Setting

Miss Elizabeth Smith Headteacher The Peele Community College 84 Little London Long Sutton Spalding PE12 9LF

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Requires improvement: monitoring inspection visit to The Peele

Following my visit to your school on 12 July 2016, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. Thank you for the help you gave me and for the time you made available to discuss the actions you are taking to improve the school since the most recent section 5 inspection.

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Requires improvement: monitoring inspection visit to The Peele

The visit was the first monitoring inspection since the school was judged to require improvement following the section 5 inspection in January 2016. It was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

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Requires improvement: monitoring inspection visit to The Peele

Senior leaders and governors are taking effective action to tackle the areas requiring improvement identified at the recent section 5 inspection in order to become a good school.

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Requires improvement: monitoring inspection visit to The Peele

The school should take further action to:

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Requires improvement: monitoring inspection visit to The Peele

 plan, with the local authority, timing and source of the support that the school will use to support it in its journey to good

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Requires improvement: monitoring inspection visit to The Peele

 ensure that all staff follow the school’s behaviour management policy and procedures consistently so that no lessons are repeatedly disrupted by poor behaviour

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Requires improvement: monitoring inspection visit to The Peele

 ensure that more-able pupils are properly supported and challenged in their learning so that they can achieve the very highest grades

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Requires improvement: monitoring inspection visit to The Peele

 develop more open communications with pupils and their parents in order to build a shared vision for the school and its pupils, based on high aspirations. Ofsted

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Requires improvement: monitoring inspection visit to The Peele

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Evidence

During the inspection, I held meetings with you, your deputy headteacher and your designated safeguarding lead and with representatives from your governing body. I held discussions with some of your heads of department including the head of English. I met with a group of pupils from Year 9 and toured the school, spending time in nine different lessons. I looked briefly at pupils’ work and I evaluated the school’s improvement plan. I checked the single central register and examined the log of behaviour incidents. I also spoke to a representative from the local authority after leaving the school site.

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Context

Since the inspection in January you have been appointed substantive headteacher of the school. The deputy headship remains an acting role.

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Main findings

You have initiated a journey of improvement. You have put in place many of the basic building blocks that you will need to ensure that the school provides a good education for all. Your plans are clear and your evaluation of progress is justly cautious. You are rightly working to raise the aspirations and expectations of pupils and staff alike.

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Main findings

All pupils now wear a smart uniform with some pride. This is a very striking feature of the school. The buildings and school environment look good and the best of pupils’ work is mounted in some inspiring and creative displays around the school. These support the growing success of pupils and demonstrate just how vibrant different areas of learning can be.

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Main findings

Higher expectations of behaviour have been articulated and I saw no untoward behaviour on my visit. It seems that behaviour is improving. Nevertheless, some pupils told me that they feel that too many of their lessons are still disrupted by other pupils. They expressed the view that teachers’ implementation of the behaviour policy is very variable. Some teachers are too lenient while others are too strict. This is not helping. It is important therefore that all staff are consistent in respect of these and that they model good behaviour themselves, for example, by arriving for their lessons on time.

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Main findings

You have introduced a rigorous system to collect, analyse and share data about the learning and progress of pupils in every subject. You have put in place mechanisms, including external moderation, to ensure that the data collected accurately reflects the standards reached by pupils. Increasingly, teachers are using the data to refine their teaching and target the particular learning needs of pupils. Middle and senior leaders also use the data to oversee the progress of different groups, and the impact on learning that different teachers are having. The notion of the accountability of all to promote good or better progress is becoming embedded.

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Main findings

Middle leaders are developing confidence and ability at leading their departments. They have worked alongside members of the senior leadership team in order to develop their understanding of how they can evaluate the typicality of teaching in their departments. They are now carefully maintaining an overview of the quality of learning. They are developing their supportive roles to ensure that all pupils are getting a good deal in the classroom.

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Main findings

Teaching is improving. The rapid turnover of some staff is hindering this, but you have rightly introduced a consistent and thorough approach to planning which is having good results. Pupils are positive about the new ways of marking. They value the feedback that teachers give them about their learning and the opportunities that they are given to reflect and improve their work in the light of the feedback. Their books show that for the most part they are making steady progress and they are taking care with their work and presenting it well. Teachers are giving developmental feedback both in respect of the subject learning but also, where relevant, in respect of basic literacy skills.

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Main findings

Pupils also point out that the new home-learning policy has been very effective in ensuring that they are given appropriately developmental learning activities to undertake at home.

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Main findings

There have thus been many positive changes in the school since January. Pupils are making much better progress in their learning, especially in English, modern foreign languages and art. The school’s, externally moderated, predictions for this summer’s GCSE examinations suggest that these results will be significantly better than last year’s and, most importantly, pupils will have made better progress during their time at the school. Current Year 10 pupils are also doing better. However most-able pupils are not doing as well as they could and the school’s data is not sufficiently refined to highlight this issue for all staff. Pupils from economically disadvantaged familes are not catching up with their peers fast enough as well and, as you know, some subjects have not moved on as quickly as others.

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Main findings

As you acknowledge, there is still plenty more to do. Although some areas of the school’s work are now more consistent than they were, it is not yet clear that all staff and pupils share a vision and feel involved and included in the improvement journey. They have much more to offer in terms of forging a better education for pupils.

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Main findings

The results from Parent View, the Ofsted online questionnaire for parents about their children’s school, represent the views of only 37 parents. These, however, suggest that parents, too, are not yet aligned to the high aspirations and new sense of purpose that you and your leadership team have for the school. Senior leaders have a good understanding of the importance of creating a culture of care and openness in order to safeguard their pupils. They speak of a ‘tell culture’ and are understandably proud of those pupils who have come forward to safeguard their friends when they have had concerns. Appropriate training takes place for all staff in respect of a range of important issues and potential threats to pupils, including safer recruitment training, and good systems are in place for recording concerns and any issues around behaviour. Attendance is monitored carefully and absence is followed up.

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Main findings

The school’s website is fully compliant with statutory requirements. Governors take a keen interest in the school and maintain oversight – holding the headteacher and senior leaders to account as they should.

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External support

While the plans for improvement are appropriate, the school is still troubled by high levels of staff turnover and the need to develop leadership capacity at all levels. At the moment various schools, the Lincolnshire Teaching Schools Alliance and one consultancy agency have been working with the school. While this support has yielded success, the school and local authority have not drawn up a long-term plan together that identifies the proposed trajectory of improvement and identifies precisely who will offer what support to whom. This needs to happen.

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External support

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body and the director of children’s services for Lincolnshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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