies and procedures for safeguarding pupils are effective. Actions to identify and follow up any concerns are robust and appropriate. Safer recruitment practices are fully embedded and information is recorded in line with current requirements. A very large majority of parents say their child

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

feels safe at school and pupils say that they know whom to speak to if they have any concerns.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

 The quality of teaching is inadequate because there is too much variation across the school. As a result, pupils do not make enough progress to make up for the legacy of interrupted teaching in the past.  Frequent changes of teachers and difficulties in recruitment have meant that many pupils have had little consistency in teaching over time. This has limited their achievement in a range of subjects. More recent improvements in staffing have yet to impact on pupils’ longer-term progress.  Teachers’ subject knowledge is generally secure but their understanding of examination requirements is less so. Assessment systems are relatively new. Teachers do not consistently use this information to provide for the spread of ability, improve the performance of boys, challenge the most-able pupils and offer suitable support for those who have special educational needs or disability.  The quality of teachers’ questioning is variable and assessment of pupils’ work in books does not always

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

follow the school policy. Pupils are not sure exactly what they need to do to improve and this impedes their progress as their revision plans lack focus.  Teaching assistants support the learning of individual pupils and small groups effectively. They confidently move from pupil to pupil offering encouragement and help. For example, in a Year 11 mathematics lesson, the teaching assistant provided good support to aid the understanding of basic mathematical concepts.  Teaching across the school is beginning to improve as a result of recent training and external support. Where teaching is most effective, teachers demonstrate a passion for their subject which engages and enthuses pupils. Their lessons proceed at a good pace and learning time is maximised.  In other lessons observed, especially those with relatively new or supply teachers, pupils were less engaged and low-level disruption was the norm. School policies on behaviour management were not

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

consistently followed and progress was compromised.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare requires improvement.  Pupils value the care and support given to them by the school and appreciate the recent efforts being made to help them catch up with their work.  Pupils say that they feel safe at school. They are taught about how to keep safe and they have an age- appropriate understanding of safety matters, including how to stay safe when working online. Pupils understand different forms of bullying and are confident that instances of bullying are dealt with quickly and effectively. Prejudice-based bullying, including homophobic bullying, is rare. Pupils are increasingly aware of the risks associated with radicalisation and extremism.  Most pupils find the careers information, advice and guidance provided at the school to be helpful and informative. The school has developed good links with post-16 providers and pupils receive appropriate

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Personal development and welfare

careers advice and support. Pupils who receive part-time education away from the school site receive similar support.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.  In most lessons, pupils enjoy good relationships with their teachers and with each other. Interactions are respectful and supportive. However, in a small number of lessons, this is not the case and disruptions limit pupils’ progress.  During break times and when moving between lessons, pupils’ behaviour is mostly mature and calm. Pupils are generally positive about the engagement (behaviour) policy and acknowledge that this is helping to reduce low-level disruption in lessons.  The school has worked hard and successfully to improve overall attendance so that absence and persistent absence are now in line with national averages. There is little difference in attendance between groups of pupils. Observations suggest that pupils arrive punctually to school and to lessons.  The proportion of exclusions is reducing and there have been no permanent exclusions this year. The

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Behaviour

behaviour of pupils who are receiving part-time education away from the school site is similar to that of their peers in school.

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Outcomes for pupils are inadequate

 Examination results in 2015 were very poor for the great majority of subjects studied in the school. Few pupils were successful in gaining higher grades. Attainment has shown little improvement since the previous inspection and the proportion of pupils gaining five good GCSE grades, with English and mathematics, has not kept up with improvements nationally.  Pupils start in Year 7 with attainment that is well below average. Many arrive with literacy skills that are poorly developed for their age. The school has done some good work in promoting pupils’ interest in reading so that pupils generally read fluently, accurately and enthusiastically. Their reading age is now in line with the expectations for their age. The development and promotion of pupils’ numeracy in other subjects are still in their infancy.  In the 2015 GCSE examinations, disadvantaged pupils performed below their peers and significantly

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Outcomes for pupils are inadequate

below other pupils nationally. The proportion of disadvantaged pupils making and exceeding expected progress in English and mathematics was also below their peers and significantly below other pupils nationally. The school’s information shows the gap is starting to narrow.  Pupils make inadequate progress. The progress measures in the 2015 GCSE examinations place the school in the bottom 10% of all schools nationally. Current pupils in all year groups are making better progress between assessment points than last year, but are still below the levels they would expect to be at given their initial starting points.  Lesson observations, work in pupils’ books and assessment information indicate that the results in 2016 will show an improvement on the 2015 outcomes. Key stage 3 data shows that the majority of pupils are now beginning to make sound progress but this is less evident in Year 8. The performance of different

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Outcomes for pupils are inadequate

groups of pupils is not yet being rigorously analysed so that they can be helped to catch up.  The progress of pupils who have special educational needs remains slow and there is a substantial gap between the performance of girls and boys which is not being rapidly addressed.  The progress of the most able pupils is inadequate and work seen confirmed a lack of awareness of and challenge for these pupils.  Pupils who are receiving part-time education away from the school site make similar progress to other pupils given their starting points.  The effectiveness of careers advice and support is seen in the increasing numbers of pupils moving on to further education, employment or training at the end of Year 11.

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School details

Unique reference number 116472 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 10012294

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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 School category Community Age range of pupils 11–16 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 1,405 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Clare Ruddick Headteacher Richard Kelly Telephone number 02392 616000 Website www.brunepark.co.uk Email address info@brunepark.co.uk Date of previous inspection 4–5 June2014

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Information about this school

 Brune Park Community School is a mixed-gender school with a roll which is significantly above national averages. The school is supported by the local authority and other external providers including a secondment from the Charter Academy.  The very great majority of pupils are from White British backgrounds. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups and the proportion of those who speak English as an additional language are below average.  The proportion of pupils supported by pupil premium funding is above the national average. This funding is for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and looked after children. A number of pupils were eligible for the Year 7 catch-up funding for those who did not attain Level 4 in either English or mathematics at the end of primary school.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs or disability is average and the proportion of

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Information about this school

pupils with a statement or an education, health and care plan is below the national average. Eight pupils follow personalised part-time courses at local providers including Fareham College and the Motiv8 School in Gosport.  In 2015, the school did not meet the government’s floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress from key stage 2 to key stage 4.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors undertook observations of pupils’ learning in 48 lessons or parts of lessons, including 11 joint observations with senior members of staff. They reviewed the work in pupils’ books covering English, mathematics and science, to check attainment, progress and assessment.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, senior leaders and middle leaders. The lead inspector spoke with members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority. Inspectors held meetings with pupils from both key stages and spoke informally to pupils in lessons and at break times.  Inspectors looked at the school’s website and a range of school documentation, including safeguarding records, self-evaluation and development plans. They also looked at the school’s attendance, behaviour and exclusions information.  Inspectors reviewed 63 questionnaires completed by members of staff and 30 completed by pupils. They

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Information about this inspection

also considered the views of 42 parents who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, as well as further written comments provided by them.

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Inspection team

Paul Metcalf, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Peter Rodin Ofsted Inspector David Smith Ofsted Inspector Neil Strowger Ofsted Inspector Anne Turner 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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