Monks' Dyke Tennyson College

Monks’ Dyke Tennyson College Monks’ Dyke Road, Louth, Lincolnshire LN11 9AW

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate Personal development, behaviour and welfare Inadequate Outcomes for pupils Inadequate 16 to 19 study programmes Inadequate Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The complexities of managing one amalgamated school on two sites have taken their toll. Too much of leaders’ and governors’ time and attention have been focused on the management of this situation to the detriment of school improvement.  Leaders and governors have not addressed the issues identified at the previous inspection. In particular, they have not halted the decline in pupils’ achievement.  Hence, pupils’ achievement is inadequate. For too long, pupils have not made the progress they are capable of making. This is particularly the case for disadvantaged pupils, pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and the most able pupils, including the most able disadvantaged pupils and boys.  The actions that are in place to make sure that pupils value their school and want to attend are ineffective. Too many pupils are absent from school and many pupils persistently do not attend. Disadvantaged

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

pupils are particularly poor in getting into school every day.  Leaders and governors have not been thorough in ensuring that the pupil premium funding has made a difference to eligible pupils. Too many disadvantaged pupils underachieve. Too many high-ability disadvantaged pupils do not have their aptitudes developed and their experiences widened.  The quality of teaching and learning is inconsistent. Pupils underachieve across a range of subject areas.  Teachers’ planning does not take into account the different starting points of the pupils in their classes. Pupils are too often all involved in the same activity and thus have limited opportunity to have their learning needs met appropriately.  There is not enough leadership capacity within the sixth form. Students underachieve and their attendance is poor. They do not receive the guidance and support they need to move successfully on to further education, training or

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

employment.  Safeguarding policies and related training for staff are out of date. The school has the following strengths

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The interim headteacher has had a positive impact within a short period of time.  Pupils are smartly dressed, polite and friendly. Many behave well within their lessons, at break and at lunchtime.

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Full report

In accordance with section 44(1) of 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?

 Make sure that there is sufficient leadership capacity, including governance, to bring about the rapid improvement that is required.  Make sure that all safeguarding policies are up to date and that leaders have an accurate overview of all safeguarding training.  Make sure that the leadership of the provision for the pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is strong.  Make sure that pupil premium funding and Year 7 literacy and numeracy catch-up funding are spent appropriately and make a positive difference to the progress made by eligible pupils.  Improve pupils’ attendance and reduce the number of pupils who persistently do not attend school by: – ensuring that there is strong and effective leadership of this aspect of the school’s work – improving the systems to monitor regularly and to track the individual pupils and groups of pupils who attend school – putting in place specialist support to deal with the issues for pupils who fail to

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

attend school and those who fail to attend school regularly – promoting to pupils and their parents the value of attending school.  Improve outcomes for pupils by ensuring that: – leadership is strong and effective to drive this aspect of the school’s work – an accurate and well-understood assessment system is in place – the high proportion of pupils who enter the school with attainment and skills significantly lower than the national average are supported effectively to develop the literacy and numeracy skills they need to catch up – the high proportion of pupils who enter the school with poor reading skills are helped to develop the strategies they need to be able to read with confidence – the most able pupils who are falling behind are challenged and supported appropriately to make rapid and sustained progress – the differences in achievement that exist for disadvantaged pupils, boys, pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, the most able pupils and most

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

able disadvantaged pupils reduce – the underperformance at subject level is dealt with immediately, particularly, but not exclusively, in English.  Improve the quality of teaching by making sure that: – leadership is strong and effective to drive this aspect of the school’s work – all teachers use the information about pupils’ starting points to plan lessons that provide sufficient support and challenge for different groups of pupils – opportunities are provided in lessons to help pupils develop their literacy skills – all teachers plan appropriate activities and challenge for the most able pupils and most able disadvantaged pupils, so that they achieve in line with their peers – an appropriate curriculum is in place for all key stages.  Improve the quality of the 16–19 study programmes by making sure that effective leadership is in place to drive the rapid improvement that is needed.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of pupil premium spending should be undertaken to assess how this aspect of leadership may be improved.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

 Leaders’ and governors’ time and attention has focused on managing a split school site. Recently, leadership time and attention has focused on closing the Mablethorpe site and moving to one school site in Louth. There has not been the leadership capacity to manage this structural change while also driving progress in the areas for school improvement identified at the previous inspection.  The quality of teaching, learning and assessment, pupils’ personal development, behaviour and welfare and pupils’ outcomes has subsequently declined.  There has not been a rapid enough response to the significant changes caused by the closure of the Mablethorpe site. Delays are evident in the planning for the key stage 3 and key stage 4 curriculum, neither of which fully meet pupils’ needs.  Some delays are also evident in implementing the assessment systems planned, while some school policies are out of date. Leaders have not had the capacity to ensure a

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

good start to the new school year.  Leaders’ view of the school is overly generous and inaccurate. Until the arrival of the interim headteacher in September 2016, no appropriate planning for improvement was in place.  The local authority’s school improvement has not effected the improvements that are needed. External support from a nearby school, brokered by the local authority, has not ensured that leaders and governors can judge the schools’ effectiveness accurately and then plan appropriately to deal with the significant underperformance found in all areas.  The management of pupils’ attendance is inadequate. Too many pupils do not attend school, particularly disadvantaged pupils. Leaders do not have an accurate overview of all the groups of pupils who do not attend. There is no dedicated and well-led support in place to make sure that more pupils attend school and that the persistent absence of

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

pupils and groups of pupils is addressed rapidly.  The leadership of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate. Pupils underachieve in a variety of subjects, particularly in English.  Leaders’ attempts to make sure that teachers’ assessments are accurate have not worked and some predictions of GCSE results were too generous in 2016.  Teachers have not received high-quality professional development and have not had their performance well managed.  Leaders have not made sure that they use pupil premium funding and the Year 7 literacy and numeracy catch-up funding effectively to have maximum impact for eligible pupils. Leaders are not making sure that pupils get the specialist support they need and that this support is good enough to help the pupils make progress.  Leadership capacity within the sixth form provision is not strong enough to drive rapid improvement. There is much focus on the care of students, which they appreciate. The

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

systems to ensure academic rigour are weak.  The leadership of the provision for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is inadequate. The monitoring of pupils’ progress is not effective. Expectations of what these pupils can achieve are too low. Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are in the ‘behaviour resource’ too often and removed from their lessons too frequently.  The curriculum has significant weaknesses in addressing the literacy needs of many pupils. For example, there is no plan in place to improve pupils’ reading. Pupils with poor literacy do not learn the phonic skills they need to help them read. Some pupils do not receive help to read often and widely in school and at home. Leaders do not promote the school library as a resource and, consequently, few pupils use it regularly.  Effective systems have not been in place to manage the performance of senior and

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

middle leaders. The potential of these leaders has not been fully realised. They have not received the professional development opportunities and coaching needed to drive rapid and successful school improvement.  Much of the support from the local authority and King Edward VI Grammar School has focused on issues resulting first from the amalgamation of the two schools and then, more recently, on the closure of the Mablethorpe site. This has been achieved successfully.  Since the previous inspection however, external support has not ensured that the school’s leadership has had sufficient capacity to bring about much-needed improvements.  The interim headteacher had been in post for two weeks when the inspection was undertaken. Within a short period of time, his positive focus on school improvement has had an impact. Improvement planning is in place, as is an approach to manage the performance of leaders. Leaders and teachers were unanimous in their praise for the

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

difference that this leader has made.  There are some talented and committed teachers and leaders within this school, who have shown resilience in a time of tremendous change.  The school provides opportunities for pupils to develop their spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding. This includes many activities out of the classroom, including foreign travel to develop links with other countries.  The success of pupils who previously attended the school is celebrated and they act as positive role models. Pupils were keen to discuss the many opportunities on offer to them, including music tuition. They said that these opportunities meant a great deal to them.  The school may not appoint newly qualified teachers.

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Governance of the school

 Governors have not done enough to prevent the school’s decline since the previous inspection.  Governors have not been effective in holding school leaders to account. Leaders’ self- evaluation is overly generous and, until recently, there was no suitable school development plan in place. As a result, governors are unclear about the improvement priorities for the school and are unable to assess whether leaders’ actions are having the required impact.  Governors have not been effective in holding leaders to account for the use of pupil premium funding and of Year 7 literacy and numeracy catch-up funding. They have not made sure that these important funds have improved the achievement of disadvantaged pupils and those pupils who needed to catch up when they started at the school.

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Governance of the school

 For too long, governors’ time and expertise has been spent on amalgamating two schools, operating one school on two sites, and then moving to one school site. This work was required of them, but has distracted their attention from making sure that the school improves and that pupils attend school, learn well and achieve well.  As recommended at the previous inspection, governors conducted an external review of governance and responded to the findings of this process. A further review at this stage is not appropriate.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective. There are too many gaps in the leadership of this area to judge that safeguarding arrangements are effective.  Some policies are not up to date and leaders’ overview of pupils’ attendance and groups of pupils’ attendance is inadequate.  Teachers have appropriate training, but since the move to the one school site have not yet had the necessary updates. Leaders have not checked sufficiently that all staff are fully up to date with the latest safeguarding protocols.  Individual teachers often go the ‘extra mile’ to make sure that pupils are well cared for and supported in school.  Work with external agencies in order to keep pupils safe is effective and records of such matters are well managed and stored appropriately. Procedures relating to children missing education meet requirements.  The pupils that inspectors met said that they felt safe and that they learn a lot in

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Safeguarding

school about how to keep themselves safe, particularly when using a computer. They also said that they were well informed about risks within their community. They understood and could speak about the issues relating to female genital mutilation. They said they appreciated their teachers’ efforts to help them to be aware of such issues and that it helped them to be well informed as future citizens.  The pupils said that there had been improvements in behaviour and that bullying incidents have decreased. The school behaviour logs also evidence a decrease in incidents of bullying.  The processes for the safer recruitment of staff are sound.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

 Teachers’ ambition for their pupils is not high enough. Learning is characterised too often by pupils undertaking similar tasks, no matter what their ability or learning needs.  The most able pupils, including the most able disadvantaged pupils, underachieve significantly. Many of these pupils’ talents remain undiscovered because the learning planned for them by their teachers is pitched at too low a level. The leadership of the curriculum for these pupils is inadequate. Too few pupils have the opportunity to gain the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) standard.  The curriculum is not yet providing breadth, challenge and variety. It does not develop pupils’ literacy and numeracy needs fully. Pupils do not gain the knowledge and skills that they need to move to the next steps in their education, training or employment.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

 Teachers’ planning is weak. Too often, their planning does not address the learning needs of pupils with different starting points, particularly the most able, disadvantaged pupils, boys, and pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. As a result, pupils do not make the progress that they should within their lessons.  Teachers do not understand the school’s assessment system well enough. Teachers do not spot pupils’ underachievement quickly enough, and this limits the progress that pupils then make. This is particularly the case for the most able pupils, disadvantaged pupils, pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, and boys.  Since the previous inspection, leaders have failed to monitor the quality of teaching and learning sufficiently. Teaching quality is too variable, and there is underperformance in too many subject areas, particularly in English.  Pupils are making better progress within their mathematics lessons because their

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

teachers are planning work at appropriate levels for the pupils in their classes.  Leaders have developed an assessment and marking policy. When teachers comply with this policy, pupils respond to the suggestions made, correct any errors, or extend their responses and, subsequently, make progress.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is inadequate.  Pupils underachieve in many of their subjects and do not have their talents developed sufficiently. In some cases, this limits the choices of some pupils and prevents them having every opportunity to move successfully to their next step in education, training or employment.  The guidance that pupils receive in order to move to the next stage in their education, training or employment is weak. There is not an effective programme in place to ensure that pupils benefit from impartial support to help them make the best choices.  Those pupils from the Mablethorpe site who are new to the Louth site are beginning to settle, but do not yet feel truly part of their school.  Individual pupils receive a great deal of care and support, in order that they feel safe within school. Pupils appreciate this sensitive care from their teachers very much.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is inadequate.  Too many pupils do not attend school and too many of them are persistently absent from school. Many of these pupils are disadvantaged pupils who, like other pupils, cannot afford to miss their learning time. Leaders are not swift enough to ensure that pupils are in school, where they can learn and be safe.  Pupils who misbehave are ‘removed’ from their lessons. The systems in place to rectify pupils’ behaviour when they are ‘removed’ are inadequate. Pupils do not return to their learning quickly enough and too many pupils are ‘removed’ repeatedly. This means that their learning is significantly disrupted.  Too many disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are ‘removed’ from their lessons for reasons of their behaviour.

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Behaviour

 The processes in place to reduce the number of pupils who are late to school are working; fewer pupils are late to school than was the case at the previous inspection.  The vast majority of pupils behave extremely well around their school. They are polite to each other and to visitors. At break and at lunchtime they socialise and treat each other with respect.  The behaviour of many pupils is good within lessons.  Pupils are smartly dressed and wear their uniform with pride. The students in the sixth form, although not in uniform, are smart and act as positive role models to other pupils in the school.  Pupils respect their school. There is no evidence of litter or graffiti.  The proportion of pupils excluded from school has declined and is below the average.

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Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

 Many pupils enter the school at Year 7 with achievement that is significantly lower than that of other pupils nationally. A larger proportion of pupils than the national average are lower-ability pupils. Not enough is planned for these pupils early enough, so that their learning needs can be met and they can go on to make the progress that they should.  At key stage 4 in 2014 and 2015, the school did not meet the government’s minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.  At key stage 4, pupils underperform in too many curriculum areas and particularly in English. In 2016, pupils underperformed significantly in many subjects, including English, science, French, design and technology, and drama.  Too many groups of pupils underachieve. Disadvantaged pupils, boys, pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, the most able pupils and most able

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Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

disadvantaged pupils, do not make the progress that they should in relation to their starting points.  Leaders have not made sure that disadvantaged pupils receive effective specialist support through the pupil premium funding. The underperformance of this group of pupils is not spotted and then rectified quickly enough.  Expectations of what the most able pupils can achieve are too low. Too few of these pupils achieved the EBacc standard, or the higher grades at GCSE. In 2016, too many disadvantaged most-able pupils who sat the appropriate GCSE subject examinations failed to achieve the EBacc standard.  Assessment systems within school are developing. The assessment system in key stage 3 is planned, but has not been implemented fully by leaders. Some pupils in key stage 4 remain confused about what their grades mean or what their targets are.  Leaders have not ensured that teacher assessments at GCSE are accurate. Predictions

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Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

for the results in 2016 were inaccurate, particularly in English. The external support that subject leaders and teachers received to ensure that their assessments were accurate failed to improve their skills in this respect.  Attainment and progress improved in mathematics in 2016.  The current school performance information indicates improvement in the pupils’ achievement for this academic year. Key stage 3 information also indicates pupils’ improved progress. However, it is too soon to judge if these predictions will be realised.  Leaders have planned opportunities for subject leaders to conduct assessment and activities to improve the accuracy of assessments with a range of school partners.

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16 to 19 study programmes Inadequate

 There is insufficient leadership capacity to drive the improvement required within the sixth form. Much work takes place to support students’ well-being. However, not enough rigorous tracking and monitoring of progress and attainment takes place to support students to do well.  The information, advice and guidance that students receive, both within the sixth form and before they enter the sixth form, is poor. Students do not receive effective counsel to make appropriate choices about their careers as they leave Year 11. Some students, therefore, make subject choices in the sixth form that either do not help their future plans for education, employment or training, or do not meet their abilities.  Leaders’ analysis of students’ destinations is weak. Consequently, they do not make necessary changes to the advice students receive to ensure that students are able to make the right choices.  Too many students leave the sixth form in Year 12 and do not continue their studies

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16 to 19 study programmes Inadequate

into Year 13.  Students fail to achieve as they should. In 2016, some improvement took place, particularly in vocational subjects. However, outcomes within the sixth form remain poor.  Students do not benefit from meaningful work experience.  Not enough students who re-sit their GCSE qualifications in either English or mathematics gain the qualification at grade C or above.  Too many students in Year 12 and Year 13 fail to attend their lessons in the sixth form. Leaders have not completed effective analysis as to why this is the case. There are no plans in place to rectify this situation.  Teaching quality is too variable.  Some students experience high-quality learning experiences, particularly within art and photography.  Students said that they valued being part of the sixth form and that they felt well cared for and supported by their tutors. They said that, in future, they would value additional

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16 to 19 study programmes Inadequate

‘stress busting’ opportunities, such as having access to a pool table in their social area.

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Gender of pupils in 16 to 19 study programmes Mixed

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School details

Of which, number on roll in 16 to 19 study programmes Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 20 March 2014

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Information about this school

 The school’s website does not meet requirements on the publication of information about admissions arrangements, examination and assessment results, curriculum information, and the Year 7 literacy and numeracy catch-up premium.  The school is an amalgamation of two schools that operated previously over two sites in Louth and in Mablethorpe. In September 2016, the school became a single school on the Louth site. The Mablethorpe site closed.  The governing body appointed an interim headteacher. He took up the post in September 2016.  This school is much smaller than the averaged secondary school. The number of students on roll in the sixth form is low.  The majority of pupils attending this school are White British.  The number of pupils eligible for the pupil premium funding is higher than average.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is higher than other schools nationally. The proportion of pupils with a statement of

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Information about this school

special educational needs or with an education, health and care plan is higher than average.  No pupils attend off-site provision as part of their curriculum.  The school has received support from King Edward VI Grammar School, Louth. The headmaster of this school has provided support to leaders. He is a national leader of education (NLE).  The school did not meet the government’s current floor standards for pupils’ achievement at key stage 4 in 2014 or in 2015.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 26 lessons; one was observed jointly with a subject leader.  An inspector listened to pupils reading.  Inspectors scrutinised the work of pupils in Years 7, 8, 10 and 11 and students in Year 12.  A range of meetings were held with the interim headteacher, the chair and vice-chair of the governing body, senior leaders, the special educational needs coordinator, a group of subject leaders, a representative from the local authority and the headmaster of the King Edward VI Grammar School, Louth.  Inspectors considered the 15 parental responses to the Ofsted online questionnaire, Parent View.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documentation including: the college development plan; the school’s self-evaluation; minutes of the governing body meetings; performance information for all year groups; and records on behaviour, attendance, exclusions and pupils’ safety and welfare.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour at break, lunchtime, between lessons and in

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Information about this inspection

lessons.  Pupils were observed arriving to school.

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Inspection team

Jayne Ashman, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Claire Shepherd 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

In the report, 'disadvantaged pupils' refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. www.gov.uk/pupil-premium-information-for-schools-and- alternative-provision-settings .

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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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspection 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.gov.uk/ofsted

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