Setting

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

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Mr Matthew Auger Headteacher Morecambe Community High School Dallam Avenue Morecambe Lancashire LA4 5BG

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Community High School

Following my visit to your school on 24 February 2017, 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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Community High School

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

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Community High School

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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Community High School

The school should take further action to:

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Community High School

 ensure that fewer disadvantaged pupils are regularly absent and that disadvantaged pupils continue to make faster progress throughout the school  tackle any remaining inconsistencies in teaching by ensuring that all staff share leaders’ ambitions for pupils’ achievement  ensure that staff consistently implement the new behaviour policy so that improvements to classroom behaviour continue and rates of exclusion decline.

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Evidence

During the inspection, I met with you, senior leaders, members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority to discuss the actions taken since the last inspection. I also met with a number of pupils. The school improvement plan and self-evaluation document were evaluated. I scrutinised a range of documents relating to pupils’ progress. I undertook a learning walk and work scrutiny with the deputy headteacher. You also made available the findings of the reviews of governance and pupil premium spending that were recommended following the last inspection.

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Context

Since the previous inspection you have appointed a new deputy headteacher to lead on the development of teaching within the school. A number of members of staff have accepted voluntary redundancies that were offered as part of the school’s strategy for reducing its budget deficit.

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Main findings

You have driven improvements since the previous inspection and there is clear evidence to indicate that the school is moving forward in many important areas. Your evaluation of the school’s strengths and weaknesses is perceptive and thorough. You recognise the impact of the work you have already done but you do not underestimate the scale of the task still facing the school. You have raised the expectations of staff and pupils alike and you have created a collective belief that the school can be good. Your action plan for improving the school is sharply focused on the areas needing urgent attention. You have ensured that there is clear accountability for all aspects of the plan and you are able to monitor the effectiveness of its implementation against clearly defined benchmarks for success.

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Main findings

Leaders have taken decisive action to improve the quality of teaching. This is having a positive impact and pupils are making quicker progress across the curriculum. In the lessons I saw and the books I scrutinised, it is clear that the majority of teachers have raised their expectations of what pupils can achieve. The school has introduced a new marking and feedback policy and this has led to improvements in pupils’ work because they are responding more effectively to teachers’ feedback. Pupils told me that they appreciate the improvements that have been made to teaching and that they have to work much harder in lessons. Despite these actions, there is still too much variability in the quality of teaching.

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Main findings

Leadership at all levels has been strengthened since the previous inspection. The appointment of a new deputy headteacher has been a catalyst for improvement and you have built the skills of your senior leadership team to good effect. Senior leaders have developed effective systems for tracking pupils’ progress, evaluating the effectiveness of teaching and monitoring behaviour. They have ensured that all staff receive timely and useful information that enables them to support pupils more effectively and plan learning that builds more closely upon what pupils already know and can do. You recognise the potential of the middle leadership team and it is clear that they have responded positively to the increased accountability and support you are providing. Middle leaders have been empowered to play a greater role in managing the performance of their staff and they ensure that the targets they agree with

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Main findings

their teachers align closely with the school’s overarching priorities. As a result, middle leaders ensure that their teams are focused on making up lost ground as quickly as possible.

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Main findings

An external review of governance was undertaken in March 2016 and clearly identified a number of actions the governors needed to take in order to improve their effectiveness. The governors I spoke to said that they found the review useful. They have used it as a springboard for changing the way that they operate. A skills audit has been undertaken and this has led to several additions to the governing body to increase their skills and expertise. Governors now hold leaders rigorously to account for the school’s performance. They have provided strong strategic support to the headteacher in his endeavours to reduce spending and they demonstrate a clear understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses.

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Main findings

Leaders have significantly changed the way that pupil premium funding is deployed as a result of an external review that was carried out in May 2016. Pupil premium spending now focuses sharply on removing different barriers to achievement and there is clear evidence that disadvantaged pupils are making faster progress throughout the school. You rightly identify this as an area that requires continued focus, as disadvantaged pupils are not yet making progress that is as rapid as that of other pupils. You are also frustrated that attendance for this group, while demonstrating minor improvement, remains stubbornly low. Rates of attendance have improved considerably across the school, including for other key groups such as those pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Main findings

You have successfully introduced a new behaviour policy which directs staff to adopt a proportionate and consistent approach to dealing with incidents of poor behaviour. Your records indicate there has been a significant reduction in poor behaviour during lessons and around the site. Leaders are also able to demonstrate that they are having a positive impact on improving the behaviour of pupils who have caused significant behavioural challenges in the past. Pupils speak very positively about improvements in behaviour and they appreciate the work that has been done to tackle bullying and discriminatory behaviour. They did, however, express some concerns that there is too much variability in the way that different teachers enforce the school rules and deal with poor behaviour. Leaders also recognise that the recent increase in permanent and fixed-term exclusions needs to reduce.

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Main findings

Pupils performed much better in almost all areas of the curriculum in the 2016 external examinations compared to recent years. All groups of pupils made faster progress, with disadvantaged pupils, pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and boys improving the most. Despite this, you have impressed upon pupils and staff the need to accelerate progress further, particularly in mathematics. Students in the sixth form now make progress that is closely in line with national averages. The school’s AS-level and A-level results demonstrate that students are making significantly faster progress on academic courses. These improvements have been orchestrated by the head of sixth form, who has raised expectations among students and their teachers while making wide-ranging changes to the way that students are assessed and supported.

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External support

Since the inspection in February 2016, leaders have been very proactive in seeking external support and the school has become very outward-facing in its approach. You are very positive, for example, about recent partnership work with Huntington School in York and Broughton High School in Preston. The school has been closely and ably supported by the local authority. The local authority knows the school very well. It is positive about developments within the school and optimistic for the future.

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External support

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

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