Judgemeadow Community College

Judgemeadow Community College Marydene Drive, Evington, Leicester LE5 6HP

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

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leaders, including governors, have not ensured that safeguarding arrangements are effective. The systems used to record, monitor and support pupils following a concern are not fit for purpose. Little or no monitoring of these arrangements has taken place to ensure pupils’ safety.  A significant minority of pupils report that they do not trust that bullying would be dealt with effectively by adults in the school. Some pupils, including vulnerable pupils, have come to accept that bullying and derogatory teasing are just part of school life.  Pupils have a very limited understanding of different kinds of threats to their safety; some pupils’ attitudes are very intolerant towards those different to themselves. Pupils are not prepared well for life in modern Britain.  Leaders in charge of behaviour and special educational needs do not systematically monitor or analyse pupils’ progress or evaluate the impact of their work.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Not enough disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress across a range of subjects. While this is improving, it has particularly affected the school’s older students.  Too many of these pupils do not attend school regularly and are subject to fixed-term exclusions.  The quality of teaching is variable across subjects. Teachers do not consistently provide suitable support for low-attaining pupils or enough challenge for the most able, especially disadvantaged pupils.  The school is not governed well. Governors do not hold leaders to account. They are too reliant on the information provided to them by school leaders; they are insufficiently knowledgeable to suitably challenge underperformance and monitor the work of the school, especially its safeguarding arrangements.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 As a result of the principal’s unequivocal messages, all staff understand the school’s priorities.  Subject attainment at grades A* to C in a range of key subjects is consistently above average.  The support for pupils who speak English as an additional language is effective.  The culture of reading is well established in the school. Pupils enjoy reading and use the library regularly.

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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?

 Urgently address the serious weaknesses in the school’s safeguarding arrangements by: – ensuring that all leaders responsible for safeguarding, including governors, know, understand and carry out their duties in line with statutory guidance – keeping accurate records of all safeguarding concerns – monitoring all concerns raised until pupils’ safety and well-being are assured – implementing safer recruitment practices more rigorously – monitoring and analysing bullying incidents, especially by type, and acting effectively upon the findings – adopting more rigorous approaches to checking pupils’ attendance at any off-site provision.  Accelerate the progress of all groups of pupils, especially for boys, disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, by: – analysing the impact of support strategies more carefully and developing or sustaining those which are effective

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

– analysing the progress of each pupil group more sharply, so that pupils’ varying needs can be supported more effectively – developing further the quality of teaching in mathematics – providing regular and effective support for the least able pupils – ensuring that teachers help pupils to understand how to improve their work and make next steps in their progress – minimising the frequency of disruptions to pupils’ learning in lessons – ensuring that teachers use the information about pupils’ needs effectively so that pupils are provided with sufficient challenge, especially for the most able disadvantaged pupils – ensuring that teachers learn from best practice in the school and elsewhere.  Improve pupils’ personal development behaviour and welfare by: – improving pupils’ attitudes towards each other and towards those who may be different to themselves – developing pupils’ understanding about the different kinds of threats to their

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

safety – ensuring that pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and disadvantaged pupils come to school more regularly – ensuring that pupils are punctual to school and lessons – improving pupils’ behaviour and attitudes in lessons and especially during unstructured times.  Improve the impact of leadership and management by: – reviewing all leadership roles and responsibilities to ensure that the work leaders do is effective – acting upon the recommendations from the recent review of the school’s pupil premium provision – strengthening and embedding effective anti-bullying strategies across the school – developing the pastoral curriculum further to help pupils understand how to keep safe and develop sound moral values and social skills, so that they can be an asset to modern British society – ensuring that the leadership of special educational needs and/or disabilities is strengthened

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

– strengthening the role of governance, so that school leaders are effectively held to account and supported. 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 Inadequate

 Leaders, including governors have not fulfilled their fundamental duty to ensure that pupils in their care are safeguarded. Some pupils report that they do not trust the adults in the school to deal effectively with their concerns. Currently, if pupils are from disadvantaged backgrounds or have special educational needs and/or disabilities, they are unlikely to do as well as other pupils; the school has let down these pupils and not prepared them well for the next stage in their education.  Leaders have improved the way that pupils’ progress information is collated. However, their analysis of each pupil group’s progress compared with other pupils’ progress is not as sharp as it could be.  Leaders have not provided a suitable and effective curriculum which helps to prepare pupils for life in modern Britain or promotes British values. Some pupils are not sufficiently accepting of others who may be different to themselves. Unsound and

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

prejudiced views have been allowed to develop among some pupils. The school has not been successful in promoting a culture of inclusion.  The range of extra-curricular provision for pupils is not monitored carefully. Leaders are not always sure that all pupils benefit from these learning opportunities.  Pupils’ spiritual and cultural understanding are promoted through religious education lessons and assemblies. However, personal development lessons do not develop pupils’ moral and social skills well enough.  Records of behaviour incidents, including bullying, are poorly kept by leaders. Leaders cannot evaluate the work to improve behaviour, as no systems exist to analyse trends or patterns of behaviour properly. The limited records that do exist show that physical assaults among pupils are frequent. Pupils confirm this. The supervision of pupils outside of lessons by staff is not effective.  Leaders in charge of special educational needs have introduced a range of innovative

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

strategies to support pupils. However, leaders do not routinely analyse all pupils’ barriers to learning, including their attendance. They do not evaluate their work rigorously enough, so leaders are not clear about the effectiveness of government funding.  Despite the development of the pastoral team, which includes mentors, disadvantaged pupils’ attendance to school is not improving quickly enough.  The use of pupil premium funding by the school has been externally reviewed, as a result of the principal’s concerns about pupils’ progress. The recommendations for improvement in the report are appropriate. The principal recognises that a proper evaluation of the spending must take place in line with government guidance and that this information must be available for parents and carers on the school’s website.  Some parents’ concerns about the behaviour and welfare of pupils at the school are well founded. Work to engage parents more positively with the school is improving but

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

some parents who responded to the online survey said that the school’s communication with them is not as good as it could be. The implementation of a new and improved anti-bullying policy has been too slow and has not had the desired effect.  Leaders’ work to develop pupils’ literacy skills at key stage 3 is showing positive signs of impact. Pupils, who are working below age-related standards in English, have improved their reading and writing skills as a result of the literacy programme. Year 7 catch-up funding to support those pupils who did not achieve the expected standard at key stage 2 is being used more effectively than previously to support low-attaining pupils in English. However, work to improve pupils’ numeracy skills is not as well developed or successful.  The school has encountered difficulties in recruiting suitably qualified mathematics teachers since the last inspection. This has caused instability in the mathematics

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

department. Pupils and parents have expressed concerns about the number of substitute teachers, which has affected pupils’ progress. Staffing levels are set to improve considerably, as a result of a more successful recruitment drive recently.  The systems to manage the performance of teachers have been improved by the principal. Teachers are fully aware of their targets and school priorities. The range of programmes to support and improve teaching has increased. Some staff have benefited from opportunities to share good practice with a local outstanding school. Leaders recognise that broadening opportunities for staff to learn from best practice would improve teaching even more.  Subject leaders are improving their practice. They monitor teaching regularly and are improving the way they challenge underperformance. They are fully aware of key weaknesses in their departments and have devised robust plans to address them this

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

year. While the principal’s self-evaluation of the school’s effectiveness is overgenerous, he has been successful in communicating clear messages about school improvement priorities across the school. Subject leaders, for example, demonstrate a firm commitment to challenge the poor progress of disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. In some departments, there are early signs of improvement in these pupils’ progress. Subject leaders fully support the vision and aims of the principal.  The school’s careers guidance is improving. There is a wide range of external, electronic and one-to-one support. However, leaders do not review the effectiveness of this programme, as some pupils, especially older ones, show a lack of understanding of the range of post-16 and career options available to them.  The school has made astute choices for targeted pupils with alternative courses off-

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

site. The quality of teaching is checked regularly by school leaders, although pupils’ attendance at these provisions is not monitored rigorously enough.  The local authority has provided a range of support for school leadership. The network of subject leaders across the authority is valued by the school’s leaders, especially in supporting the development of the new curriculum and assessment systems. The principal engages well with the local authority training and is part of the education improvement partnership for headteachers.

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Governance of the school

 Governors are not carrying out their duties effectively.  Their oversight of safeguarding is very weak. No one has properly checked and reviewed the school’s systems to support and monitor pupils who are subject to child protection concerns. Governors have not ensured that proper and safe recruitment practices are adopted. They are not properly trained in safeguarding matters.  Governors do not ask for important information about pupils’ behaviour, especially the nature of bullying incidents in the school. As a result, governors are not aware of the poor systems to monitor pupils’ behaviour in the school.  Governors lack the knowledge and skills about school improvement to properly hold leaders to account. They rely too much on the information that school leaders provide to them.  The responsibility of governors to keep sound oversight of the school finances has not been well undertaken. The school faces serious financial pressures.

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Governance of the school

 The school’s website is not monitored by governors and does not comply with current government guidance. School policies on the website are out of date.  The performance of teachers, including their pay awards, are now checked by governors more rigorously.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding pupils are not effective. Safeguarding practices do not follow the guidance issued by the Secretary of State. Leaders in charge of safeguarding demonstrate a remarkable lack of vigilance for pupils’ safety, despite receiving training. Poor practice in record-keeping has contributed to leaders’ poor overview of pupils’ welfare. Governors are not holding leaders of safeguarding to account for the work they are doing.  Leaders cannot be sure that pupils who have reported concerns are safe and well because they do not monitor their progress and well-being in any systematic way. Information is not held centrally and no one person has an overview.  The record keeping of bullying incidents are poor. Overall, leaders do not record, analyse and report bullying incidents in any comprehensible way. Pupils say that bullying incidents do occur and they suggest these events are more frequent than the

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Safeguarding

school’s current records show. Of concern is the fact that some pupils say that they would not trust that adults would deal with the bullying. In fact, they say the situation may get worse as a result. Some vulnerable pupils say that they are subject to derogatory comments about their special educational needs. A few girls reported that unkind and sexist terms of abuse are commonplace.  The curriculum to support safeguarding is ineffective. While pupils are confident about how to keep safe online, they are ill-informed about the range of threats on the internet, especially those of radicalisation and extremism. Pupils do not understand the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM), which is a known threat locally. Pupils’ understanding of how to report a concern or worry is confused.  While pupils’ progress at the alternative provision off-site is checked regularly, their attendance is not monitored rigorously enough. Inspectors uncovered one child missing

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Safeguarding

in education.  The local authority has committed to supporting and improving the school’s safeguarding arrangements as a result of this inspection.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

 Teachers are provided with a wide range of information about pupils’ needs. However, the way that teachers use this information is not always effective. In many lessons, pupils are provided with work that is either too difficult or too easy because the pitch is not attuned to pupils’ differing abilities. Teachers’ challenge for the most able pupils is not consistently high enough, especially for disadvantaged pupils. This has led to considerable underachievement for these groups of pupils across a range of subjects.  Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and low-attaining pupils receive good-quality tailored small-group and individual support, but their progress in mainstream lessons is slow. This is because teachers do not consistently plan for their needs well enough.  Pupils say that teachers are not consistent in their application of the behaviour policy and this was confirmed during inspectors’ observations of learning. Whether pupils can

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

get on and learn without disruption to their learning is dependent upon the teacher they have. Temporary teachers do not always manage behaviour well in class.  Teachers’ feedback to pupils is not consistently helpful as set out in the school’s policy, so, as a result, pupils are not always clear how they can improve and make progress.  Teachers are improving their assessment practices. Generally, teachers are able to predict pupils’ outcomes accurately. New assessment systems are being embedded, although they are not well understood by pupils.  Most teachers in the school have strong subject knowledge. They have a good understanding of their subject’s teaching specifications, especially at GCSE level.  The school’s humanities teachers have a strong track record of ensuring good outcomes for pupils studying their subject because the teaching in this subject is consistently effective. Their support programme, ‘helping hands’, has proved successful

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

in helping all pupils to understand exam technique, especially the least able.  Teaching in languages is effective. Teachers encourage speaking and listening skills well. The teaching of pupils’ home language, like Gujarati, is successful and pupils make good progress.  The learning and support for pupils who speak English as an additional language are successful. The induction programme for pupils new to the language is well thought- out and highly valued by pupils. Pupils integrate and make good progress as a result.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is inadequate.  Bullying incidents are not dealt with effectively. Teachers have an unrealistic view of how safe pupils feel in the school. Some pupils with whom inspectors spoke said they are not confident that adults will deal with their concerns effectively.  Pupils admit that pupils who may be transgender or gay are unlikely to be accepted and may be subject to bullying. According to some pupils, sexist and derogatory language, including towards pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, is commonplace. Some pupils say that they have learned to accept that this type of behaviour is ‘just part of school life’ and that they tend to deal with it among themselves.  Pupils lack knowledge and understanding of the threats of radicalisation and extremism, as well as FGM, so they do not know how to keep themselves safe. Their

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Personal development and welfare

understanding of British values is limited.  Opportunities for pupils to practise their leadership skills are only offered to ‘the chosen few’ according to pupils. The student council body is not valued by pupils.  There is a wide variety of extra-curricular provision for pupils, such as sporting, drama, debating and art clubs. Pupils say that sometimes clubs stop running and they are not provided with reasons for this. This has proved frustrating. Leaders do not monitor pupils’ attendance well, so they do not know if participation rates for all clubs are high. Few enrichments opportunities are provided for pupils outside the school.  Pupils are provided with a careers education programme; the provision is more comprehensive in key stage 4 than 3. Pupils spoken with in lower years did not demonstrate confidence in the range of options available to them, which could affect their GCSE choices.  The physical education department has provided specific clubs and intervention

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Personal development and welfare

sessions to support disadvantaged pupils. Records show a noticeable rise in participation rates and teachers report an increase in pupils’ sense of accomplishment and well-being as a result.  Pupils new to the country and learning English as an additional language feel safe and are supported well.  The plans to support children who are looked after by the local authority are detailed. Pupils currently on roll are making steady progress.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is inadequate.  Disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities do not attend school regularly enough. Absence figures for these groups have been in the highest 10% compared to national averages for the previous two years, with little improvement. Pupils’ attendance at alternative curriculum sessions off-site is inconsistent but improving.  While rates of fixed-term exclusions have reduced this year, the proportion excluded from vulnerable groups is still too high. These are the very groups who consistently underachieve at school.  School records about behaviour show that there has been an increase in physical assaults over the past year. Inspectors observed boisterous pushing and shoving behaviour among the boys during lunch and breaktimes. A small minority of pupils’ behaviour towards inspectors was not respectful. Pupils report that there are frequent

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Behaviour

fights in school. The supervision of pupils outside lessons, in and around the school building, is not effective enough.  In some classes, often in lower sets and in classes taught by temporary teachers, pupils’ behaviour is not consistently good. Pupils’ attitudes and behaviour towards one another and their teachers is sometimes poor and disrespectful. Boys’ workbooks are markedly less well presented than girls.  Pupils’ punctuality to school and classes is poor. Punctuality records for this term shows over 1,500 late arrivals to school. Inspectors witnessed high numbers of pupils arriving late to school. They also observed many pupils arrive late to lessons, as these pupils were often hanging around in corridors well after lessons started.  The concerns expressed about pupils’ behaviour, including bullying, by some parents to the online survey, are well-founded.

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

 Too few disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make the same progress as their peers nationally and in school. Where this is the case, this applies to both English and mathematics and across a range of subjects, apart from humanities. Progress is better for these students in the lower year groups. However, for those affected, their post-16 choices will have been compromised greatly as a result of their underachievement at GCSE level. The government funding for these groups has not been spent effectively.  The difference in attainment in English and mathematics between these groups and others nationally is not diminishing quickly enough by the end of Year 11. However, a higher proportion of current disadvantaged pupils in the lower years are reaching age- related standards in these subjects than in previous years.  Low-attaining pupils make the least progress of all ability groups in English and

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

mathematics and across a range of subjects at GCSE level. However, currently, these pupils in Year 8 are making rapid progress, due to targeted work to help them to catch up in Year 7, especially in English.  Most-able pupils, especially the disadvantaged most able, have not made the progress they should in previous years. Current assessment records for pupils show that these groups are now making better progress, especially in the lower years.  Pupils, in particular boys, have not made the progress they should in mathematics. Improvements in current pupils’ progress are relatively recent.  The proportion of pupils in Year 11 gaining grades A* to C in English, mathematics, science, languages and humanities is consistently higher than the national average. The school enters a higher proportion of pupils, from all ability groups, than nationally to these subjects.  Most pupils make steady progress on the courses they are following at the alternative

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

off-site provision; they are on track to achieve expected targets.  Pupils who speak English as an additional language make good progress, due to the good-quality support provided for them.  The school’s culture of reading is a strength of the school. Pupils are provided with a wide range of opportunities to read and enjoy novels. Pupils are encouraged to read regularly in tutorial times, during subject lessons and through visits from authors. Inspectors observed able readers; they showed confidence in using expression and were able to make good inferences from the text. Less-able readers are provided with focused reading support, which has proved very effective, especially in encouraging pupils’ decoding and comprehension skills.  All pupils leave school in sustained education, employment or training.

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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

Number of pupils on the school roll 1234

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.judgemeadow.leicester.sch.uk

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School details

Email address contactus@judgemeadow.leicester.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 16–17 April 2013

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Information about this school

 The school does not meet requirements on the publication of information about pupil premium funding on its website.  The principal has been in post since September 2015.  The school is larger than the average-sized secondary school. The proportion of pupils from ethnic minority backgrounds is much higher than the national average.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is average.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is slightly higher than the national average. Less than the national average proportion of pupils are supported through an education, health and care plan.  The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is higher than the national average.  Five pupils receive off-site alternative curriculum provision. The placements are: Mere Lane Riding School, Braunstone Skills, Triple Skills, Cook E, Millgate Lodge and Carrisbrooke, which are all located within the local authority.

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Information about this school

 In 2015, the school met the government’s floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.  Inspectors were aware during this inspection of a serious incident concerning a pupil that had occurred since the previous inspection. While Ofsted does not have the power to investigate incidents of this kind, actions taken by the setting in response to the incident were considered (where appropriate) alongside the other evidence available at the time of the inspection to inform inspector’s judgements.

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Information about this inspection

 The school was selected for inspection under section 8(2) of the Education Act 2005 (the Act). The inspection began on 13 December 2016. In the course of the inspection the lead inspector decided, on the basis of the evidence gathered, to treat the inspection as if it were an inspection under section 5, using the discretionary power under section 9 of the Act. Therefore, five new inspectors joined the inspection team on 14 December 2016 to conduct further inspection activity to meet the reporting requirements under section 5 of the Act.  Inspectors observed 75 parts of lessons, including tutorial sessions. Two assemblies were observed. Inspectors visited the library and the internal exclusion room. Many observations were carried out jointly with senior leaders.  Inspectors observed pupils’ conduct and behaviour at break and lunchtimes, including in the canteen.  Inspectors scrutinised a range of school documentation in relation to behaviour,

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Information about this inspection

teaching and pupils’ outcomes. The lead inspector evaluated the school’s self- evaluation report, governors’ minutes and policy documents published on the school’s website.  Six groups of pupils were interviewed formally by inspectors and many more were spoken with informally during break and lunchtimes and in lessons.  Inspectors interviewed a range of school leaders and staff, including: the principal, vice-principals, the coordinator for special educational needs and/or disabilities, the designated safeguarding leader, subject leaders and pastoral leaders.  A range of pupils’ work was examined by inspectors during lesson observations.  Inspectors also met with three members of the governing body, the local authority lead for social care and the local authority’s school improvement adviser.  Inspectors considered the responses from 63 responses from Parent View, the Ofsted online survey, and 58 responses to the free-text facility. Some of the school’s own

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Inspection team

Zarina Connolly, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Stephen Long 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

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 .

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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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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