Royton and Crompton School

Royton and Crompton School Blackshaw Lane, Royton, Oldham, Greater Manchester OL2 6NT

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Inadequate

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires Improvement

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Standards across the school have fallen since the last inspection. Too many pupils make inadequate progress across a wide range of subjects.  New leadership has not had time to be effective in turning around the impact of several years of declining performance.  Safeguarding is ineffective. Senior leaders and governors have not ensured that all pupils are kept safe.  The school’s curriculum is not broad and balanced. Pupils do not have access to a good variety of extra-curricular activities.  The large turnover of staff and the number of temporary appointments are hindering school improvement.  Teaching is inadequate. It does not meet pupils’ needs and abilities. Teachers do not check on pupils’ understanding effectively in lessons. As a result, assessment and the progress pupils make is weak.  Literacy and reading is underdeveloped across the school.  Additional funds used to support disadvantaged and low-attaining pupils have not been used

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

effectively.  Leaders have not provided for pupils’ understanding of fundamental British values or for their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  The school is not effective in supporting pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Consequently, they woefully underperform.  Pupils’ absence, including persistent absence, remains too high, particularly among disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.  The school’s behaviour policy and its application is ineffective. Pupils’ attitudes to learning are poor.  Too many pupils find themselves excluded from school.  Staff, pupils and parents all raised concerns over behaviour and bullying in school. Pupils do not feel safe.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The new headteacher and interim executive board have an accurate view of the school and are aware of what needs to be done to improve.  There are examples of improved and effective teaching in English, business studies, food technology and art.

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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?

 Take immediate action to ensure that safeguarding arrangements are effective by: – ensuring that the school has a full and accurate record of safeguarding checks for all staff – ensuring that all pupils are taught appropriate and relevant safeguarding topics within the curriculum, including how they can keep themselves safe from radicalisation – establishing clear systems to analyse online activity and to allow pupils to report online concerns.  Take urgent action to improve leadership and management by: – ensuring that the school’s curriculum is broad and balanced, well planned and taught effectively – establishing opportunities for pupils’ social, moral, spiritual and cultural development and extending pupils’ understanding of British values – ensuring that consistent application of school policies by staff – taking rapid action to eliminate any remaining inadequate teaching – continuing to strengthen current procedures for monitoring the quality of teaching,

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

learning and assessment – embedding the newly established assessment structure, so that staff are accurate in their evaluations and judgements of pupils’ achievements – evaluating and amending the current behaviour structure so that pupils’ behaviour improves – improving the leadership of provision for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, so they are better supported and make faster progress – ensuring that all pupil funding is spent on the areas where it will have the most impact – developing a clear plan to support and improve pupils’ reading and literacy skills across the curriculum.  Rapidly improve pupils’ progress and attainment across the curriculum.  Take swift action to improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment by: – making learning engaging so that pupils have improved attitudes towards their learning – embedding further opportunities to share the good practice that already exists in

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

pockets across the school – ensuring that teachers provide learning activities that better meet pupils’ differing needs and abilities – improving teachers’ skills in checking pupils’ learning during lessons and adjusting their teaching accordingly.  Take immediate action to improve pupils’ personal development, behaviour and welfare by: – rapidly improving pupils’ rates of attendance and punctuality, especially for disadvantaged pupils and for those pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities – making sure that all staff deal consistently and effectively with poor behaviour across the school – ensuring that incidents of poor behaviour and prejudiced-based bullying are dealt with effectively so that pupils feel safe and learning is not disrupted – ensuring that internal and external exclusions lead to improvements in pupils’ behaviour – providing pupils with opportunities to involve themselves in extra-curricular

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

 In recent years, the standards pupils have attained have been inadequate. The new headteacher is under no illusion as to the enormity of the task to improve the school. He has a realistic view of the school and has quickly and accurately assessed what needs to be done. He has implemented some changes and redesigned the school leadership model. However, school leaders have not had time to be effective in turning around the impact of several years of declining performance and weak teaching. Many initiatives are too recent to show significant or sustained impact.  The curriculum is not broad and balanced, pupils are not taught religious education and some key stage 3 pupils do not have access to modern foreign languages. Senior leaders have addressed the curriculum deficiencies ready for implementation in September 2017.  Teachers’ use of pupils’ assessment information has been too variable. Monitoring of

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

teaching and learning has been ineffective. This has led to unrealistic and overgenerous views of pupils’ standards. Recent steps taken to improve the accuracy of teachers’ assessment and deeper monitoring of the quality of teaching and learning are yielding some convincing evidence of improvement.  Leaders and governors have not ensured that the pupil premium funding and Year 7 catch-up funding is used effectively. The school has recently undertaken an external review to ensure that future funding is carefully linked to impact on pupils’ learning and progress.  Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are not swiftly identified or provided with appropriate support and provision to enhance their outcomes. Leadership of special educational needs is highly ineffective. Teaching assistants are not directed well to support pupils’ learning in lessons. Consequently, pupils wallow in

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

poor performance and understanding. Advice and improvement plans provided in a recent visit by a specialist consultant have not been rapidly embraced or implemented. Funding is not strongly linked to impact on pupils.  Pupils are faced with too many lessons that are not taught by a specialist or their regular teacher. Leaders have struggled to recruit and retain high-quality staff in mathematics, English, science, geography and modern foreign languages. There are a variety of reasons for this. Nevertheless, this inconsistency is having a detrimental effect on the quality of pupils’ education and the application of policies to drive up standards.  Newly qualified and trainee teachers are positive about the support they receive. The school may continue to appoint newly qualified teachers.  Teachers say that they value the recent professional development programme and recognise that collaboration opportunities have improved. Support programmes for

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

developing teachers’ skills are showing some positive impact.  The new headteacher, alongside the local authority, has swiftly brokered effective external support. As a result, policies are being reviewed, systems redesigned and staff are beginning to feel more empowered to drive up standards.  The school has recently appointed teachers and leaders with the potential to accelerate improvement. Although it is too early to measure impact, much needed improvements are being made to policies and quality assurance systems across the school.

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Governance of the school

 The governing body, in the past, has not been effective. In September 2016, the local authority implemented an interim executive board which has strengthened the capacity of governance. As a result, they now hold leaders sternly to account. They have a very clear view of the performance of staff and pupils across the school and the areas in need of improvement.  Members of the interim executive board meet frequently and are skilled, reflective and well trained to challenge the school and its leaders. They use their knowledge and skills to interpret examination results and current information on pupils’ progress. As a result, they challenge the school to do better.  Members of the interim executive board have scrutinised information in relation to teachers’ performance and pay progression.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.  The school’s central record of safeguarding checks is not complete, accurate or compliant.  Key members of the safeguarding team are not up to date with training for their role.  A number of pupils spoke with inspectors during the inspection and raised concerns about not feeling safe in school. This was echoed in staff, pupil and parental surveys, along with concerns regarding unruly disruptive behaviour, bullying and smoking on site.  Leaders have failed to ensure that a clear strategy and appropriate curriculum content is in place to educate and safeguard pupils for life in modern Britain.  Leaders have not established clear systems to track online activity and to allow pupils to report any online concerns.  Work to prevent pupils developing extremist ideologies is not effective, well embedded or high profile in the school. As a result, pupils are not knowledgeable about how to

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Safeguarding

keep themselves safe from radicalisation.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

 Teaching is inadequate and as a result, most pupils fail to make the progress that they should. Weak teaching over time has led to pupils making insufficient progress from their starting points. Teaching is ineffective across a number of subjects, such as geography and religious education.  In a wide range of subjects, pupils experience considerable variability in the quality of teaching. The majority of pupils arrive with abilities in line with those expected for their age but they are not taught well enough, so they leave with standards that are well below the national average.  Far too many teachers fail to provide engaging and interesting learning activities that meet pupils’ needs and abilities. Consequently, pupils become disengaged from learning, lose focus in lessons and often misbehave.  The quality of teaching in many of the school’s internal exclusion rooms is inadequate. Pupils are merely removed and contained. Pupils are given work that is not related to

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

their classroom learning. It is repetitive and unchallenging; they make little or no progress.  Teachers do not follow the school’s policy for how form time should be used. Form time is not effective in supporting pupils’ personal development. Teachers do not establish or reiterate core school expectations and standards. As a result, time is wasted, pupils’ attitudes to learning are poor and opportunities for teachers to facilitate a positive school culture are neglected.  Too many lessons are taught by non-specialists or have long-term temporary teachers. Pupils are concerned about the frequent changes of teachers and the impact that this has on their learning. This approach is hindering the much-needed rapid progress of pupils.  Pupils’ skills in reading and writing are too varied across the school. Teachers do not share approaches to developing writing across departments. Teachers do not provide

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

pupils with the skills or opportunity to write for extended periods. Recent reading initiatives are only at the early stage of development. Teachers do not promote reading across the school; pupils are not encouraged to read widely and often. As a result, weaker skills in reading and writing are key barriers to pupils’ academic success.  Pupils’ enthusiasm and interest in learning vary, depending on the subject and the teacher. Pupils’ learning is more effective where teachers consistently use good subject knowledge to plan engaging lessons. These teachers frequently check pupils’ learning and understanding and give pupils plenty of opportunities to apply what they have learned. This productive climate for learning was commonly seen by inspectors in subjects such as English, food technology, business studies and art.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is inadequate.  Weaknesses in the school’s procedures to safeguard pupils mean that leaders cannot guarantee pupils’ safety.  Leaders do not have a clear programme to support pupils’ physical and emotional well- being. Links to external support agencies are not well signposted for pupils and there is no strategic curriculum to deliver personal, social, health education within the school.  There are insufficient opportunities for pupils to take part in extra-curricular provision, for example in a range of sports to keep themselves fit and healthy. This limits pupils’ personal development and welfare.  British values and social, moral, spiritual and cultural education are not taught in enough detail or promoted well by teachers. Too many pupils have a common disregard for mutual respect and tolerance across the school. For example, a small

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Personal development and welfare

cohort of pupils has been isolated by other pupils within their school community.  Pupils report that too many incidents of bullying in the school are not dealt with effectively. There is some prejudice-based bullying in the school, including homophobic and racist bullying. Therefore, some pupils do not feel safe.  Pupils who receive some of their education at alternative providers generally attend well and gain appropriate qualifications. These pupils are safe and receive appropriate support to help them manage their behaviour.  A planned and coordinated programme of careers education helps pupils to make informed choices about their next steps in education. Nearly all pupils continue in education when they leave school, although the lack of basic qualifications for many constrains their range of choices.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is inadequate. Too many pupils create disruption that stops the flow of learning. This has a detrimental effect on pupils’ learning and progress. Attitudes to learning are too weak and many pupils are reluctant to actively contribute during lessons.  Too many pupils do not attend school regularly enough. Attendance is well below the national average. Pupils with the worst attendance are disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.  School exclusions are too high. The proportions of disadvantaged pupils and of those pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities excluded temporarily from school for poor behaviour have been higher than national averages for some time. The number of pupils with repeat exclusions remains too high.  Staff do not always challenge poor behaviour or apply the school behaviour policy consistently. The school behaviour policy is ineffective and does not lead to

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Behaviour

improvements in pupils’ behaviour over time. Too many pupils show a lack of respect for teachers and other adults.  Pupils’ punctuality to school and between lessons is poor. They drift into lessons, which prevents a swift start to their learning. As a result, teachers start lessons later and pupils lose learning time. A few pupils frequently truant within the school site and avoid lessons completely.  Behaviour at social times is often poor even with high supervision. Too few teachers challenge poor behaviour. As a result, pupils’ behaviour falls well short of the school’s expectations.

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Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

 Underachievement is endemic. In 2015 and again in 2016, outcomes for pupils in a wide range of subjects were significantly below average and pupils made insufficient progress from their starting points. Pupils have underachieved at the school for far too long.  Subject leaders made predictions for GCSE outcomes in 2016 which were overoptimistic. This was a result of inaccurate assessment systems and poor practices across the school.  Senior leaders have sharpened and improved the school assessment processes in readiness to commence the journey of improvement. The impact of this was seen by inspectors at key stage 3. However, much work remains so that pupils make swifter progress and reach standards which are in line with their capabilities.  Year 7 catch-up funding has been poorly implemented and pupils who enter the school unable to read or write at the standard expected for their age have not been supported

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Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

swiftly or effectively. As a result, large gaps in pupils’ skills and understanding remain.  The most able pupils and the most able disadvantaged pupils make poor progress across a wide range of subjects.  The progress made by disadvantaged pupils is woefully weak. This is because the school does not have precisely targeted strategies to develop these pupils’ skills and knowledge. Expertise has not been used to evaluate and measure adequately the spending of funding and the impact on pupils.  The school has recognised this underachievement and has changed its approach to managing the spending of pupil premium funding. The impact of the spending of this funding has not been effective. Changes made this academic year have not improved progress for these students.  Over time, those pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make poor progress. This is because valuable information about their abilities and needs is

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Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

not swiftly identified or communicated to teachers. As a result, most staff do not plan appropriately and pupils’ needs are not met.

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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

Number of pupils on the school roll 1161

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School details

Appropriate authority Interim executive board

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School details

Website www.roytoncrompton.oldham.sch.uk

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School details

Email address info@roytoncrompton.oldham.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 3–4 June 2015

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than the average-sized 11 to 16 secondary school.  The executive headteacher was appointed as the permanent headteacher in March 2017. Since the last inspection there have been significant changes at governor, senior and middle management levels and in the composition of the teaching staff. During the past year, the school has experienced some difficulties in recruiting staff and has employed a number of supply staff.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is below the national average.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils, those who are eligible for support through the pupil premium funding, is above average.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is below the national average. The proportion who speak English as an additional language is well below average. Most pupils are from White British backgrounds.  The school does not meet the government’s current floor standards, which are the

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Information about this school

minimum expectations of pupils’ attainment and progress.  The school is characterised by the Department for Education as a coasting school. A coasting school is one that over time does not support its pupils to fulfil their potential.  The school has sought external support from the local authority and various local schools including The Blue Coat CE School Oldham and North Chadderton School.  Over 50 pupils are educated with some off-site provision to study vocational courses at a range of providers, including: Laticzone, Teens and Toddlers, Groundworks and Mahdlo.  The school does not meet requirements on the publication of specified information on its website. There is not enough information about the content of the school curriculum.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed the work of the school across a wide range of subjects and year groups. During these observations, inspectors looked at pupils’ work and talked to them about it. Some observations of teaching and learning were undertaken jointly with members of the senior leadership team.  Meetings were held with the headteacher and senior leaders, members of staff, the chair and a member of the interim executive board, and a representative from the local authority. Inspectors also met with newly qualified teachers and those undertaking training at the school.  Inspectors viewed form periods and an assembly, and made visits to the school’s internal inclusion units and an off-site provider.  Inspectors spoke with pupils from both key stages about their experience of school and their learning. Inspectors formally interviewed a wide number of pupils and spoke to a range of pupils informally at break and lunchtime. Inspectors also observed pupils’

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Information about this inspection

conduct and behaviour throughout the school day.  Inspectors took account of the school’s own pupil, parent and staff survey information, the 51 responses to Ofsted’s online Parent View survey and also spoke to a parent by telephone. They also considered 54 staff responses and 94 pupil responses to the Ofsted online questionnaire.  The inspection team observed the school’s work; scrutinised data about pupils’ achievement, behaviour and attendance; scrutinised pupils’ work; looked at documents used by leaders to check the school’s work; reviewed minutes of meetings of the interim executive board; and viewed records relating to the monitoring of teaching. A range of documentation regarding safeguarding was scrutinised, including behaviour and attendance records and bullying logs. During the inspection, detailed consideration was given to policies and practices relating to safeguarding and to how the school

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Information about this inspection

prepares pupils for life in modern Britain.

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Inspection team

Dawn Platt, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Andrew Cooper 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

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, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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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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